Kurdish Policy Analysis

By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Kurdish Policy Analysis Video Allegedly Showing Moroccan Border Guards Throwing Stones at Returning Migrants Reignites Debate Over Hybrid Migration Tactics Footage allegedly showing Moroccan border guards confronting returning migrants has renewed debate over migration as a geopolitical tool between Morocco and Spain. Morocco's Migration Policy Under Renewed Scrutiny A video circulating on social media has reignited controversy over Morocco's handling of migration and its long-running disputes with Spain. The footage, which has not been independently verified, allegedly shows Moroccan border guards throwing stones at Moroccan nationals attempting to return home after earlier efforts to cross into the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. The claims accompanying the footage allege that Moroccan authorities previously encouraged or enabled thousands of migrants to move toward Spain during a period of heightened diplomatic tensions, only to block or ...

By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj / Kurdish Policy Analysis An analysis of Spain's migration challenges, relations with the US, Morocco, and Israel, separating verified geopolitical developments from online speculation. Recent videos showing African migrants attempting to cross into Spain have once again sparked intense debate across social media. Many commentators have argued that Spain's migration challenges are somehow a direct consequence of its foreign policy positions, particularly its criticism of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, its deteriorating relations with the United States under President Donald Trump, and its refusal to facilitate certain US military operations during the Iran conflict. Some have even gone further, claiming that Washington is now considering supporting Moroccan sovereignty over the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, while pointing to statements from Israeli figures and social media posts by Elon Musk as evidence that Spain is facing geopolitical ...

  By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj   New Research from Royal Holloway Reveals How Young Kurds Are Building Identity, Community, and Political Voice Beyond Borders Online Kurdistan: How Gen Z Kurds Are Redefining Nationhood in the Digital Age For more than a century, the Kurdish question has largely been framed in terms of geography, territory, and statehood. Spread across Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and Syria—and with millions more living in Europe and North America—the Kurdish people have long sought ways to preserve a shared identity despite political fragmentation and the absence of an internationally recognized nation-state. Today, however, a new generation is transforming that conversation. Rather than defining nationhood solely through borders, Gen Z Kurds are increasingly building what researchers call "Online Kurdistan" —a digital homeland where language, culture, memory, and political identity transcend physical frontiers. New research led by Dr. Mashuq Kurt , Associate Professo...

By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Kurdish Policy Analysis     The KRG's expanding cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime signals a strategic shift from managing migration crises to helping shape international efforts against transnational criminal networks. The Kurdistan Regional Government is strengthening cooperation with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime to combat migrant smuggling, signaling a broader strategy to position Iraqi Kurdistan as an international partner in transnational security, migration governance, and organized crime prevention. Migrant smuggling isn't just a border issue—it's a transnational security challenge. The KRG's expanding cooperation with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime signals a broader ambition: positioning Iraqi Kurdistan as an international partner in combating organized crime, protecting vulnerable migrants, and strengthening regional security. For years, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has largely been viewed through th...

By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan — 20 May 2026 A high-level people smuggler identified in a BBC investigation has been arrested in Iraqi Kurdistan. A network run by Kardo Jaf, who operates under the alias Kardo Ranya, is believed to have transported thousands of illegal migrants in small boats across the English Channel into the UK in recent years. He was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking offences by officers of the Kurdistan Regional Security Agency and remains in custody as investigations continue. The 28-year-old Iraqi Kurd had operated for several years under a number of aliases. By keeping his real name a closely guarded secret, Jaf made it more difficult for law enforcement agencies to issue an international arrest warrant. His real name was uncovered last week by the BBC's Sue Mitchell and Rob Lawrie, whose pursuit of the smuggler is told in the Radio 4 podcast Intrigue: To Catch A King. Confronted by the BBC with the allegations, Jaf denied being a ...

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...