Regional Implications of an Independent Kurdistan

This report examines the potential implications for the region if the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq were at some point to declare its secession from Iraq. Specifically, the authors analyze the interests of three key regional neighbors --- the Iraqi central government, Turkey, and Iran --- and ex...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Policy File 2016
Main Authors: Nader, Alireza, Hanauer, Larry, Allen, Brenna, Scotten, Ali
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
Foreign policy
Government
RAND Corporation
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:This report examines the potential implications for the region if the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq were at some point to declare its secession from Iraq. Specifically, the authors analyze the interests of three key regional neighbors --- the Iraqi central government, Turkey, and Iran --- and explore policies each actor may pursue in response to Kurdish independence. The authors discuss the possible responses of Baghdad, Ankara, and Tehran under three different scenarios: a unilateral declaration of Kurdish independence that is broadly opposed by the region, a "last man standing" scenario in which the Iraqi state collapses and the Kurdistan Regional Government becomes an independent state, and a gradual estrangement between Erbil and Baghdad. The authors also consider how each of these scenarios could be influenced by a resurgence of Kurdish nationalism in which Kurdish populations in Iran, Turkey, or Syria not only support the establishment of a sovereign Kurdistan in northern Iraq, but even seek to join the new nation.