Suchergebnisse
Suchergebnisse:
France, where the wife of President Francois Mitterrand has long supported the Kurdish cause, there presently are living about 60,000 Kurds and 400,000 Hirks. Clearly, the potential numbers are present to export the Kurdish factor in Turkish foreign policy to western Europe.
Kurdish issues have been an important part of the myriad political and socioeconomic problems that have preoccupied the Islamic Republic of Iran since its inception. The Kurdish factor has also been an important determinant of Iran’s regional foreign policy in the past three decades.
- 1 Grounds For Common Interests
- 2 Formulation of Common Interests
- 3 Representation of Common Interests
5.2.1.1 The Geostrategic Importance of Iraq
Iraq is a country of great importance to the EU in terms of security as well as trade potential. The total bilateral trade between the EU and Iraq amounted to 19.9 billion euros in 2018. In the same year, the EU was Iraq’s third-largest trading partner, after China and India, accounting for 17.6% of Iraq’s total trade exchanges (European Commission DG Trade, 2019). Oil exports form almost all (99.9%) of Iraq’s (16.4 billion euros) exports to the EU (European Commission DG Trade, 2019). Over t...
5.2.1.2 The Kurdish Factor
There are two developments in particular that have elevated the profile of the Kurds in Iraq and have subsequently led to increased EU attention for, and interactions with, KRI; the rise of ISIS and the advent of the migration crisis. The first, the regional challenge that emerged with the rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), began in June 2014. The rapid rise and expansion of ISIS was a serious security threat to the EU and its member states. This threat was mainly tied to the...
5.2.1.3 Member States’ Historical Connections with the Kurds in Iraq
The relations between EU member states and the Kurds in Iraq are shaped by two factors. The first is the colonial connections of the UK and France, while the second relates to the massive waves of Iraqi Kurdish political refugees to Europe from the second half of the twentieth century onward. As regards the colonial history, its roots lie in the aftermath of World War One and the division of the original Kurdish land between the four new regional states, over which the United Kingdom (UK) and...
5.2.2.1 The EU’s Iraq Policy and the Kurds: The Historical Development
The history of the EU’s involvement in Iraq dates back to the start of Iraq’s war with Iran in 1979. The European Community adopted a peace-through-trade approach, which, for varying reasons, failed to bring peace to the conflict but led to sustained trade relations with both countries throughout the war. EU exports to Iraq averaged 6.27 billion USD between 1981 and 1988, while imports from Iraq, mainly crude oil, averaged 3.90 billion USD in the same period (Kamel, 2015, p. 125). Following t...
5.2.2.2 The EU’s Iraq Agenda and KRI: The Priorities
The EU has established itself as a leader in not only in the provision of humanitarian assistance for Iraq, but also in assisting Iraq with stabilisation and the establishment of the rule of law through its missions in the framework of the CFSP and the CSDP. The EU’s policy agenda is broad, covering a range of issues and fields; notably, humanitarian assistance, development cooperation, political and diplomatic relations, trade and energy and cooperation on a number of regional challenges, su...
5.2.3.1 The EU’s Iraq Policy: A Coherent, Comprehensive Engagement
From 2004 onward, the EU has been proactively working to adopt a comprehensive engagement with Iraq, including political, economic, security, development and humanitarian components. This approach stems from the conviction that the EU could be an important partner in helping Iraq overcome its challenges, paving the way for sustained trade and economic development. Furthermore, as discussed in the previous section, the geostrategic importance of Iraq, in light of the recent regional and global...
5.2.3.2 Evolution of the EU’s Engagement with the Kurds: From Neglect to Engagement
Indicators of the EU’s engagement with KRI can be found in the study of official EU documents related to Iraq. The EU’s rhetoric in the pre-2003 period totally disregards the Kurdish reality in Iraq. One could not, for instance, find the words ‘Kurds’ or ‘Kurdistan’ in any EU documents from the period. There has been a dramatic shift, however, since the fall of the Saddam regime in 2003. The EC’s proposed strategy for EU engagement in 2004 had a strong focus on the dire humanitarian situation...
5.2.3.3 The Boundaries of the EU’s Political Support for the Kurds
The EU’s strategic objective in Iraq is the realisation of a stable, united and prosperous Iraq, which has the potential to become a significant trade and energy partner of the EU. In July 2017, KRI announced it was holding a referendum on independence on 25 September 2017. The EU, as well as a number of EU member states, reacted negatively out of concern that such a unilateral action would destabilise Iraq and the wider region. The EU High Representative for CFSP, Federica Mogherini, issued...
investigating the background of the Kurdish factor on Turkey-Syria relations, evaluating the role that Kurdish factor played/plays in the formation of the Turkish stance on the Syrian conflict, as well as composing a scientific research that can serve as a primary source for the further researches
1920 – 2022. The Kurds’ Long Struggle With Statelessness. The Kurds are one of the world’s largest peoples without a state, making up sizable minorities in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. Their...
The Kurdish factor in world politics: crisis, challenges and solutions – The Left. EVENT. 05 December 06 December. Topics. Events. Share. 15th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON. “THE EUROPEAN UNION, TURKEY, THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE KURDS” THE KURDISH FACTOR IN WORLD POLITICS: CRISIS, CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS. Brussels, European Parliament.
Turkey and the Kurdish Factor in the Middle East. May 13, 2021. by. Bilgay Duman. Mehmet Alaca. 9 min read. Share. The diversity and competition as well as cooperation among various Kurdish actors in the Middle East, and their relations with third parties, have not only an impact on the regional situation but a. Print Article.
