Suchergebnisse

Introduction : aiding quasi-states -- Structural legacies -- The relief phase -- From relief to rehabilitation -- The democracy mission -- Dependent quasi-state -- Conclusions : sustaining the Kurdish quasi-state

Despite ongoing instability and underdevelopment in post -Saddam Iraq, some parts of the country have realized relative security and growth. The Kurdish north, once an isolated outpost for the Iraqi army and local militia, has become an internationally recognized autonomous region. In The Kurdish Quasi-State, Natali explains the Nature of this transformation and how it has influenced the relationship between the Kurdistan region and Iraq's central government. This much-needed scholarship focuses on foreign aid as helping to create and sustain the Kurdish quasi-state. It argues that the generous nature of external assistance to the Kurdishtan region over time has given it new forms of legitimacy and leverage in the country. Since 2003, the kurdistan region has gained representation in the central government and developed commercial investment and political ties with regional states and foreign governments. Drawing on extensive field research, Natali explores how this transition has had positive and unintended consequences on Kurdish-state relations. Greater complexity in the regional political economy has demanded new forms of compromise with the central government. The Kurdistan region may have become a distinct political entity that challenges Baghdad; however, the benefits of aid and the logic of quasi-statehood ensure that it will remain part of Iraq. Acutely familiar with the nuances of Kurdish politics, society, and culture, Natali has produced a timely and immensely important book for policy makers, scholars, and practitioners interested in the region. -- Book jacket.

This paper examines the changing nature of the Kirkuk problem in Iraq and the implications for its long-term resolution. It is argued that different state-building policies have transformed the Kirkuk problem from an ethno-territorial conflict between Kurdish elites and Baghdad to power struggles between representatives of local governing bodies, polical parties and regional actors. The more complex space that defines the contemporary Kirkuk problem in post-Saddam Iraq has also encouraged shifts in identity politics. The notion of being 'Kirkuki first' has become salient alongside Kurdish nationalism. These transformations demand a more nuanced policy that addrresses the diverse socio-economic and political components of the Kirkuk problem, alongside the ethnicized nature of political identities in which the dispute is centered. Before any referendum can be imiplemented, certain requisites and confidence-building measures must be established to assure stability and create a minimal level of trust between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Baghdad. (Ethnopolitics)