Internal Kurdish Coherence : : Analyzing Alliances, Capacities, Threats, and Political Objectives of Kurdish Groups and Parties in Syria and Iraq 2015-2017 / / David Vestenskov, Andreas Høj Fierro.

• VerfasserIn: Vestenskov, David,; Høj Fierro, Andreas,
• TeilnehmendeR: Høj Fierro, Andreas,
• Place / Publishing House: Copenhagen : : Scandinavian Military Studies,, 2019.
• Year of Publication: 2019
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (85 pages)

The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) shocked the world when it entered the world stage in 2014. By seizing large territories in Syria and Iraq, its expansion within the Middle East seemed unrestrainable as the Iraqi Army fell apart and in Syria, various actors were caught up in a bloody civil war in the wake of the Arab spring. With US support, the Syrian and Iraqi Kurds became the main stand against ISIS acting as boots on the ground. The Kurdish success against ISIS in both Syria and Iraq quickly won them acclaim from the West and rendered them the key ally in the continued US-led effort against ISIS. In Western media and among Western decision makers, the Kurds as an entity are highly praised for their role in this fight. In addition, their fight for human rights, gender equality, secular rule, and democracy has also been highlighted as key features in assessing Kurds as a homogeneous entity that almost naturally shares strategic interest with the West. This book, as it sets out to paint a more comprehensive picture of the different Kurdish groups in Syria and Iraq, concludes that these groups indeed have very different policy objectives and diverging regional partners of alliance thereby questioning the underlying assumption of a uniformed Kurdish entity. The book makes a significant contribution to a better understanding of the political goals, affiliations and rivalries of these important actors and Western allies in the Middle East.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations v -- About the Authors vii -- Acknowledgements ix -- Acronyms xi -- Introduction 1 -- Aim of the Book 2 -- Research Design 2 -- Structure of the Book 5 -- PART ONE: The Syrian Kurds 7 -- The Kurdish Supreme Committee 7 -- Kurdish National Council Post KSC 10 -- Syrian Democratic Forces and Syrian Democratic Council 12 -- Syrian Democratic Forces' Major Military Campaigns 14 -- Rojava Proclaims Federalism 16 -- Reported Affiliation between PKK and PYD/YPG 19 -- International Actors' Positions toward the Syrian Kurdish Groups 21 -- Likely Side Effects from Continued/Enhanced Support to the SDF 24 -- PART TWO: The Iraqi Kurdistan Region 27 -- The Origins of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and the KRG 27 -- The Kurdish Regional Government in Post-Saddam Iraq 29 -- The Economic Downfall of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region 32 -- ISIS Attacks Kurdistan - The Fall of Sinjar 34 -- The Iraqi Kurdish Capture of Kirkuk 35 -- The State of Press Freedom in Iraqi Kurdistan 35 -- Iraq's Political Development Post-ISIS 36 -- Relationship with Turkey 39 -- The Fallout of the Kurdish Region's Independence Referendum 40 -- Conclusion: Internal Kurdish Coherence 45 -- Iraqi Kurdistan 45 -- Northern Syria 46 -- iv Internal Kurdish Coherence -- Kurdish Transnational Coherence 46 -- Policy Implications 50 -- Epilogue 51 -- Literature 53.