The kurds are the largest ethnic group on the planet without a homeland to call their own. An introduction to kurdistan february 27, 2014 3 comments in iraq by adam pervez. Instead of fighting the causes of the exodus from iraqi kurdistan, however, the kurdish leader massoud barzani is relying on patriotism and empty promises. The president of kurdistan region is the head of an autonomous region in northern iraq. Politics, economy, and ideology in iraqi kurdistan since 2003. Economy the kurdistan regions growth rate was 12% in 2012 and is predicted to reach 8% in 20. Addressing structural weaknesses of the kurdistan regions economy 1. Kurdistan, pointed out that the kurdish people represented some 45 million individuals, making them the worlds largest divided nation2.
History of kurds and kurdistan the kurdish people are an ethnic group that originated in the middle east. The stability of the kurdistan region has allowed it to achieve a higher level of development than other regions in iraq. Examining the experiment in western kurdistan contested through three broad theories. Kurdistan region of iraq kri, as refugees from the syrian conflict and. West kurdistan is that part of kurdistan, which has been colonized by syria 5. Dohuk, erbil, sulaymaniyah and halabja are official parts of iraqi kurdistan, while kurdishcontrolled areas in ninawa, kirkuk and diyala governorates are claimed by the iraqi government. This is the reason why syria gave a protection to abdullah ocalan, who was a communist leader of the kurdistan workers party enemy number 1 for turkish government. Mar 16, 2016 iraqi kurdistan is relatively less important to the united states than it is to iran, as the former has a host of other regional allies to call upon and is preoccupied by the need to confront other pressing problems around the world. Doing business in kurdistan updated b france consulate. The iraniraq war starting in 1980 provided an opportunity for the kurds to reunite their forces against saddam husseins regime and form the kurdistan front in 1987, which was met with extensive violence by iraqi security. Iraqi kurdistan seeks to develop economic ties with russia.
Out of 159 countries on the quality of life index, kurdistan ranked 55th while the rest of iraq ranked 4th. The regions population increased by 28 percent over a short period, placing strains on the local economy, host community, and access to public services. Despite baghdads unwavering insistence that the kurdistan region will remain a part of iraq, the central governments ability to prevent the kurds from gaining independence may be limited. Similar to the rest of iraq, the kri economy is characterized by. Revenue sharing case study oil and gas revenue sharing in iraq. Since syria became mired in war, the region has become the. A small region in iraq just became one of the oil markets. When the islamic state is occupied mosul and attacked the kurdistan region, kurdish forces developed a threepart strategy to halt their advance, roll them back, and ultimately defeat them. The kurdistan infrastructure has been damaged by many years of war, genocide and forced displacement at the hand of the previous iraqi regime. Moreover, turkey was a member of nato and syria was a member of opposite side the warsaw pact. The war with isis, refugees, and problems with the central government of iraq are making it impossible for the kurds to maintain a flourishing economy. Taxation in the kurdistan region, kurdistan region. Because kurdistan is landlocked, shutting its borders with iran and turkey and airspace through iraq could quickly lead to sharp spikes in prices or shortages of. The future economic challenges of kurdistan, kurdistan.
China maintains cordial diplomatic and commercial relations with the kurds, but opposes a unilateral kurdish. Out of 159 countries on the quality of life index, kurdistan ranked 55th while the. Kck koma civaken kurdistan group of communities in kurdistan political organization founded by the pkk in 2007, which includes some of the main kurdish parties in turkey, iraq, syria and iran, with the aim of creating a democratic confederation of all kurdish regions. The kurdistan region has a burgeoning economy built upon progressive economic policies and growing government transparency. Sep 26, 2017 a small region in iraq just became one of the oil markets biggest concerns published tue, sep 26 2017 2. The economy of the kurdistan region essential information since the liberation of iraq from saddam hussein dictatorship, abolishing the international sanctions on iraq and the sanctions on the iraqi government to kurdistan, the local economy is experiencing dynamic growth.
Mar 07, 2016 the leadership of modern turkey has historically viewed its relations with the iraqi kurds through a traditional security lens. Nonresilient public services provision differentiating between symptoms and structural weaknesses allows us to counterargue the deepseated belief that solving the krgs. Kurdistan region and to the economy of iraq as a whole. The economic case against an independent kurdistan the. The impact of the independence of kurdistan global risk. The kurdistan regional government krg must dedicate itself as prime minister nechirvan barzani has said to operate as the servant of the people in a transparent and accountable way i. Transfer pricing, capital gains, withholding tax, employment tax, social security contributions, vatsales tax and import, export and customs duties are also discussed. In turn, these are strongly influenced by its history, both recent and more distant. The team is grateful for the close collaboration and the strong engagement. Kurdistan region is only starting to be explored, but initial exploration results indicate the region has significant oil and gas reserves. Investment opportunities span every sector, including oil and gas, electricity, agricultural and the service industries.
As we all know, unfortunately, kurdistan is going through a huge economic crisis. Sep 30, 2017 the kurdish referendum has resulted in a resounding yes, while iraq and regional actors mount pressure. Nonresilient public services provision differentiating between symptoms and structural weaknesses allows us to counterargue the deepseated belief that solving the. A small region in iraq just became one of the oil markets biggest concerns published tue, sep 26 2017 2. Kdp parti dimukrati kurdistan kurdistan democratic party iraq. Iraqi kurdistan ranked 83rd out of 181 countries, while the rest of iraq ranked 177th. Put on a world map by a turk in arabic in bagdad in 1072 a. Oil and gas revenue sharing in iraq summary this study provides an overview of iraqs oil and gas revenue sharing, that is, the revenue that the iraq national government earns from extraction and then redistributes to subnationalprovincial and regionalgovernments. Although challenged by damage to our society and infrastructure from years of war, genocide, forced displacement, and the destruction of more than 4,000 villages at the hand of the previous iraqi. Taxation in the kurdistan region this section discusses corporate income tax.
The iraqi kurdistan region will be holding a referendum on independence on september 25, 2017. Kurdistan region of iraq reforming the economy for shared prosperity and protecting the vulnerable public disclosure authorized. The kurdish referendum has resulted in a resounding yes, while iraq and regional actors mount pressure. The kurdish people have a long history dating back long before the current borders of the middle east were created.
The economic case against an independent kurdistan the atlantic. The future economic challenges of kurdistan the majority of people in the kurdistan region are financially dependent on the government, which is itself dependent on oil income. Out of 83 countries, kurdistan ranked 55th and 57th on the political and business index, respectively. For example, the former iraqi regime destroyed over 4000 villages in kurdistan. Addressing structural weaknesses of the kurdistan regions economy. Kurdistan is not the name of a country or state, but rather, a land which in the 20th century was obligatorily divided among five states turkey, iran, iraq, syria and the soviet union.
The kurdistan regional government krg in northern iraq and the pkk kurdistan workers party in turkey are the two most wellknown kurdish political groups, though many other groups exist. The iraniraq war starting in 1980 provided an opportunity for the kurds to reunite their forces against saddam husseins regime and form the kurdistan front in. Ethnic kurdistan was the scene of instability, wars and armed conflicts for a long time, and it was completely dependent on the imperial ambitions of conquerors the arabs, the persians, the tatarmongols and the ottomans, among others. The prospect of a kurdish nation the kurdistan region of iraq kri emerging as an autonomous region within iraq and possibly an independent state was viewed as an existential threat to the unitary nature of the republic of turkey. Like many oilbased economies, the regions economic booms and busts are heavily influenced by the oil sector. Apr 26, 2016 kurdistan region historypoliticseconomic 1. Sep 26, 2017 because kurdistan is landlocked, shutting its borders with iran and turkey and airspace through iraq could quickly lead to sharp spikes in prices or shortages of basic goods such as food and fuel. Jun 28, 2018 the kurdistan regional government krg in northern iraq and the pkk kurdistan workers party in turkey are the two most wellknown kurdish political groups, though many other groups exist.
The history of kurdistan the pkk party program 1998, chapter two. Transfer pricing, capital gains, withholding tax, employment tax, social security contributions, vatsales tax. Assessing the economic and social impact of the syrian confl ict and isis. The economist offers authoritative insight and opinion on international news, politics, business, finance, science, technology and the connections between them. Kurdistan board of investment why kurdistan region. Kurdistan region of iraq world bank documents world bank group. In this second of two articles on kurdistan, gri examines the likely repercussions of an independent iraqi kurdistan. Written on july 19, 2015 by editor in economy, independence, krg, kurd news, kurdistan by yara kamaran ismael. The kurdistan region of iraq is facing an economic and humanitarian crisis as a result of the influx of syrian refugees which began in 2012 and internally displaced persons idps in 2014. The muchvaunted expansion of the turkish trade and energy corridor from iraq to europe was contingent on the safe movement of turkish goods. As such, iran should be able to provide more support to kurdistan than the united states.
It uses a case study of how a kurdish minority in iraq interact with multiple stakeholders in. Economy in kurdistan region consists of the autonomous economy in kurdistan region in northern iraq. Sep 18, 2017 the iraqi kurdistan region will be holding a referendum on independence on september 25, 2017. The turkish military was always concerned about the pkks support for guerrilla warfare in eastern turkey and their ability to sabotage crude oil pipelines, threating the turkish economy from the mountain base camps in the kri and possibly from syria. The ongoing political and economic crisis in northern iraq is forcing many kurds to flee. The kurdish problem and possible solutions new eastern. Kurdistan is an autonomous province in iraq which is heavily dependent on oil sector for its major part of revenue.
Taxation in the kurdistan region, kurdistan region, insight. At 941 years of age, this map is the oldest surviving map that displays kurdistans name, ardh alakrad or land of the kurds. Kurdistan region economic development assessment ministry of. Kurdistan was a great pawn to play in order to get their benefits. Mohammed stressed that according to the iraqi constitution of 2005, the fate of the socalled disputed areas had to be decided at the referendum, but. The kurdistan region of the republic of iraq kri is a constitutionally recognized semiautonomous region in northern iraq with a population of 5. China and the independent kurdish state beginsadat center. Kurdistan puk, which led to the division of the iraqi kurdistan region into two territories of influence. Iraqi kurdistans economy is a worse threat than isis. The kurdish projects kurdish politics news section covers the latest news about kurdish politics from a wide range of news outlets. The future of the kurdistan region of iraq mosul, economic. Addressing structural weaknesses of the kurdistan regions.
The previous article made the case that this is a good time for a declaration of independence, and can be read here the secession of the kurdish autonomous region from the iraqi state increasingly appears to be a matter of when, not if. The future of the kurdistan region of iraq after the referendum. With recent revolutions and ongoing civil wars that continue to change the landscape of the region, the kurds have found themselves playing an increasingly important role in the middle east. Pdf on jan 30, 2014, raz azad and others published kurdistan find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. The kurdish problem and possible solutions new eastern outlook. He inserted a map to provide a spatial perspective on the content of his book. Thus the kurdistan regional government krg has been faced with numerous challenges. The kurdistan regions economy is dominated by the oil industry, agriculture and tourism. Pdf despite the uncertainty about the peshmergas status, western countries besides training and arming the iraqi kurds are working with. The iraqi kurdistan government rules the region independently. In our country, kurdistan, one of the most fertile regions of the earth, humanity for the first time in its history began to cultivate agriculture, have a settled life, and to raise livestock. Some 60 years after his father, mustafa barzani, arrived in the ussr, the historic visit of the leader of the iraqi kurds to the russian capital. In october 20 i traveled from tbilisi, georgia to iraqi kurdistan. A vision for the future iii the kurdistan region iraq has achieved dramatic development in the past decade.
Jul 12, 2017 iraqi kurdistans economy is a worse threat than isis money talks if the semiautonomous government goes bankrupt, the war against the caliphate could go bellyup. While beijing fears that kurdish independence could fuel separatist movements within china, the emergence of a kurdish state could turn out to be a net positive for the asian giant. Due to relative security and peace in the region and more economically liberal and marketoriented policies, it has a far more developed economy in comparison to other parts of iraq. They include representatives from kurdistans parliament, krgs economic council, commerce institutions, financial sector, investment funds, local business.
Kurdish economic development in the context of conflict. Iraqi kurdistans economy is a worse threat than isis money talks if the semiautonomous government goes bankrupt, the war against the caliphate could go bellyup. All links given in this fact sheet, however, including that to the. The following is an excerpt from an edited transcript of his speech. South kurdistan is that part of kurdistan, which has been colonized by iraq 4. Millions of iraqi sunni arabs who had found a haven in kurdistan during the war on is are now. Because of this potential, 26 international oil companies have signed production sharing contracts with the krg in the next 10 years, the kurdistan region is expected to be an important oil and gas producer.
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