Ankara leverages regional conflict to draw Baghdad and Erbil into its security orbit, countering the PKK and expanding trade alternatives to Iran.
Browsing: Kurdistan
Iraq’s balancing act fails. Iran-linked militias launch 750 strikes. Oil exports halt. Gas imports cut. Fiscal collapse looms.
Washington must deepen its partnership with Iraqi Kurdistan by providing air defenses to counter Iranian-backed militia strikes and ensure regional stability.
Baghdad cannot protect Kurdish territory from Iranian missiles. The US should treat Kurdistan like Taiwan for air defense, bypassing Iraqi veto.
Kurdistan is the Bermuda Triangle of international politics; U.S. policy is trapped by its own contradictions.
If Iran-Israel war erupts, Iraq could become a launch pad for militias and a target for retaliation; Kurdistan faces strikes and displacement.
The agreement requires monthly renewals and expires in December 2025, reflecting deep political distrust. While providing short-term fiscal relief, its long-term viability is threatened by electoral politics, budget disputes, and the need for a new pipeline treaty with Turkey by 2026.
Having secured electoral victories and control over key state institutions, the PMF leverages its formal status to enrich itself and challenge rivals. Its campaign to expel U.S. forces risks an ISIS resurgence and could turn Iraq into an Iranian client state.