The Kurds in Post-Saddam Iraq

"The Kurdish-inhabited region of northern Iraq has been relatively peaceful and prosperous since the fall of Saddam Hussein. However, the Iraqi Kurds' political autonomy, demands, and ambitions have caused friction with Christian and other minorities in the north, with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other Arab leaders of Iraq, and with neighboring Turkey and Iran. These outstanding issues between the Kurds and the central government do not appear close to resolution, and tensions—which are likely to increase now that Kurdish representation in two key mixed provinces has been reduced by the January 31, 2009 provincial elections—threaten to undermine the stability achieved throughout Iraq in 2008. The Kurds face further political setbacks in 2010 because a senior Kurdish leader, Jalal Talabani, said he would not be available to continue as president of Iraq after the next national elections expected at the end of 2009. It is likely that Sunni Arabs will push for one of their own to take that position. It is likely to require U.S. political influence over the Kurds to prevent a near term de-stabilizing escalation of these disputes. However, the U.S. ability to keep these tensions contained could wane as U.S. combat forces draw down from Iraq by August 2010." Source: Congressional Research Service

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