...
peshmerga
-Islamic State (IS) war, while a case of a small, asymmetric one, further instigated US engagement with the Kurdish armed forces. Increasingly, state and non-state interactions can be seen to determine the making of politics: US relations with the Kurds of Iraq bear testimony to this. From 1994 onwards the US State Department increased active working with the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) as a vital component of the Iraqi opposition. The leading Kurdish role in US plans for ‘regime change’ in Iraq,...
... single candidate for Kurds, as had been the practice since 2003. The very return of Salih to the PUK (he had quit the Union just before the election to form his own party) and the support he received as a presidential candidate were predictable.
But the Iraq Kurds could not agree on a single candidate for president, which, again, exposed a division among the elites. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (Barzani clan, Erbil) nominated Fuad Hussein, the former President of Kurdistan Region. Evidently, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah ...
... again found itself on the brink of collapse.
Although Kurdistan did not secede from Iraq, the republic, while formally remaining a federation, began, in reality, to drift toward confederation. And this was happening not only along the line dividing Kurds’ autonomy from the rest of Iraq, but also along the lines of the increased geographic dissociation between predominantly Shia and Sunni districts, and the latter development entailed elements of ethnic cleansing. The continuation of the processes threatened the collapse of the ...
... «Conflicts in the Middle East: Tools and Strategies for Settlement». This paper is devoted to analyzing the situation in the oil and gas market in Iraq and Syria, as well as the energy policy of Russia in the Arab Mashreq region. The authors also analyze Iraq’s oil prospects in the post-war period under sanctions against Iran. Special attention is paid to the Kurdish factor and the role the Kurds play in the future of energy in the region, the possibility of subregional integration in the Arab Mashreq and the increasing influence of Russian energy companies in regards to gas projects located in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Russia’s Interests ...
Working Paper #46 / 2019
This working paper looks into the complex issue of Russia–Iraq relations. It provides a detailed analysis of the foundations of the bilateral ties between the two countries, Russia’s approach to the Kurdish issue, and the future of cooperation between Russia and Iraq now that both countries have completed ...
... the KRI’s oil and natural gas export pipelines via Turkey.
These developments have been very welcome, particularly by the Kurds, not only for the generated income but also for drawing Russia into the security dynamics which was believed to have helped ... ... energy blockade on the KRI in the aftermath of the KRG referendum for independence.
What is the attitude of the major forces in Iraqi Kurdistan to Russia's policy in the region? How can the parties develop their relations while still taking into consideration ...
... role of the
peshmerga
in Iraq, and revealed their further transformation into a powerful force with international support. The rise of IS in the broader region of the Middle East highlighted Kurdish fighters as the main frontline troops against IS. Iraq’s Kurds have thus received the opportunity to advance their strategy and policies. This has not been easy, however, following a lengthy period of non-involvement in hostilities.
Defence remains the long-term posture of the KRG and the Kurdish armed forces....
The official referendum for Iraqi Kurdistan is soon. The referendum which is designed to sense the will of Iraqi Kurds about independence from Iraq and starting a Kurdish state among Iran, Syria, Iraq and Turkey. Theoretically, this might seem possible since Kurds already enjoy an autonomous rule in northern Iraq, they have their own president paramilitary forces ...
... Iranian Kurds. Moscow welcomed the news of the foundation of the Republic of Mahabad in Iran, but the Iranian side dissolved the Republic less than a year later. Mullah Mustafa Barzani, commander of the Republican army and future legendary leader of the Iraqi Kurds, led his followers across the border into the USSR, where Barzani was granted asylum. After the 1958 Iraq revolution, Barzani and his followers were able to return to the country.
Proposals on Building a Regional Security System in West Asia and ...
... among other atrocities, after ISIS took the city, 700 Yazidis women were rapped and sold as slaves for $150 each by jihadists.
Mo
re significantly, from the operational point of view, the 7500 Kurdish fighters involved in the offensive included not only Iraqi Kurds, but also Kurds from the Syrian YPG (People’s Protection Units), the military branch of the Syrian Kurdish party, the PYD (Democratic Union Party), as well as units of the Turkish PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party). Historically, Iraqi Kurds have ...
