By Tahseen Wsu Abdullah
In the political history of nations, peoples and states, the crossing of conflicts into armed conflict is not uncommon, which is only related to the political experience of the Kurdistan Region, but many other countries in the world have gone through this experience.
The above statement is not intended to justify civil war, but it is a stage experienced in many countries around the world. Much of the factors associated with the civil war are naturally related to two types of views, or thinking about the post-war period, which is the period of urban governance.
If these two ideas are the main factors of civil war and armed conflict in the world, then in the Kurdistan Region, apart from the internal factor, external factors that find themselves in the regional and international, has been the main cause of armed conflict. However, this dimension is still one of the main factors of deepening conflicts, further divisions between the parties (KDP & PUK) and instability of the political process in the Kurdistan Region. This is directly related to the structure and principles of neighboring states, especially those states into which Kurdistan is divided.
The two main forces in the Kurdistan Regional Government’s political process (PDK and PUK) have not always had normal relations not only over the past 33 years, but also in previous periods. However, the past 33 years of normalization of relations between these two forces, the political experience of the Kurdistan Region has witnessed many political, economic, diplomatic, cultural and social achievements.
From the Washington Peace Agreement in 1998 to the Strategic Agreement in 2007, this experience has passed through its brightest stage. The factor in the progress and success of the Kurdistan Region’s political experience at the domestic, Iraqi, regional and international levels is directly related to the cooperation of these two forces. Although there were many obstacles in the way of these two forces, both internally and externally, they have eventually been able to work together in a common framework that has advanced the interests of this experience.
Now, after the transformation of Erbil-Baghdad relations as a result of the change in the balance of power and the political process, on the one hand, on the other hand, after the deterioration of relations between the PUK and PDK. The main question is what factors can turn these pressures on the political structure of the Kurdistan Region into opportunities.
To answer this question, if we look at the past experience, we can conclude that the agreement and cooperation of these two forces is one of the main factors in the strengthening of the Kurdistan Region and the normalization of the political, economic and social situation. At the same time, it completely disproves the assumption that is constantly put forward by some people, parties and groups that Baghdad is the strategic depth of the Kurdistan Region. On the contrary, what constitutes the strategic depth of the Kurdistan Region is not Baghdad.
Therefore, more important than the agreement between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi Federal Government is the agreement between the PUK and the PDK, because the outcome of the agreement will strengthen the Kurdistan Region at the local level Domestically, it will become stronger against Baghdad. Strengthening against Baghdad will lead to regional and international strengthening. This is an experienced equation of the past that the Kurdistan Region has witnessed great national and political achievements.