Iraqi Kurdistan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 69.214.211.142 (talk) at 05:54, 10 March 2006 (→‎History). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Hikûmetî Herêmî Kurdistan
Kurdistan Regional Government (Iraq)
Flag of Kurdistan
Flag of Kurdistan		 Coat of Arms of Kurdistan
Coat of Arms
National Anthem: Ey Reqîb
Official languages Kurdish and Arabic
Capital Erbil (in Kurdish: Hewlêr)
Political system democratic laicism
President Massoud Barzani
Prime Minister Nechervan Idris Barzani
Deputy Prime Minister Sarkis Aghajan Mamendo
Establishment 1970
Area about 80 000 km²
Population
 – Total (2005)
 – Density		 perhaps
 5,500,000
 40/km²
Currency Iraqi dinar
Time zone UTC+3
IraqiKurdistan DeFactoMap.png

The Kurdistan Region (Kurdish: Herêmî Kurdistan, Arabic: اقلیم کردستان) is an autonomous political entity located in northeastern Mesopotamia in Middle-East which today is part of Iraq, in the north. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north and Syria to the west. Its capital is the city of Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr. The political system of Kurdistan regional government is democratic laicism.

Name

The word of Kurdistan is a combination of the word "Kurd" derived from "Corduene" (Kardo) plus the suffix "istan", totally meaning "Land of the Kurds".

The full name of this region is "Kurdistan Regional Government". In the new Iraqi Constitution, it is referred to as the "Kurdistan region",[1] while the regional governments refer to it as "Iraqi Kurdistan".[2] Also Kurdish nationalists refer to it as "South Kurdistan" (Southeastern Turkey being "North Kurdistan")

During the Ba'ath regime in the 70's and 80's the region was called "Kurdish Autonomous Region".

History

Main article: History of the Kurds

The modern Kurds are the descendants of many invaders and migrants who settled the region including the aforementioned Hurrians, Guti, Lullubi, Kurti, various Aryan invaders of the Iranian type, Medes, Mards, Carduchi (Gordyene), Adiabene, Mushku, Mannai, Mitanni, Kassites, Zila, and Khaldi. In addition, the lands populated by the Kurds are also the hisotic lands of the Assyrians, [[Akkadians]. Recent genetic tests of random Kurdish populations show links to the Caucasus, various Iranian peoples, Europeans, northern Semites, and Anatolia.

Following World War I and the defeat of Ottoman Empire, Kurds were promised an independent nation-state in the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres. Turkish nationalists, however, rejected the terms of the treaty, and following the defeat of the Greek forces in the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922), the Treaty of Lausanne was signed in 1923 in Turkey's favor. The larger area known as Turkish Kurdistan was given to Turkey and the rest was accepted as part of the British Empire (except for the Iranian Kurdistan, which at time was part of Persia). Since that time Kurdish nationalists have continued to seek independence in an area approximating that identified at Sèvres. However, the idea of an independent nation-state came to a halt when the surrounding countries joined to reject the independence of Kurdistan.

Under the former Iraqi Ba'athist regime, which ruled Iraq from 1968 until 2003, Kurds were initially granted limited autonomy (1970), and after the Barzani revolt in 1961, were given some high-level political representation in Baghdad. However, for various reasons, including the pro-Iranian sympathies of some Kurds during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, the regime implemented anti-Kurdish policies and a de facto civil war broke out. Iraq was widely-condemned by the international community, but was never seriously punished for oppressive measures, including the use of chemical weapons against the Kurds, which resulted in thousands of deaths. (See Halabja poison gas attack.)

Al-Anfal campaign constituted a systematic genocide of the Kurdish people in Iraq. From March 29, 1987 until April 23, 1989, Iraqi army under the command of Ali Hassan al-Majid carried out a genocidal campaign against Kurds, characterized by the following human rights violations: The widespread use of chemical weapons, the wholesale destruction of some 2,000 villages, and slaughter of around 50,000 rural Kurds, by the most conservative estimates. The large Kurdish town of Qala Dizeh (population 70,000) was completely destroyed by the Iraqi army. The campaign also included Arabization of Kirkuk, a program to drive Kurds out of the oil-rich city and replace them with Arab settlers from central and southern Iraq. Kurdish sources report the number of dead to be greater than 182,000 [3].

Kurdistan Regional Government

The Kurdistan Region was originally established in 1970 as the Kurdish Autonomous Region following the agreement of an Autonomy Accord between the government of Iraq and leaders of the Iraqi Kurdish community. A Legislative Assembly was established in the city of Arbil with theoretical authority over the Kurdish-populated governorates of Arbil, Dahuk and As Sulaymaniyah.

In practice, however, the assembly created in 1970 was under the control of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein until the 1991 uprising against his rule following the end of the Persian Gulf War. In the ensuing fighting and refugee crisis, the United States and United Kingdom established a "safe haven" policed with a no-fly zone covering much of the Kurdish territory. Following this the Baghdad regime withdrew its officials from parts of Kurdistan. The region thus gained de facto independence, being ruled by the two principal Kurdish parties – the Kurdish Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan – outside the control of Baghdad. The region has its own flag and even its own currency and National Anthem.

Elections held in June of 1992 produced an inconclusive outcome, with the assembly divided almost equally between the two main parties and their allies. This led to tensions which ultimately sparked violence and the collapse of the autonomous government. Heavy fighting broke out on several occasions, in May 1994, September 1996, and November 1997, killing thousands. The region was effectively partitioned between the two parties. Saddam Hussein reasserted some power through assisting the KDP to capture Arbil in 1996, but was generally kept at arms' length by a combination of PUK strength and US-UK air patrols.

The provisional capital of the PUK-controlled area was in As Sulaymaniyah in the southeast fo the autonomous area. In 7 January 2006 the controlled regions of the two parties merged.

The Democratic Patriotic Alliance of Kurdistan won a commanding majority in the Kurdistan National Assembly election on 30 January 2005, as well as 75 seats in the federal National Assembly of the Iraqi Transitional Government.

KDP and PUK have united to form an alliance with several smaller parties, and the Kurdish alliance has 53 deputies in the new Baghdad parliament, while the Kurdish islamic Union has 5. PUK-leader Jalal Talibani has been elected President of the new Iraqi administration, while KDP leader Massoud Barzani is President of the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Timeline of the Kurdish uprising

  • 1992 March 5th the city of Rania
  • 1992 March 5th the city of Sulaymania
  • 1992 March 21st-22nd the most symbolic city of Kirkuk

Politics

Since 1992, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has been based in Erbil. The KRG has a parliament, elected by popular vote, called the Iraqi Kurdistan National Assembly, and a cabinet composed of the KDP, the PUK and their allies (Iraqi Communist Party, the Socialist Party of Kurdistan etc.). Nechervan Idris Barzani has been prime minister of the KRG since 1999.

The main Kurdish parties and peshmerga cooperated with the US-led oalition during the 2003 invasion of Iraq that led to Hussein's overthrow. Kurdish politicians were represented in the Iraqi governing council. The Law of Administration for the State of Iraq for the Transitional Period recognized the autonomy of the Kurdistan Regional Government during the interim between "full sovereignty" and the adoption of a permanent constitution.

The Kurdistan Regional Government currently has de facto authority over the provinces of Erbil, Dohuk, and Suleimaniya, as well as parts of Diyala and Ninawa. The KRG also claims Kirkuk (at-Ta'mim) province and larger parts of Diyala and Ninawa.

One particularly difficult issue yet to be resolved is the future boundaries of the region. Many Kurds wish it to be expanded to include the largely Kurdish cities of Mosul and Kirkuk, but this is complicated by the Assyrian, Turkmen and Arab populations of both cities and the opposition of Turkey, which is concerned about the region's potential to break away from Iraq (with possible consequences for its own Kurdish minority).

In the wake of the ratification of the Iraqi constitution in October 2005, Iraqi Kurdistan reconstitutes itself as a Region under the new constitutional framework. Kirkuk's status with respect to the Region should, under that framework, be decided by a simple majority vote in the province.

Some Iraqi Kurdish Politicians

Economy

The Kurdistan region's economy is dominated by the oil sector, agriculture and tourism. Due to relative peace in the region it has a more developed economy in comparison to other parts of Iraq.

Geography

File:KurdistanMount.jpg
Kurdistan Mountains

The Iraqi Kurdistan is largely mountainous, with the highest point being a 3,611 m (11,847 ft) point known locally as Cheekah Dar (black tent). There are many rivers flowing and running through mountains of the region making it distinguished by its fertile lands, plentiful water, picturesque nature.

The mountainous nature of Kurdistan, the difference of temperatures in its various parts, and its wealth of waters, make Kurdistan a land of agriculture and tourism. In addition to various minerals, oil in particular, which for a long time was being extracted only in Kurdistan throwgh Iraq.

The largest lake in the region is Lake Dukan.

Governorates

Iraqi Kurdistan is divided into 6 governorates of which currently three are under the control of the Kurdistan Regions Government. These Governorates are called in Kurdish Parêzge. Particularly in Iraqi government documents the term governorate is preferred:

  • The governorates under Kurdistan Region Government are:
1. As Sulaymaniyah (Slêmanî)
2. Arbil (Hewlêr)
3. Dahuk (Dihok)
  • The governorates claimed totally or parts of them by Kurdistan Region Government are:
4. Diyala
5. Kirkuk (Kerkûk)
6. Ninawa

There is going to be a referendum to determine this inclusion up till december 2007 while Kurds are insisting that the referendum be held as soon as possible.

Military

Main article: Peshmerga

Peshmerga or peshmerge (Kurdish: pêşmerge) is the term used by Kurds to refer to armed Kurdish fighters, they have been labelled by some as freedom fighters. Literally meaning "those who face death" (pêş front + merg death e is) the peshmerga forces of Kurdistan have been around since the advent of the Kurdish independence movement in the early 1920s, following the collapse of the Ottoman and Qajar empires which had jointly ruled over the area known today as Kurdistan.

Peshmerga forces also played a significant role with coalition troops in liberation of northern Iraq against Ba'ath regime.

Culture

Kurdish men dancing in Kurdish traditional clothing
Main article: Kurdish culture

Due to historical contacts, Kurdish culture shares some points with the neighboring peoples of Mesopotamia and Iran. The quest for social justice and equity is regarded as an important Kurdish cultural trait. Respect for the elderly and hospitality for the foreigners are also integral part of the Kurdish etiquette.

The Kurdish new year (Newroz) is celebrated on March 21, which is the first day of the month of Xakelêwe and coincidentally the first day of spring. Newroz has been nominated as one of the "Masterpieces of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO in 2004.

Kurdish cuisine has gained the reputation throughout the region as one of the richest, healthiest and finest.

Kurdish literature is also highly regarded. Despite being a banned language in much of Middle East, Kurdish has managed to survive in spite of all restrictions.

Kurdish films mainly evoke poverty and the lack of rights of Kurdish people in the region. Perhaps Yilmaz Guney and Bahman Qubadi are among the best known Kurdish directors.

Music

Main article: Kurdish music

Traditionally, there are three types of Kurdish Classical performers - storytellers (çîrokbêj), minstrels (stranbêj) and bards (dengbêj). There was no specific music related to the Kurdish princely courts, and instead, music performed in night gatherings (şevbihêrk) is considered classical. Several musical forms are found in this genre. Many songs and are epic in nature, such as the popular Lawik's which are heroic ballads recounting the tales of Kurdish heroes of the past like Saladin. Heyrans are love ballads usually expressing the melancholy of separation and unfulfilled love. Lawje is a form of religious music and Payizoks are songs performed specifically in autmun. Love songs, dance music, wedding and other celebratory songs (dîlok/narînk), erotic poetry and work songs are also popular.

Views of Kurdistan

Historical and touristic attractions

Colleges and universities

See also

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Iraqi_Kurdistan&oldid=43093395"