Turkey and its Kurdish Issue: The European Union Factor
March 7th, 2016 by Athanasios Manis
The EU member states should be concerned that the exacerbation of the Kurdish issue can potentially not only destabilise Turkey further, but also feed into other crises that have been taking place at the same time in Iraq and Syria, and have catastrophic effects on the refugee crisis – a major worry for EU decision-makers.
Chasing Chimeras in Syria: Turkey’s PYD Gamble
February 17th, 2016 by Athanasios Manis
“The AKP government has been advocating and pursuing the removal of Assad, the defeat of ISIS and the isolation and weakening of the PYD. These three strategic aims are in full contradiction to one another if one considers the realities on the ground. These parallel objectives highlight how Turkey has avoided systematic prioritisation.”
America Needs a Stable and Democratic KRG as a Partner
January 25th, 2016 by Linda Fawaz
The United States needs to preserve its goodwill and reputation in Kurdistan by remaining neutral in its internal disputes, but also engaging constructively as a close ally.
Violence against Women in War and Conflict
January 17th, 2016 by Professor Gill Hague
In August 2015, the UN Security Council warned that, in Iraq and Syria, sexual violence is being used as a deliberate tactic, saying these acts are war crimes, with claims that Daesh in particular has created a ‘theology of rape’ including sexual slavery.
A Tough Job: Building Democracy in Oil-Dependent Kurdistan
December 6th, 2015 by Dave van Zoonen
A social contract which enables the KRG to escape accountability in return for providing a salary and services is fundamentally at odds with Kurdistan’s democratic aspirations.
Electoral Failures, Misguided Choices: The Finite Point of the AKP’s Kurdish Policy
October 22nd, 2015 by Athanasios Manis
Irrespective of the results of the coming elections, the AKP has reached a finite point whereby it cannot deliver fully on democratic reforms and resolution of the Kurdish issue. This article suggests that the AKP needs to seriously consider forming a coalition government that is determined to address serious domestic issues. Any other behaviour would reveal its inability to share responsibilities and power.
Negotiations for international loans for Kurdistan should resume with a clearer vision
September 20th, 2015 by Roger Guiu
Recent developments damaged beyond repair the confidence investors had in lending money to the KRG. As a result, the only other way out of the current economic crisis, at least in the short term, is to bring in fresh capital to cover for the money Kurdistan is unable to generate internally.
Oil for Food: The Global Food Crisis and the Middle East
September 16th, 2015 by Eckart Woertz
Like the Gulf countries, Iraq has a high dependence on oil export revenues, food imports and considerable population growth.
Post-Maliki Iraq: An uncertain future?
February 1st, 2015 by Farhan Siddiqi
While it is tough to predict how developments in Iraq will manifest in the future, Iraq’s new political dispensation under Haidar Al-Abadi is actively striving to move beyond Maliki’s destabilizing ethno-sectarian legacy and treading the path of dialogue and reconciliation.
The Iran Nuclear Deal: A View from Erbil
August 3rd, 2015 by MERI
Iran and six world powers reached a historic deal on the 14th of July in Vienna. This deal could have far reaching consequences and significantly alter geopolitics in the Middle East.