Topic: Kurdistan

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Who's who in Iraq after the US exit?

The US troop surge in 2007 helped quiet Iraq's bloody civil war. But it failed to deliver on what US officials and officers said was crucial for Iraq's future at the time: sectarian reconciliation. Rather than forging a new national identity out of the horrors of Iraq's war, Iraq's Shiite and Sunni Arabs and ethnic Kurds sullenly retreated to their own sectarian corners, and the country's political parties remain vehicles for ethnic or sectarian interests. The next year is probably going to be the most crucial for determining the future of Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003, as Iraq's various political factions compete for power and influence without foreign troops getting in the way. Here are a few of the major players.
12/28/2011 10:32 am

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Energy Voices Can Baghdad stop exports of Kurdish oil?

For the moment, Baghdad won't be able to stop the Kurdish oil and gas momentum growing in Northern Iraq, Alic writes. Once the pipeline is up and running, the game is over and Baghdad doesn’t have the resources to turn it into a conflict.
Energy Voices Genel Energy capitalizes on Kurdistan, Africa oil finds

New and increased oil production in Northern Iraq and Africa has come as good news to Genel Energy. The latest feather in its cap is the securing of a rig contract for offshore drilling in its Africa portfolio.
Energy Voices As Kurds gain power, Baghdad may be ready for oil deal

The Iraqi central government and authorities of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government put together a seven-point deal last week that could see the Kurds resume oil exports to Iraq in return for a revision of the Iraqi 2013 budget, Alic writes.
Energy Voices The richest oil barons in the US

Kennedy takes a look at the billionaires who have benefitted the most from the US oil industry, according to Forbes' recently released rich list.
Energy Voices Oil and gas junior companies: What's their end game?

Aroway Energy CEO Chris Cooper discusses junior oil and gas companies, the Keystone XL pipeline and the future of Canadian oil and gas, in an interview with OilPrice.com.
Energy Voices Are oil super majors falling behind the competition?

Oil super majors' performance hasn't been very impressive of late, Alic writes. They might have to get smaller to get bigger if they wish to avoid being rendered irrelevant by the growing ranks of juniors, she adds.
Energy Voices Exxon Mobil, BP face off in Iraq-Kurd oil conflict

BP and Exxon Mobil have taken opposite sides in the escalating conflict over oil between the Iraqi central government and the Iraqi Kurds, Alic writes.
Three women 'executed' as 'dark forces' at work in Paris, says Kurdish official (+video)

Three women 'executed': No clear suspects after three Kurdish female political figures were assassinated in Paris early Thursday. Kurdish leaders say the attack on three women is an effort to block moves toward peace.
Syrian conflict threatens to fracture Iraq

Semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan and the central Iraqi government are on a collision course as the Kurds increasingly side with the Syrian opposition and Baghdad stands by the Assad regime.
Backchannels Report: $800 million is snuck out of Iraq each week

It's a staggering claim, but it was made by the country's Supreme Audit Bureau.
Anxious Turks suspect US plot is behind Syria's implosion

Locals in eastern Turkey, bearing the brunt of the fallout from Turkey's involvement in Syria, believe Ankara is merely a pawn in US plans to foment conflict in the region.
Terrorism & Security As Aleppo rages on, regional effort to mediate Syria falls apart

An effort by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iran to present a solution for Syria seems to be collapsing because of lack of buy-in, despite strong national interests in ending the upheaval.
Turkey's prime minister trumpets their democratic credentials

Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, said Sunday that Turkey's successful democracy should serve as an example to all Muslim countries. Critics say Erdogan is too authoritarian and stifles dissent.
Terrorism & Security Kurds deny hand in Turkey car bombing

The Kurdistan Workers Party denied a role in yesterday's car bombing. Amid the regional upheaval, especially in Syria, the Kurds have been a 'major winner,' gaining some autonomy.
Backchannels Syria's civil war and the geopolitics overtaking it (+video)

As Syria's civil war continues to deepen, so does the potential for regional mischief.
Turkey warns Assad that he must keep Kurds in check, or risk intervention

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan said earlier this week that if the Syrian Kurds use their base to launch a terror campaign on Turkey, intervention in Syria would be 'our most natural right.'
Backchannels From the people who brought you the Iraq war...

... a call for US military intervention in Syria that's straight out of the neocon playbook. What could go wrong?
Syria's chemical weapons: How secure are they?

Syria has been amassing chemical weapons since the 1980s and is believed to have a larger stockpile than any other country that has faced ethnic civil war.
Backchannels Syria shoots down a Turkish fighter jet

It's evidence of how tense the situation has grown along the Turkish border of war ravaged Syria. But early indications are a major escalation won't result.
Iraq's unity tested by rising tensions over oil-rich Kurdish region

As Iraqi Kurdistan ramps up oil production that could soon surpass Libya's output, Kurdish leaders have warned they may seek independence if disputes over oil revenues, power-sharing aren't resolved.
A northern Iraqi Easter

Fears for the future remain within Iraq's devastated Christian community, but there were glimmers of hope this Easter.
Backchannels Iraq's ominous trendline of violence

Terrorism is up in Iraq, as are political tensions.
Backchannels Update on Iraq: Not quite freedom on the march

The crackdown on political protest in Iraq, from Baghdad to autonomous Kurdistan, shows that the country is far from a flourishing democracy.
Al Qaeda's Zawahiri calls for war to oust Syria's Assad

In a video message, Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri called for Muslims to rally for a war to oust Syria's Bashar al-Assad.
A Line in the Sand

An unsettling history of British and French machinations in the Mideast.