Meet the Blues 03/05/2010
 There is a new party in Kurdish politics and it's likely that it will have a significant effect on the ongoing Iraqi election. The Goran or "change" party was founded by Nawshirwan Mustafa specifically to challenge the two party PUK, KDP coalition that has dominated politics in the region since it became semi-autonomous after the first Gulf War. Al Jazeera correspondent Zeina Khodr has an excellent profile on the newcomers here. Money quote: For the first time since 2003, Kurdish politicians will lack unity. But that doesn't seem to bother Goran's supporters. I went to one of their rallies and most of them will tell you that they welcome new parties because it brings about a real democracy. But the question is how will this new reality affect the Kurds' political influence in Baghdad? After all, Sunday's national elections is not just about rival Kurdish parties vying for parliamentary seats, it is about Kurds wanting to expand their influence in Baghdad. That's influence they need if they want to resolve pending Arab-Kurdish issues, like the fate of Kirkuk and other disputed territories, the oil law and the status of federalism. It is still not clear if Nawshirwan Mustafa, the head of the Goran movement, will co-operate with his Kurdish rivals in the next Iraqi parliament. "I hope we do," is what he told me an hour before he addressed a crowd of his supporters. For more background check out this article Jon wrote way back in July 2009. AKP's Ideal v. The Kurdish Reality 12/10/2009
 Turkey's foreign policy since AKP solidified its domestic political position in 2007 has largely been defined by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's dogmatic interest in eliminating potential liabilities. One of his most notable successes has been the improvement of Turkey's relationship with the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in Northern Iraq. On October 31st, less than three years after Turkish troops invaded Northern Iraq, Davutoglu stood shoulder to shoulder with KRG President Masoud Barzani at the inauguration of Turkey's new consulate in Erbil--an image very few Turkey observers thought they would ever see. Undergirding the dramatic improvement of diplomatic ties has been the growth of economic relations between Turkey and the KRG. Turkey is by far the region's largest source of foreign direct investment and Turkish companies participate in virtually every sector of the Kurdish economy from construction to airport management. Additionally, natural gas from the Kurdish controlled regions of Iraq is an important part of Turkey's plan to become a regional energy hub. Unfortunately, Davutoglu's masterpiece is in danger. More after the jump -> What Not To Read 09/06/2009
 Turkish PM Erdogan at a Rally in Diyarbakir Before the March 29, 2009 Election, Wearing a Scarf Supporting the Local Soccer Club Over the past year, Turkey's ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party), under the leadership of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan, has made an unprecedented push for Kurdish rights in Turkey. An article in last week's edition of the Economist, "Turkey and the Kurds: Peace Time?", fumbles badly in its attempt analyze this push and explain its ramifications. Surely, the Economist does a fine job of reviewing the Kurdish problem in Turkey, and details recent reforms. However, its fatal flaw is that it never examines why Erdoğan is pushing so hard for Kurdish rights. Erdoğan is no Nelson Mandela, and he's certainly no liberal-- despite the picture that the Economist paints for the unacquainted reader. But it is in concluding sentences that the article really takes a nosedive: "[Solving the Kurdish problem] will not be easy, but Mr Erdogan seems determined to plough on. If he succeeds, says Sezgin Tanrikulu, a human-rights lawyer in Diyarbakir, the Kurds will flock to back him..." This might be Sezgin Tanrikulu speaking, but by finishing with this quote, the Economist is endorsing this view. The only problem is, Sezgin notwithstanding, there is absolutely ZERO evidence that Erdoğan (whom Kurdish nationalists like to call Katil Erdoğan: Erdoğan the killer) is on the cusp of winning over the Kurdish electorate. Click "Read More" to Continue ------> Kurdish Election Update 07/26/2009
 It appears that Gorran- "change" in Kurdish, has won the province of Sulaimaniya, one of the three official provinces of Iraqi Kurdistan. The city of Sulaimaniya itself is widely considered by Kurds to be the most beautiful in the region- when I was there last year, Kurds bragged that it was the "Paris of Kurdistan." Sulaimaniya has been historically controlled by Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). This guarantees that for the first time, Iraqi Kurdistan will have a true political opposition party in the Kurdistan Regional Parliament. This is a crucial step in invigorating Kurdistan's civil society, which is currently little more than a well-oiled patronage system controlled by leading Kurdish families. It is important to note that Nawshiran Mustafa, the leader of Gorran, has strong historical ties to Jalal Talabani and the PUK. Gorran did not even bother to field a candidate against President Massoud Barzani, who is revered, along with his late father Mullah Mustafa Barzani, for leading generations of peshmerga. However, if Mustafa is able to claim a strong popular mandate, he may be able to resist selling himself off to the PUK or Barzani's KDP (Democratic Party of Kurdistan). The Return of Kurdistan 07/11/2009
 The process of forging a lasting political structure in Iraq will be hard, tedious, and disappointing. Nowhere is this reality more apparent than in the Kurdish regions of northern Iraq. Two weeks ago the Kurdish parliament approved a new constitution that formalizes the Kurd's longstanding geographical claims. | By Evan Tachovsky and Jon Friedman
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