Geographic Advantages, Disadvantages, and Natural Resources of Iraqi Kurdistan
The purpose of this research is to identify the distinct geographic advantages and disadvantages Iraqi Kurdistan currently possess in order to develop strategies for resource sharing, stability, governance and regional stability to a unified Iraq. The primary focus of selecting key geographic advantages and disadvantages is to have the ability to apply one or all of the lessons learned to effect change in Iraq and the region. The desired end state is Middle East regional stability achieved by focusing the U.S. diplomatic, information, military, economic, financial, intelligence and law enforcement (DIMEFIL) elements of national power to bear on the region with the …show more content…
Some of the transition of the Turkish stance regarding the Kurds can be attributed loosely to the rise of the Kurdish plight within international discourse but the primary catalyst for the change in my opinion is growing demand for energy options by Turkey as their economic and energy requirements increase. Despite the ever-growing demand for energy the Kurdish Regional Government has borrowed $3 billion against future oil sales to facilitate some degree of financial autonomy from the Iraqi central government which has withheld financial transfers previously in protest to oil agreements with investors and Turkey via the Kurdish Regional Government (Le Billon, 2015). The growing financial stress is yet another layer to this complex problem set that does not seem to have any easily identifiable solutions. Next, an overview of the geography and natural resources of the Iraqi Kurdistan region will be
The purpose of this research is to identify the distinct geographic advantages and disadvantages Iraqi Kurdistan currently possess in order to develop strategies for resource sharing, stability, governance and regional stability to a unified Iraq. The primary focus of selecting key geographic advantages and disadvantages is to have the ability to apply one or all of the lessons learned to effect change in Iraq and the region. The desired end state is Middle East regional stability achieved by focusing the U.S. diplomatic, information, military, economic, financial, intelligence and law enforcement (DIMEFIL) elements of national power to bear on the region with the …show more content…
Some of the transition of the Turkish stance regarding the Kurds can be attributed loosely to the rise of the Kurdish plight within international discourse but the primary catalyst for the change in my opinion is growing demand for energy options by Turkey as their economic and energy requirements increase. Despite the ever-growing demand for energy the Kurdish Regional Government has borrowed $3 billion against future oil sales to facilitate some degree of financial autonomy from the Iraqi central government which has withheld financial transfers previously in protest to oil agreements with investors and Turkey via the Kurdish Regional Government (Le Billon, 2015). The growing financial stress is yet another layer to this complex problem set that does not seem to have any easily identifiable solutions. Next, an overview of the geography and natural resources of the Iraqi Kurdistan region will be