Kurdish Policy Analysis

Iraq's Oil Curse Is Burying Mesopotamia By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan — 31 May 2026  Four thousand years after Mesopotamia gave birth to civilization, modern Iraq still cannot build the roads, hotels, and institutions needed to transform its archaeological wealth into economic and geopolitical influence. The problem is not war alone—it is an oil-dependent state that has never needed tourism to survive. Despite possessing 150,000 archaeological sites, including Ur, Babylon, Nimrud, and Hatra, Iraq remains a marginal destination for international tourism Yet the country had only 556 international visitors for its vast archaeological sites in 2024 according to a local report . This analysis examines how oil dependency, governance failures, conflict, and regional instability have prevented Iraq from transforming its ancient heritage into economic and geopolitical power. Iraq's tourism crisis is often explained through the destruction caused by war, sanctions, ...

By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan — 31 May 2026  Despite escalating regional conflict, shipping disruptions, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Iraq continues to safeguard food security through alternative trade routes, with a major U.S. rice shipment arriving via Jordan's Aqaba Port. A shipment carrying 44,000 tons of US rice designated for Iraq arrived at Jordan's Aqaba Port on Sunday despite shipping disruptions and maritime restrictions affecting regional trade routes, Iraq's Ministry of Trade stated. Lama Hashem Al-Moussawi, Director General of the State Company for Foodstuff Trading, noted that the company continues to implement its 2026 distribution plan for the food basket and social welfare programs, ensuring the uninterrupted supply of essential food items.  She added that “the company is closely monitoring shipping and unloading operations while coordinating with relevant authorities to ensure the timely delivery of supplies to warehouses a...

By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan — 31 May 2026  As cabinet formation stalls and institutional paralysis deepens, the KDP signals a fresh push for Kurdish unity, dialogue, and political compromise amid growing pressure to establish a functioning government.  The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has intensified efforts to end the Kurdistan Region's political deadlock, calling for dialogue, compromise, and the swift formation of a new cabinet and parliamentary leadership amid ongoing negotiations with Kurdish political parties.  Party spokesperson expresses optimism over government formation talks and improving Erbil-Baghdad relations following regional premier’s recent visit to the Iraqi capital The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on Saturday reaffirmed its commitment to resolving the political deadlock in the Kurdistan Region, pledging to continue efforts aimed at breaking the impasse over the formation of a new regional government and the selection of the...

By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan — 31 May 2026  Erbil has unveiled its ambitious 2050 Master Plan in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), outlining a vision for sustainable growth through green belts, rail networks, modern infrastructure, and unified urban planning standards designed to transform the Kurdistan Region's capital into a leading Middle Eastern metropolis. As Erbil eyes a transformative era of growth, the newly unveiled 2050 Master Plan, developed with JICA, sets a bold vision for the Kurdistan Region's capital. From a massive green belt and rail networks to unified architectural codes, the plan prioritizes sustainability and urban harmony. In the corridors of the Erbil Directorate of Urban Planning and Reconstruction, a quiet revolution is being mapped out. Spread across tables and digital screens are the blueprints for a city that, by the middle of this century, intends to stand as a model of modern, sustainable, a...

  With more than two million annual visitors and ambitious plans for hiking routes, cultural preservation, and one of the region’s longest cable car systems, Rawanduz is positioning itself as the future tourism capital of the Kurdistan Region. By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan — 31 May 2026  The tourism director of Rawanduz has unveiled an ambitious Norwegian-designed masterplan that includes a record-length cable car, hiking trails, and a cultural museum Suspended above ancient gorges and glacier-carved ridgelines, a proposed cable car stretching 11 kilometers could soon connect some of the most spectacular terrain in the Kurdistan Region, from the storied Ali Beg valley all the way to the summit of Korek Mountain. The vision was outlined on Friday, by Pariz Yusuf, director of tourism for Rawanduz, in a wide-ranging disclosure of the district's development roadmap according to a local report by Kurdistan 24.  The plan, he said, is part of a comprehensive m...

By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan — 31 May 2026  As regional alliances evolve and military priorities shift, a U.S. oversight report warns that ISIS may be positioning itself for a renewed insurgency across Syria and beyond. The 44th Lead Inspector General report on Operation Inherent Resolve warns of a heightened risk of ISIS resurgence following the collapse of security frameworks in Syria and escalating militia threats in Iraq. As U.S. forces realign, the report highlights critical gaps in regional stability. A comprehensive new oversight report submitted to the U.S. Congress warns that the risk of an ISIS resurgence has intensified significantly across the Middle East, fueled by a volatile mixture of shifting political alliances, large-scale prison escapes, and a deteriorating security environment in both Syria and Iraq. The 44th quarterly report from the Lead Inspector General for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), covering the period from January 1 to March 31,...