Regional States and Iraq Kurdistan after2003(A study of Evolving positions and influencing factors) 'Review Article'

Abstract

The Kurdish issue has always been one of the most prominent issues that has had a significant impact on the Iraqi and regional political scene. The Kurdish nationalist movement emerged with the establishment of the Iraqi state in 1921, and the Kurds sought to establish their identity, demanding their rights and desiring active participation in the administration of the Iraqi state. Therefore, they did not miss any opportunity to demonstrate their influence on the course of Iraqi and regional events. The relationship between the Kurds and the Iraqi government was characterized by fluctuations between agreement and disagreement. Since the monarchy, the Iraqi government has made efforts to contain the Kurds until they were able to obtain autonomy in 1974. The Kurds' influence was not limited to the internal Iraqi situation but extended to the regional area, especially those countries where Kurds constituted a part of the population, most notably Turkey and Iran. Other parties also sought to use the Kurdish issue as a pressure tactic against the Iraqi central government. The growth of Kurdish national consciousness reached its peak after the American occupation of Iraq in 2003, reaching the point of demanding full independence while retaining the natural resources in the governorates of the region. A public referendum was held 2017, which sparked widespread concern both locally and regionally, as the approval rate was 92%. The Iraqi government and the regional powers affected by the Kurdish issue had no option but to pursue a policy of containing the Kurds to counter the idea of independence.