The strategic position of the Kurdistan Region within Iraq’s evolving political landscape and the wider regional and international context

The unresolved status of Kurds has been one of the principal obstacles to democratization in Turkey.

The evolving relationship between power and opposition in a Region where democratic institutions remain fragile

All three branches of governance are under the dominance of partisan interests, leaving little room for a functional opposition.

Qubad Talabani: Just as the KRI demands devolved powers from Baghdad, it must also devolve powers from Erbil to provinces, districts and sub-districts.

Returning to authoritarian centralism was neither possible nor desirable and that Syria’s diversity remained an asset. A Policy Debate

Instead of treating it as an arena for great-power competition, the Levant is a shared political space in which local actors must define their own agenda.

Bafel Talabani: “we sometimes don’t even have institutions. We have personalities, that’s no way to run a country.”

Middle powers face “hard ceilings” that prevent them from becoming rule-setters. A policy debate on regional security dynamics

European Ambassadors to Iraq: “We want a stable, peaceful Iraq that is democratic, prosperous, and free of violent extremism.”