Iraqi Kurdistan : Political Development and Emergent Democracy

"The Iraqi Kurds have enjoyed de facto statehood in the north of Iraq for over a decade. Existing in a region where the Kurdish de facto state is surrounded by reactionary and suspicious neighbours, the experience has been fraught with difficulties. Intra-Kurdish fighting, military incursions by Turkey and Iran and the threat posed by Saddam Hussein have plagued this 'democratic experiment'. However, an administrative system has developed and a political system displaying enhanced stability has emerged,in spite of the ever-present problems." "In this book, Stansfield explores the development of the Kurdish political system since 1991. He examines the difficult and often violent relations between the two dominant parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and the institutionalisation of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). This is necessary for an understanding of the current state of Iraqi Kurdish politics and the means by which the de facto state operates." "At a time when Iraq is increasingly prominent in foreign affairs, and the Kurds are often highlighted as potential agents of change, this in-depth study identifies the main dynamics of Iraqi Kurdish politics, analyses the record and potential of the 'Kurdish democratic experiment', and identifies the present and future Kurdish leaders."--BOOK JACKET.

Gareth R. V. Stansfield is Leverhulme Special Research Fellow in Political Development at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter.