Kurdish Policy Analysis

Between admiration and hostility, scholarship and activism: how Farooq Rafiq’s passing exposed a fragmented Kurdish intellectual landscape shaped by ideology, silence, and factional memory. Farooq Rafiq (1959–2026): Death, Intellectual Legacy, and the Fragmentation of Kurdish Public Thought Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj , Sulaimani, Iraq, April 29, 2026 ---   Farooq Rafiq, Kurdish writer, philosopher, critic, and editor-in-chief of the journal Awez , passed away on Tuesday at his home due to heart-related complications. Born in Sulaymaniyah in 1959, he held a PhD in philosophy from a Canadian university and spent several years in Canada before returning to the Kurdistan Region. His death immediately triggered not a unified moment of mourning, but a fragmented and often hostile debate about his intellectual identity. In doing so, it exposed one of the most sensitive features of Kurdish public life: the absence of a shared framework for evaluating intellectual authority. An Intellectual Life...

A phone call between Baghdad and Damascus marks an early geopolitical positioning move as Iraq’s new government navigates regional fragmentation, security pressures, and shifting alliances. Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj , Sulaimani, Iraq, April 28, 2026 --  Geopolitical Analysis: Iraq’s Early Diplomatic Signal Toward Syria.  The recent phone call between Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Zubaidi and Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa is being presented in official language as a routine exchange of congratulations and goodwill. Yet in the context of Iraqi state formation and regional fragmentation, it functions as something far more strategic: an early foreign-policy signal about where Baghdad intends to position itself in an increasingly contested Middle East. At a moment when Iraq’s government is still consolidating authority, such diplomatic gestures are rarely symbolic alone. They are positional markers in a regional system defined by overlapping security architectures, competing influence bl...

  Why President Nechirvan Barzani's Reception in the UAE Matters Far Beyond Ceremony Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj , Sulaimani, Iraq, April 29, 2026 --  Diplomatic symbolism is rarely accidental, especially in the Middle East.  When President Nechirvan Barzani was welcomed in the United Arab Emirates on a blue carpet rather than the traditional red, the gesture carried significance that extended far beyond ceremonial protocol. In international diplomacy, symbolism often communicates what official statements cannot. Blue is widely associated with trust, stability, peace, and reliability. Unlike the red carpet, which traditionally projects power, prestige, and authority, the blue carpet is often interpreted as signaling partnership, confidence, and strategic alignment. For the UAE, a state that carefully calibrates every aspect of its foreign policy messaging, this was no mere aesthetic choice. It was a statement. Recognition of a Regional Statesman Over the past decade, Nechi...

Iraq Buys Anti-Drone Defenses for Itself While Denying Protection to the Region Most Under Attack Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj , Sulaimani, Iraq, April 29, 2026 -- Iraq's latest defense procurement has laid bare one of the central contradictions at the heart of the Iraqi state. On Wednesday, Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari announced that Baghdad had signed a contract to equip the federal Interior Ministry with advanced counter-drone systems designed to protect key government institutions. Yet in the same breath, he made one critical clarification: the Kurdistan Region would not be included. That omission is more than administrative. It is profoundly political. It comes after the Kurdistan Region has endured more than 800 drone and missile attacks in recent years, targeting airports, energy infrastructure, military installations, and civilian areas. Many of these attacks have been attributed to Iran-backed militias operating inside Iraq, groups that often function within or a...

Sudani was never meant to become independent. Once he did, Iraq's political cartel moved to replace him. Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj , Sulaimani, Iraq, April 28, 2026 -- In Iraq, prime ministers are often chosen for one reason above all others:  They are supposed to be manageable. That was certainly the logic behind the rise of Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani . When the Coordination Framework elevated him, he was widely viewed as a safe pair of hands—a compromise figure, politically reliable, and unlikely to challenge the coalition that delivered him power. In short, he was expected to govern, not rule . But Iraqi politics has a habit of punishing prime ministers who begin taking their own office seriously. That may be precisely what happened to Sudani. From Proxy to Politician Sudani was never the ideal candidate . He was the acceptable one. For the Coordination Framework, his appeal lay in his predictability. He had roots in the Shiite political establishment, extensive bureaucratic exp...

Iraq's next prime minister will inherit more than a government. He will inherit a broken relationship between the state and its citizens . Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj , Sulaimani, Iraq, April 28, 2026 -- Ali al-Zubaidi may soon become Iraq's next prime minister.  If he does, he will inherit a state facing not one crisis, but several at once.  Economic vulnerability. Political fragmentation. Militia influence. Institutional decay. Regional competition. Fiscal dependency. Youth unemployment.  Yet beneath all of these lies a deeper and more dangerous problem: legitimacy. For years, Iraq's political class has struggled not merely to govern, but to persuade citizens that government serves them at all. The gap between state and society has widened steadily, accelerated by corruption, poor services, and, most consequentially, impunity.  That is why the warning issued by the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights deserves close attention. The organization argued that Zubaidi's nomi...