Today stems from yesterday'': A Kirkuk-centric analysis of central periphery relationship of Baghdad and Iraqi Kurds

2003 sonrası dönemde, zengin petrol yataklarına sahip Kerkük'ün gelecekteki statüsü, Bölgesel Kürt Yönetimi ile Bağdat arasında çözülmeyi bekleyen politik problemler arasındaki ayrıcalıklı yerini hala korumaktadır. Kerkük sorunu karmaşıklaştıran en önemli neden Iraklı Kürtlerle Bağdat'ın Kerkük'ün tarihi hakkındaki farklı yaklaşımları ve bundan kaynaklanan farklı politik hedefleridir. Iraklı Kürtler Kerkük'ü Kudüsleri olarak tanımlamakta ve hedeflerine ulaşmak için sahada Bağdat'ın reddedemeyeceği gerçeklikler yaratma stratejileri uygulamaktadır. Öte yandan, Bağdat ise kendisi için Irak'ın bağımsızlık ve birliğinin sembolü olarak gördüğü Kerkük konusunda ani ve zorlayıcı bir çözümün etnik şiddet ihtimalini arttıracağını dile getirmektedir. Kerkük konusunda Bağdat ve Iraklı Kürtlerin uyguladığı bu iki farklı yaklaşım, Kerkük sorununun yakın gelecekte Irak'taki politik gerilimi artacağı konusundaki tezleri güçlendirirken öte yandan da Bağdat ile Iraklı Kürtlerin uzun soluklu ve oldukça problemli evlilikleri hakkında önemli ipuçları vermektedir. Bu çalışma' öncelikle Kerkük konusundaki Bağdat ve Iraklı Kürtlerin farklı yaklaşımlarının tarihi kökeni hakkında bilgi vermekte, müteakiben de Kerkük lensi üzerinden Bağdat ile Iraklı Kürtlerin çevre-merkez ilişkileri hakkında bir analiz sunmaktadır.

''Bugün dünden doğar'': Bağdat ve Iraklı Kürtlerin çevre-merkez ilişkisinin Kerkük merkezli bir analizi

Kirkuk, the oil rich northern governorate of Iraq with symbolic meaning has been sitting at the epicenter of inflammatory nationalist debates of Iraqi Kurds and Baghdad. The difficulty in the accommodation of different historical narratives, and thus, political objectives, has exacerbated the complexity of the problem. The Iraqi Kurds have argued that Kirkuk is their Jerusalem and have been applying "creating facts on the ground" strategy to achieve their goals. On the other hand, for Baghdad, Kirkuk has been the symbol of unity and sovereignty of Iraq. Baghdad has also concerns of the likelihood of violence ifa resolution for Kirkuk is forced too soon. These two competing approaches, in fact, not only draw the attentions to the fact-of escalating tension between the Iraqi Kurds and Baghdad on the contested status of Kirkuk but also provide insights for this decades-old problematic marriage of Iraqi Kurds and Baghdad. This article, therefore, aims to present a Kirkuk-centric analysis of the history of Iraq so as to lay out the conflicting historical perspectives on Kirkuk, and endeavors to derive conclusions concerning the central periphery relationship between Baghdad and the Iraqi Kurds thorough the lens of the contested status of Kirkuk. Lastly, it intends to provide insights for the future through the evolution of Iraqi politics over the course of the 2Cfh century.

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BOOKS

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ARTICLES

Barkey, Henri J., 'Preventing Conflict over Kurdistan ', Carnegie Endowment, February 2009.

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INTERVIEWS

Bartu, Peter : Interview held in Berkeley on June 23, 2009. REPORTS

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NEWSPAPERS

Turkish Daily News (Ankara), July 17, 2002

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VIDEO EVENTS

Kurdish Elections: Implications for Iraq and the Region (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Event, Washington DC, August 6, 2009) http:7/carnegieendowment.org/events/?fa=eventDetail&id=1380

LEGAL DOCUMENTS

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'The Interview of Mehmet Serpil, CEO of Genel Energy' http://www.taraf.com.tr/makale/ 5931.htm

'Electoral Commission Announces Final Results of Kurdistan Region Elections' http://www.lcrg.org/articles/detail.asp?rnr=223&lngnr=12&smap=02010100&anr=30 895

'Court Hears Reports on Saddam's Forces' http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/20/AR2006122001300.html