Why Tehran Should Balance Its Relations with Baghdad and Irbil

by Shireen Hunter    When the issue of a referendum in Kurdistan on its eventual independence from Iraq emerged, Iran expressed its concerns about the disintegrative dynamics that this act could set in motion not just in Iraq but throughout… Continue Reading →

Turkey and the Kurdish Vote for Independence in Iraq

by Omer Taspinar Recent developments in Iraq, with the Kurdish referendum for independence taking place as scheduled on Monday, put the Turkish government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan between a rock and a hard place. According to most recent press reports, more… Continue Reading →

The Future of the Kurds

by Graham E. Fuller Of all the peoples of the Middle East who have suffered through  various wars and manipulations by the US and other foreign powers over the past century, the Kurds are probably the only people whose national… Continue Reading →

Baghdad-Riyadh Rapprochement?

by Maya Yang In late July, the Iraqi Shi’ite cleric and leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, paid an official visit to Saudi Arabia for the first time in 11 years. Sadr’s visit was preceded by the visit of… Continue Reading →

Stoking War with Iran Courts Disaster

by Emile Nakhleh If President Trump’s recent pronouncements on Iran are to be believed, it’s all but certain that he will not recertify the Iran nuclear deal the next time around. He is expected to accuse Iran of advancing its… Continue Reading →