Geo-political Dimensions of Kurds Problem and its Reflections in Iraqi –Turkish Relations

Abstract

   The military presence of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq led to security instability in the region, in light of the party's strikes in the Turkish depth and the response by the Turkish side, in addition to the military attacks from the Iranian side, which threatens Iraqi national security, as the party's presence in the territory of the Iraqi Kurdistan region prompted the Turkish government to exploit the situation and interfere in Iraqi affairs by establishing military bases in Iraqi territory and launching successive attacks inside Iraqi territories, especially since this party has the support of the residents of the southeastern Anatolia region because they are of Kurdish nationalism, in addition to the convergence of their strategic goals represented in the establishment of the Kurdish state, the Turkish military presence would achieve gains for Turkey, including those related to political and economic goals, such as creating a discord between the central government in Baghdad and the regional government in Erbil to exploit the situation politically and economically, which constitutes a threat to Iraqi national security, in light of the current situations of the Kurdish problem, three future courses were put forward with a geopolitical perspective: the path of the current situation, which is the closest to happening, the path of aggravation of the Kurdish problem, and the path of the establishment of the Kurdish state. Therefore, Iraqi politics seeks to solve the problem through diplomatic communication with the parties of the problem, externally and internally: externally, by entering into understandings with Turkey, Iran and Syria to limit military attacks inside Iraqi territories that affect Iraqi sovereignty, and internally, through cooperation with the regional government to solve the problems with regard to the issue of oil and the rights of the region of Kurdistan.