Kurdish Policy Analysis

Is Iraq Becoming “Another Iran”? Why Washington May Be Misreading Baghdad. A growing gap between U.S. assumptions and Iraqi reality is raising alarm among analysts.   The U.S. calls Iraq a partner — but critics warn that assumption may be dangerously outdated By Kurdish Policy Analysis | Analysis Sulaimanyah, Iraq 31 March For more than two decades, U.S. policy in Iraq has been built on a foundational belief: that Baghdad is a sovereign partner, capable of acting independently and aligning—at least broadly—with Western strategic goals. But what if that belief is no longer true? A growing body of analysis suggests that Washington is not just misreading Iraq—it may be clinging to an illusion. Beneath the surface of formal diplomacy lies a far more complex reality: a fragmented state where power is divided, authority is contested, and Iranian influence runs deep through political and security institutions. The Core Miscalculation At the heart of the argument is a stark claim:...

       Did a Leak to Media Save Thousands of Kurdish Lives in Iran War?  Kurdish Policy Analysis — Sulaimanyah, March 31, In the early days of the Iran‑Kurd conflict that erupted in February 2026, a media leak revealing alleged US involvement in Kurdish operations may have prevented large‑scale fighting and saved thousands of lives, according to Israeli and Kurdish sources cited in a Jerusalem Post investigation . The report, published on March 30, 2026, details how initial foreign press accounts wrongly portrayed Kurdish groups as being armed by the United States and launching an offensive against Iran. In reality, Kurdish factions had not initiated operations and lacked significant external armaments, according to Jerusalem Post reporting. Israeli Channel 12 sources told the Jerusalem Post that the dissemination of this misleading narrative to international media prompted deep political concern in Washington. Officials subsequently halted plans for Kurd...

     Rising pressure from Washington and Tehran forces Erbil to navigate an unprecedented geopolitical dilemma that could determine the future of Kurdish autonomy. Sulaimanyah, Iraq, March 31, Kurdish Policy Analysis — Over the past three decades, the Kurdish region of northern Iraq has weathered civil war, foreign invasions, and insurgencies, steadily building a semi-autonomous political system. Today, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) stands at a historic crossroads as escalating regional tensions between the United States, Israel, and Iran threaten its hard-won autonomy. From the Kurdish civil war in the 1990s to the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, and more recently the fight against the Islamic State, Kurdish forces have historically maintained clear strategic alignments. Peshmerga fighters partnered with international coalitions, gaining both recognition and support from major powers. Even the 2017 independence referendum, which triggered a diplomatic crisis wit...

     Iran‑aligned forces and proxies have carried out numerous drone, rocket, and missile strikes across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq , including Sulaymaniyah province — part of the spillover from the broader Iran conflict triggered by U.S.‑Israeli strikes on Iran beginning late February 2026. As airstrikes intensify, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan struggles to maintain neutrality amid regional conflict                    Casualities and official attacks on Kurdistan region of Iraq. SULAIMANI, Iraq, 31 March, Kurdish Policy Analysis – On the night of March 14, explosions shook the western edge of Sulaimani city, rattling windows and waking residents miles away. The Peshmerga base at Fermendeyi (Military Headquarter) was hit again, part of a wave of attacks across the Kurdistan Region of Iraq following U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran two weeks earlier. The attacks have continued over subsequent days. Lacki...

 Baghdad struggles to contain proxy attacks as Arab states warn of sovereignty violations and self-defence rights                Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces: From Liability to National Asset Sulaimanyah, Iraq, March 30 Kurdish Policy Analysis — Iraq is facing mounting diplomatic pressure from its Arab neighbours as Iran-aligned armed groups operating on its territory intensify cross-border drone and missile attacks on Gulf states, raising fears of regional escalation amid the ongoing war involving the United States, Israel and Iran. In recent weeks, Iraq’s western deserts have increasingly served as a launchpad for strikes targeting the Arabian Peninsula, according to regional officials and analysts. The attacks, carried out under the banner of the so-called “Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” have placed Baghdad in a precarious position, struggling to balance its internal security challenges with its fragile regional relationships. ...

Escalating attacks, U.S. air strikes, and growing Gulf anger expose Iraq’s struggle to control powerful armed factions Sulaimanyah, Iraq   March 30   Kurdish Policy Analysis — Iraq risks sliding into regional isolation unless it reins in powerful Iran-backed militias operating on its soil, officials and analysts warn, as the country becomes an increasingly active battleground in the intensifying confrontation between the United States and Iran. Since the outbreak of war last month, armed factions aligned with Tehran have significantly escalated operations across Iraq, targeting bases hosting U.S. forces, striking hotels in Baghdad they allege house American personnel, and launching attacks into the northern Kurdistan region. These militias have also widened the scope of operations beyond Iraq’s borders, reportedly targeting U.S.-linked infrastructure and regional states including Jordan and Gulf countries. The surge in militia activity has drawn swift retaliation. Joint U.S....

     Kurdistan’s Next Government: Power-Sharing Returns as KDP, PUK Edge Toward Fragile Deal               Bvael Talabani President of PUK and Masrour Barzani Prime Minister of KRG As regional war spills into northern Iraq, Kurdish rivals accelerate coalition talks amid oil shocks, security threats, and pressure from Baghdad and Washington SULAYMANIYAH/ERBIL,  March 30, Kurdistan Region of Iraq Kurdish Policy Analysis — The formation of the next Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is entering a decisive phase, as mounting regional instability and an escalating war involving Iran, the United States, and Israel push Kurdish political rivals toward a high-stakes power-sharing agreement. Political sources, diplomats, and analysts say negotiations between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan —long defined by rivalry and uneasy cooperation—are accelerating under unprecedented internal and external p...

From Egypt to Iraq, hidden austerity, currency defenses, and capital controls reveal a widening gap between public calm and behind-the-scenes economic panic SULAIMANIYAH, March 30, Kurdish Policy Analysis — A series of rapid and largely uncoordinated economic measures across multiple countries over the past 72 hours is raising questions among analysts about whether governments are bracing for a broader financial shock, even as officials publicly insist stability remains intact. From the Middle East to Asia, policymakers have enacted emergency-style decisions — ranging from currency controls to austerity measures — signaling heightened concern over capital flight, inflation pressures, and geopolitical uncertainty. In Egypt , authorities imposed early shop closures at 9 p.m. and expanded remote work policies, according to local reports, in what officials internally described as a shift toward a “war economy mode.” The moves come just days after the International Monetary Fund approv...