The Kurdish Liberation Movement in Iraq: From Insurgency to Statehood (Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Politics)

"Investigating the transformation of the Kurdish liberation movement in Iraq this book explores its development from an armed guerrilla movement, engaged in a war for liberation with the government in Baghdad, into the government of a de facto Kurdish state known as the Kurdistan Regional Government. The book seeks to better explain the nature and evolution of the Kurdish liberation struggle in Iraq, which has had important implications over regional geopolitics. Despite attracting growing international attention, the struggle remains understudied. By applying the theoretical framework of de facto statehood to the post-1991 Kurdish liberation movement, the book offers a new approach to understanding the struggle, with a thorough empirical investigation informed by International Relations theory. Identifying international legitimacy, interaction and identity as significant themes in the politics of de facto states and important variables shaping the evolution and policies of these actors, at both the domestic and international levels, this book will be of interest to students and researchers of International Relations, Middle East Politics and Political Science"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 6 Copyright Page 7 Dedication 8 Table of Contents 10 List of illustrations 11 Acknowledgements 12 List of abbreviations 14 1 Introduction 16 2 Understanding de facto states: contested sovereignty and the pursuit of legitimacy 27 3 The rise of the Kurdish liberation movement in Iraq 55 4 From a minority to a de facto state: the formation of the Kurdistan Regional Government 83 5 The second decade of autonomy: reviving the de facto state 109 6 State-building in the KRG: non-recognition and domestic development 134 7 Conclusion 158 Postscript 168 Bibliography 174 Index 186