By Asst. Prof. Dr. Basiru Musa
The Kurdistan Region of Iraq, under the able and strategically visionary leadership of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has become a beacon of resilience, peace, security and stability in the Middle East. This is because, the Kurdistan Region has remained a largely peaceful and stable place, with many development projects being carried out, despite the volatile nature of the Middle East and some domestic political challenges, especially the somewhat frosty Erbil-Baghdad relations.
The resilience of the Kurdish people and their determination to develop as a people have paved the way for creating the necessary development-oriented infrastructure, through intentional and well-guided policies and investments in education, health, roads, housing, economic and physical security, among others. These investments have turned the Kurdistan Region into a viable and active investment ground, hence attracting foreign investors and professionals from around the world. Another positive thing in this regard, is the hospitable and accommodating nature of the Kurdish people, thus making the investors and professionals to feel at home and add value to the development drive, being championed by the Kurdistan Regional Government.
The Kurdistan Region could be likened to some full sovereign states around the world, in fact, in terms of certain development parameters, like education, health, income level and socio-economic well-being, the Kurdistan Region surpasses many independent countries, especially from the Global South or low to lower-middle income countries. Kudos to the efforts and effective governance strategies of the Kurdistan Regional Government! However, more efforts are needed in resolving the issue of payment of public employees’ salaries with Baghdad, and once this is fixed, the economy of the Kurdistan Region would be revamped correspondingly, impacting markets, businesses and people’s well-being positively.
A development scholar, Dudley Seers posits that, when you are to measure the level of development in a particular place or country, three questions should be asked. First, what has been happening to poverty? Second, what has been happening to unemployment? Third, what has been happening to inequality? He goes further to argue that only when these development issues are either absent or reducing, then that place, region or country is developed or developing. However, if these problems are increasing or worsening, then that place, region or country is underdeveloped or not developing. Fortunately, these issues are almost absent in the Kurdistan Region, hence putting it on the development pedestal. This, therefore, calls for sustaining the ongoing policies, programmes and investments by the Kurdistan Regional Government, leading to more development gains.
As a higher education professional/expatriate in the Kurdistan Region, I can testify to the fact that the Kurdistan Region is a beacon of hope, resilience, peace and stability in the Middle East, and if states and other dependencies across the world would emulate the vision and governance style of the Kurdistan Regional Government and the spirit of accommodating diversity, whether based on ethnicity, religion, race, or nationality, being exhibited by the Kurdish people, then it could be safely concluded that they would develop also, and the world will become a better, peaceful and more prosperous place for all.