The Kurds in Post-Saddam Iraq
Abstract
The Kurdish-inhabited region of northern Iraq has been relatively peaceful and prosperous since the fall of Saddam Hussein. However, the Iraqi Kurds' political autonomy, and territorial and economic demands, have caused friction with Christian and other minorities in the north, with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other Arab leaders of Iraq, and with neighboring Turkey and Iran. Despite limited agreements allowing for new oil exports from the Kurdish region, the major outstanding issues between the Kurds and the central government do not appear close to resolution. Tensions have increased now that Kurdish representation in two key mixed provinces has been reduced by the January 31, 2009 provincial elections. Some predict the disputes could erupt into all-out violence between Kurdish militias and central government forces, potentially undermining the stability achieved throughout Iraq in 2008. The Obama Administration has not, to date, indicated that the Kurdish-central government disputes would derail or delay a major drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq between now and August 2010. However, many Kurds believe that the drawdown will reduce the U.S. political influence over the Kurds and the central government that is needed to contain these disputes. At the same time that it is at odds with the central government, the Kurdish region itself is in political ferment. One of the major factions, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, has seen many senior members resign and there is popular grumbling about the purported stranglehold that the major Kurdish parties have over politics and the economy of the Kurdish region. For more on Iraq, see CRS Report RL31339, "Iraq: Post-Saddam Governance and Security," by Kenneth Katzman.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 03, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA501415
Entities
People
- Kenneth Katzman
Organizations
- Library of Congress