On the independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and disputed territories in 2017

Authors

  • Bill Park King's College, London
  • Joost Jongerden Wageningen University
  • Francis Owtram University of Exeter
  • Akiko Yoshioka Institute Energy Economics

Keywords:

United States, Immigration Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, Unemployment, Unauthorized Immigrants

Abstract

On 25th September 2017, the eligible voters of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq were given the opportunity to respond ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the question, posed in Kurdish, Turkmen, Arabic and Assyrian: “Do you want the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistani areas outside the administration of the Region to become an independent state?” The aim of this note is to give an empirically focussed account of the independence referendum. The note has been written by four members of a delegation which spent one week in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) with the purpose of observing the referendum. The key point that we draw from these observations is that the referendum and associated aspiration for independence, which potentially could have unified the different political factions in the KRI, has in fact cruelly exposed divisions.

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Published

2017-10-26

How to Cite

Bill Park, Joost Jongerden, Francis Owtram, & Akiko Yoshioka. (2017). On the independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and disputed territories in 2017. Kurdish Studies, 5(2), 199–214. Retrieved from https://kurdishstudies.net/menu-script/index.php/KS/article/view/160

Issue

Section

Field Notes