... also significant because it is linked to the evolution of the
peshmerga
as a significant, organised non-state military force. Their role in defence assumed in response to the crisis in Iraq led to increased territorial control and thereby enabled the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to increase its bargaining power in foreign policy (at least, until October 16th 2017).
A study of the changing nature of the
peshmerga
in Iraq thus highlights the role of the army, even in the case of a de facto state ...
... smoothly, with the project roadmap advancing as scheduled and all production plans and contractual obligations of the Russian company fulfilled to the letter.
Gazprom Neft is somewhat unique among foreign operators by working both with Baghdad and Erbil in Kurdistan.
Late last summer, the port of Basrah saw off the
Sea Triumph
, a tanker chartered by LUKOIL's marketing and sales arm
Litasco
to take out the first consignment of oil received as payment for the Russians' efforts at West Qurna-2. Carrying ...
... the Middle East and elsewhere affects the policies of regional and global powers alike. Russia is no exception. In recent years, Moscow has taken steps to develop contacts with Kurdish political movements and establish economic cooperation with Iraqi Kurdistan, where Russian oil and gas companies have set up shop. The February 2013 visit to Russia by Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani, dubbed by the Kurdish people as the “first official visit,” served as a significant ...
... no one is discussing. In this article, I will explain why: 1) The Kurds have an unprecedented opportunity to achieve a political homeland; 2) Tehran's strategy of expanding Shia influence over the Sunnis is possible because of an independent Kurdistan; 3) Moscow is orchestrating an independent Kurdistan and 4) Turkey's recalcitrance against the United States and Western Europe squanders any chance of the Nabucco Pipeline going through Turkey..... Read more
... "normalization" with Saudi Arabia.
Quite meaningful in the emerging regional arrangement appears to be Turkey, Iraq's influential neighbor that has historically been opposed to self-determination and independence for the Kurds. Under the new situation, Kurdistan appears to be emerging as a moderate regional actor warring against terrorism. Since Kurdistan is increasingly seen by the West in this capacity, Ankara, which has maintained a fairly balanced relationship with Baghdad, may become deeply interested ...
... controls in Syria (most notably the Al-Omar oil field in Deir al-Zor in eastern Syria, seized from rival group the Nusra Front),
the group’s total income could be nearing $100 million a month
.
The United States supports the idea of an independent Kurdistan. It wants to control Kurdish oil, and to enjoy the possibility of using the “Kurdish factor” to put pressure on Iran, Syria and even Turkey
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted that the Iraqi forces ...
... strong support for opposition forces in Syria and the newly-emerging radical Islamist threat in its southern neighborhood. ISIS will not only destabilize the region, but also poses an immediate and serious threat to Turkey’s domestic population.
Kurdistan Regional Government: a Reliable Political and Economic Partner?
Despite initial domestic concerns, Turkey has been a staunch supporter of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Although in the 1990s, Turkey supported Iraq’s Kurds against ...
In light of the recent developments in Syria and the apparently imminent US military intervention, the blog will take a short break from its relatively academic style and its thematic focus in order to brainstorm and share some thoughts on the broader picture of what is happening in the geopolitical arena of the region. Dangerous Double Standards Bashar al-Assad has reportedly used chemical weapons to attack, essentially, his own people. The first, logically obvious question is why would Assad essentially...
On June 17, 2013 RIAC staff members
Anton Tsvetov
and
Aleksandr Eliseev
took part in the panel discussion "
Iraqi Kurdistan: the new political and economic status and the strategy of Massoud Barzani
" . The event was organized by the
Carnegie Moscow Center
.
The Representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Russia and the CIS countries
Xosawi Bebekir
...
