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Kurdistan’s Political Crisis: How the KDP–PUK Power Struggle Threatens Regional Autonomy and Strategic Stability

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The KDP–PUK Power Struggle Threatens Regional Autonomy and Strategic Stability Geopolitical Analysis | 7 November 2026 The withdrawal of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) marks a significant escalation in the political confrontation between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the PUK. What initially appeared to be another disagreement over government formation, parliamentary representation and the distribution of senior positions has developed into a wider institutional crisis, raising questions about the future of Kurdish self-government, the region's economic stability and its position within an increasingly contested Middle Eastern geopolitical environment. The implications extend well beyond the relationship between the two dominant Kurdish parties. The possibility of rival administrations, competing security structures and fragmented economic governance threatens to undermine the institutional foundations of the Kurdistan ...
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Kurdistan After the Coalition

 Kurdistan After the Coalition By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Last updated: August 31, 2026 What happens to Iraqi Kurdistan after the international coalition leaves Iraq? The answer will reshape the Peshmerga, Baghdad–Erbil relations and the regional security order. Kurdistan After the Coalition The Security Architecture Is Changing  For more than a decade, the Kurdistan Region's security architecture has been built around a powerful external assumption: The international coalition would remain.  That assumption is now disappearing.  The defeat of ISIS's territorial caliphate changed the coalition's mission. The next stage is changing the strategic environment in which the Kurdistan Region operates. The issue is not simply whether foreign troops remain physically inside Iraq.  The deeper question is what happens to the security architecture that developed around them. Who provides intelligence?  Who provides air support?  Who trains the Peshmerga?  Who pro...
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Kirkuk: The Strategic Fault Line

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  Kirkuk: The Strategic Fault Line By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Last updated: August 31, 2026 Kirkuk remains Iraq's most dangerous strategic fault line, where Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen politics collide with oil, territory, security and the unfinished promise of Article 140. Kirkuk Is Not a Local Dispute Kirkuk is often described as a disputed city.  That description is technically correct but strategically inadequate.  Kirkuk is not simply a dispute over a provincial boundary, an oil field or the identity of a city. It is where several of Iraq's unresolved questions intersect at the same time: federalism, Kurdish autonomy, Arab and Turkmen political representation, oil ownership, demographic change, constitutional law, military control and the unfinished reconstruction of the Iraqi state. That is why Kirkuk has repeatedly returned to the center of Iraqi politics.  Whenever Baghdad and Erbil reach a temporary agreement, Kirkuk remains unresolved.  Whenever Iraq enters a...
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The Development Road: Iraq's emerging geopolitical position between Türkiye, Iran, the Gulf and the Kurdistan Region

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Iraq’s Development Road faces political, security and regional challenges involving Kurdistan, Türkiye, Iran and Baghdad’s state capacity. The Development Road is not simply as an infrastructure or trade project, but  a geopolitical corridor whose success depends on unresolved Kurdish, Turkish, Syrian and Iranian dynamics. One can identify three Kurdish-related issues as particularly important to the corridor's political viability: Baghdad–Erbil disagreement over the northern route through the Kurdistan Region. The Türkiye–PKK peace process and its implications for northern Iraq. The future status and integration of the Kurdish-led SDF in Syria. In this article I also examine Iran's position, arguing that Tehran has so far avoided outright opposition partly because Iraq presents the project as potentially compatible with Iranian connectivity through the Basra–Shalamcheh rail link. Iraq and Türkiye completed a framework draft agreement on transport infrastructure on September 21...
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The Kurdish Referendum: Between Defeat and Achievement

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  Nine years after Kurdistan’s 2017 referendum, its political, economic and strategic consequences remain deeply contested. Nine years after the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum, debate over the referendum and its consequences for the Kurdistan Region continues. Supporters regard it as a historic achievement, while its opponents see it as a factor that weakened the Region’s position within the framework of Iraq. On September 25, 2017, the referendum process was held in the Kurdistan Region and the disputed territories. At the time, the authorities of the Kurdistan Region claimed that the process was intended to pave the way for “independence” and “separation” from Iraq. However, less than a month later, the political balance shifted dramatically against the Region. When the referendum was held in the Kurdistan Region, most political parties and factions supported the process. However, less than a month later, when the Iraqi military operation against the disputed territor...
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As 30 September Deadline Nears, Washington’s Kurdish Partnerships Face a New Test

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Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj  Washington’s September 30 withdrawal deadline marks a new test for U.S. partnerships with Kurdish actors in Iraq and Syria. The 30 September deadline marks an important moment in the changing relationship between Washington and its Kurdish partners in Iraq and Syria. On that date, the United States is due to complete the withdrawal of its remaining coalition forces from Iraq, while the Pentagon’s memorandum of understanding with the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga is set to expire. The deadline represents another stage in Washington’s effort to reduce its military footprint in the Middle East and place greater responsibility for regional security on local and regional actors. The withdrawal timetable has been confirmed by Baghdad, while Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has said that Iraq aims to complete the disarmament of Iran-aligned militias by 30 June 2027, separating the coalition’s departure from Baghdad’s longer effort to establish state control over armed groups...
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