The Kurds: Their Effect on the Attempt to Democratize Iraq: A Strategic Estimate

Abstract

Of all the ethnic groups in the Middle East, the Kurds can best determine the success or failure of the U.S. attempt to establish a democracy in Iraq. Since 1991, the Kurds, unlike any other ethnic nation, have experienced the best-protected autonomous governance in the Middle East. During the interim years leading up to Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), the Kurds have established an independent economy, political structure, and resurgence in nationalism. They hold claim to regions that contain the richest natural resources in the Middle East, from oil, to agriculture, to water. It is left to the United States to determine if the Iraqi-Kurds will be integrated into the new political system of Iraq, or allowed to breakaway in order to establish their own independent state. This thesis aims to examine the options available to the United States in the event the Iraq-Kurds attempt to realize a goal of independence.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 17, 2005
Accession Number
ADA437044

Entities

People

  • Stephen A. Miller

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil War
  • Department Of Defense
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • Iraqi-War
  • Kurds
  • Middle East
  • Minority Groups
  • National Governments
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Natural Resources
  • Political Systems
  • Treaties
  • United States

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Military and Counterinsurgency Studies.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.