Kurdish Policy Analysis

  As Washington’s Iran policy struggles to define success, Kurdish actors risk being pulled into a shifting blame narrative amid escalating Middle East tensions.  Trump Finds His Scapegoat for a Failed Iran Strategy: the Kurds By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Sulaimani, Iraq | 12 May 2026 — Kurdish Policy Analysis The United States’ Iran policy has entered a phase of strategic uncertainty, as escalating tensions across the Middle East continue without a clearly defined political or military end state. Amid this instability, Kurdish actors in Iraq and Syria risk being absorbed into a shifting narrative in Washington that increasingly seeks to explain the lack of progress in containing Iran’s regional influence. Analysts argue the central issue is not Kurdish behavior, but the absence of a coherent long-term U.S. strategy toward Iran. A strategy built on pressure, not resolution Since Washington shifted toward a “maximum pressure” framework, U.S. Iran policy has relied heavily on ...

From preventive war and nuclear deterrence to self-defense and regime change, the growing confrontation between the United States and Iran revives a 1,600-year-old philosophical debate : when does war become morally legitimate? By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Sulaimani, Iraq | 12 May 2026 --  For decades, tensions between the United States and Iran have revolved around sanctions, proxy conflicts, nuclear fears, assassinations, cyber warfare, and regional power struggles. Yet beneath the military calculations and geopolitical headlines lies a far older and more dangerous question: Can a war be morally justified before an actual existential attack occurs? Can the US war against Iran be morally justified under Just War Theory? A deep geopolitical and philosophical analysis of self-defense, preventive war, deterrence, and the ethics of modern conflict.   This is not merely a strategic debate. It is one of the oldest philosophical dilemmas in human civilization — a question explore...

The Smuggler King of the English Channel By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Sulaimani, Iraq | 12 May 2026 --  A BBC investigation has exposed the alleged mastermind behind the majority of illegal English Channel crossings — revealing how war, unemployment, social media propaganda, and transnational smuggling networks turned a quiet Iraqi Kurdish town into the nerve center of Europe’s migrant crisis. A BBC investigation exposes the alleged Kurdish smuggling kingpin behind most illegal Channel crossings to the UK. Inside the rise of the “Ranya Boys,” Europe’s migration crisis, and the shadow economy fueling human trafficking from Iraqi Kurdistan to Britain. For years, European intelligence agencies hunted a ghost. He appeared on TikTok and WhatsApp under the alias “Kardo Ranya,” flaunting luxury lifestyles, promising desperate migrants safe passage to Britain, and allegedly coordinating one of the most sophisticated human-smuggling operations stretching from Afghanistan to the United Ki...

Pakistan allowed Iran to park military aircraft on its airfields despite mediator role in conflict with U.S. By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Sulaimani, Iraq | 12 May 2026  --  While claiming to mediate between Washington and Tehran, Pakistan now faces explosive allegations that it quietly protected Iranian military aircraft from potential American strikes—triggering fury among Trump allies and raising fears of a new geopolitical fracture across the Middle East and South Asia. By Kurdish Policy Analysis Desk | Sulaimaniyah, Iraq A geopolitical firestorm is erupting around Pakistan after reports emerged alleging that Islamabad quietly allowed Iranian military aircraft—including surveillance and intelligence planes—to shelter at Pakistani airbases during the height of the US-Iran confrontation in April 2026. The controversy exploded after a report by CBS News revealed that several Iranian aircraft were allegedly moved to Pakistan’s strategically sensitive Nur Khan Air Base shortly after...

Two weeks after election of Iraqi prime minister, politician factions are pushing to consolidate their share and position in the new government, something making Baghdad, Erbil, and Suleimanyeh scenes of political horse-trading. By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Sulaimani, Iraq | 12 May 2026  -  As Shiite factions, Kurdish parties, and Sunni blocs clash over ministries and the premiership, Iraq faces one of its most fragile political transitions since the fall of Saddam Hussein.  Two weeks after election of Iraqi prime minister, politician factions are pushing to consolidate their share and position in the new government, something making Baghdad, Erbil, and Suleimanyeh scenes of political horse-trading. In this connection, Odai Abdulhadi, a member of the ruling parliamentary bloc Shiite Coordination Framework (SCF) announced plans for an "important" meeting of the coalition in the coming days. The meeting, according to him, can remove all of the ambiguities regarding composition o...