Posted on September 9, 2017. Tags: Abdüllah Öcalan, Ali Sistani, Iran, Iraq, ISIS, KRG, Kurdish, kurdistan, Kurds, Middle Eastern Christians, Muqtada Sadr, PKK, secession, Shi'a, Shiism, Shiite, Turkey
An alliance between Kurdish leftists and Iraqi militias shows why it’s dangerous to overestimate Iran’s role in the so-called “Shia crescent.” In light of the breakdown of state structures in Iraq and Syria, it’s tempting to try to build narratives that portray entire ethnic groups or sects as pawns of great powers like Iran, as […]
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Posted in Conflict, Iran, Iraq, Islam, Middle East, Religion, Security Issues, Syria, Terrorism, Turkey, World
Posted on August 30, 2015. Tags: Daesh, Foreign Policy, independence, International Security, Iraq, IS, ISIL, ISIS, Islamic State, KRG, kurdistan, Middle East, Politics, stability, World
Kurdistan is a nation that encompasses parts of Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey, but it is not a state. In post-Saddam Iraq the Kurds have had success in forming a new autonomous Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) with their own military. In July last year, KRG President Masoud Barzani asked his parliament to prepare for an independence referendum. The Kurds have a […]
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Posted in Conflict, Iraq, Middle East, Security Issues, Syria, US, World