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Khanaqin
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 Kurds
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http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Kurdish_Autonomous_Region
Kurdish Autonomous RegionThe Kurdish Autonomous Region
is a political entity established in
1970
following the agreement of an Autonomy Accord between the government of
Iraq
and leaders of the Iraqi
Kurdish
community. A Legislative Assembly was established in the city of
Arbil
with theoretical authority over the Kurdish-populated provinces of
Arbil,
Dahuk
and
As Sulaymaniyah.
In practice, however, the assembly was under the control of the Iraqi
dictator
Saddam Hussein until the
1991
uprising against his rule following the end of the
Gulf War. In the ensuing fighting and refugee crisis, the
United States and
Britain established a "safe haven" policed with a
no-fly zone covering much of the Kurdish territory. The region thus
gained de facto independence, being ruled by the two principal
Kurdish parties - the
Kurdish Democratic Party and the
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan - outside the control of
Baghdad. The region gained its own flag and even its own currency,
which was worth considerably more than the
Iraqi dinar.
Elections held in June
1992
produced an inconclusive outcome, with the assembly divided almost
equally between the two main parties and their allies. This led to
tensions which ultimately sparked violence and the collapse of the
autonomous government. Heavy fighting broke out on several occasions, in
May 1994,
September
1996, and November
1997,
killing thousands. The region was effectively partitioned between the
two parties. Saddam Hussein reasserted some power through assisting the
KDP to capture
Arbil
in 1996, but was generally kept at arms' length by a combination of
Kurdish strength and US-UK air patrols. During the period of UN
sanctions in the
1990s,
the people of Iraqi Kurdistan profited greatly from smuggling embargoed
goods - particularly oil - to and from Saddam-controlled Iraq.
The future of the autonomous region following Saddam's overthrow in the
2003 invasion of Iraq is uncertain. The Kurds' strong desire to
retain their hard-won autonomy means that it is likely that some kind of
federal or at least highly devolved political system will be
implemented, with the Kurdish Autonomous Region continuing to exist in
some form. One particularly difficult issue yet to be resolved is the
future boundaries of the region. Many Kurds wish it to be expanded to
include the largely Kurdish cities of
Mosul
and
Kirkuk, but this is complicated by the large
Turcoman and
Arab
populations of both cities and the opposition of Turkey, which is
concerned about the region's potential to break away from Iraq (with
possible consequences for its own Kurdish minority).
See also
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Iraq
Kurdish Autonomy
Three governorates in the north--Dahuk, Irbil, and As
Sulaymaniyah--constitute Iraqi Kurdistan, a region that historically has had a
majority population of Kurds. Ever since Iraq became independent in 1932, the
Kurds have demanded some form of self-rule in the Kurdish areas. There were
clashes between Kurdish antigovernment guerrillas and army units throughout most
of the 1960s. When the Baath Party came to power in July 1968, the principal
Kurdish leaders distrusted its intentions and soon launched a major revolt (see
The Emergence of Saddam Husayn, 1968-79 , ch. 1). In March 1970, the government
and the Kurds reached an agreement, to be implemented within four years, for the
creation of an Autonomous Region consisting of the three Kurdish governorates
and other adjacent districts that haf been determined by census to have a
Kurdish majority. Although the RCC issued decrees in 1974 and in 1975 that
provided for the administration of the Autonomous Region, these were not
acceptable to all Kurdish leaders and a major war ensued. The Kurds were
eventually crushed, but guerrilla activities continued in parts of Kurdistan. In
early 1988, antigovernment Kurds controlled several hundred square kilometers of
Irbil and As Sulaymaniyah governorates adjacent to the Iranian frontier.
In early 1988, the Autonomous Region was governed according to the
stipulations of the 1970 Autonomy Agreement. It had a twelve-member Executive
Council that wielded both legislative and executive powers and a Legislative
Assembly that advised the council. The chairman of the Executive Council was
appointed by President Saddam Husayn and held cabinet rank; the other members of
the council were chosen from among the deputies to the popularly elected
Legislative Assembly.
The Legislative Assembly consisted of fifty members elected for three-year
terms from among candidates approved by the central government. The Legislative
Assembly chose its own officers, including its cabinet-rank chairman, a deputy
chairman, and a secretary. It had authority to ratify laws proposed by the
Executive Council and limited powers to enact legislation relating to the
development of "culture and nationalist customs of the Kurds" as well as other
matters of strictly local scope. The Legislative Assembly could question the
members of the Executive Council concerning the latter's administrative,
economic, educational, social, and other varied responsibilities; it could also
withhold a vote of confidence from one or more of the Executive Council members.
Both the assembly and the council were located in the city of Irbil, the
administrative center of Irbil Governorate. Officials of these two bodies were
either Kurds or "persons well-versed in the Kurdish language," and Kurdish was
used for all official communications at the local level. The first Legislative
Assembly elections were held in September 1980, and the second elections took
place in August 1986.
Despite the Autonomous Region's governmental institutions, genuine self-rule
did not exist in Kurdistan in 1988. The central government in Baghdad continued
to exercise tight control by reserving to itself the power to make all decisions
in matters pertaining to justice, to police, to internal security, and the
administration of the frontier areas. The Baath Party, through the minister of
state for regional autonomy and other ministerial representatives operating in
the region, continued to supervise activities of all governing bodies in the
region. The minister of justice and a special oversight body set up by the Court
of Cassation reviewed all local enactments and administrative decisions, and
they countermanded any local decrees that were deemed contrary to the
"constitution, laws, or regulations" of the central government. The central
government's superior authority has been most dramatically evident in the
frontier areas, where government security units have forcibly evacuated Kurdish
villagers to distant lowlands (see Kurds , ch. 2).
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Iraq
Government and Politics
National Security
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Syria
Kurds
Estimates of the number of Kurds in Syria vary widely, but they are believed
to compose about 9 percent of the population. Although some Kurdish tribal
groups have lived in the country for generations, many arrived from Turkey
between 1924 and 1938, when Mustapha Kemal attempted to force his reform
programs on the Kurds there.
The Kurds are a fiercely independent tribal people who speak their own
language, Kirmanji. Living mainly in the broad, mountainous region of
northwestern Iran, eastern Turkey, and northern Iraq, they are a cohesive people
with intricate intertribal ties and a deep pride in their own history and
traditions. Most Kurds are farmers; some are city dwellers; and others are
nomads who drive their flocks far into the mountains in the summer and graze
them on the lowlands in the winter.
Roughly 35 to 40 percent of the Kurds live in the foothills of the Taurus
Mountains north of Aleppo. An equal number live in the Jazirah; about 10 percent
in the vicinity of Jarabulus northeast of Aleppo; and from 10 to 15 percent in
the Hayy al Akrad (Quarter of the Kurds) on the outskirts of Damascus.
Most Kurds are Sunni Muslims; a very small number are Christians and Alawis.
In addition, the Syrian
Yazidis (see Glossary), who speak Kirmanji, are sometimes considered Kurds.
Numbering about 12,000, the Yazidis inhabit the Jabal Siman, west of Aleppo; the
Jabal al Akrad, north of Aleppo; and a few villages south of Amuda and Jabal Abd
al Aziz in the Jazirah. Most of the Yazidis work the land for Muslim landowners.
Syria's Kurds are almost entirely settled, but they retain much of their
tribal organization. Although some groups in the Jazirah are seminomadic, most
are village dwellers who cultivate wheat, barley, cotton, and rice. Urban Kurds
engage in a number of occupations, but not generally in commerce. Many are
manual laborers; some are employed as supervisors and foremen, a kind of work
that has come to be considered their specialty. There are some Kurds in the
civil service and the army, and a few have attained high rank. Most of the small
wealthy group of Kurds derive their income from urban real estate.
Kurds who have left the more isolated villages and entered Arab society have
generally adopted the dress and customs of the community in which they live. In
the Jazirah, for example, many have adopted beduin dress, live in tents, and are
generally indistinguishable from the beduin, except in speech. Most Kurds speak
both Kirmanji and Arabic, although others, particularly those in Damascus, may
speak only Arabic. Kurds who have entered the country in the present generation
usually retain much of the language, dress, and customs of their native
highlands.
For most Kurds, whether long established in Syria or recently arrived, tribal
loyalty is stronger than national loyalty to either the Syrian state or to a
Kurdish nation. They are traditionally distrustful of any government,
particularly that in Damascus. However, relatively peaceful residence in Syria
and gradual assimilation have mitigated their distrust of Syrian authorities.
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GENERAL FACTS & LINKS | | | | | | |
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Map references
-
Middle East | | Capital -
Baghdad |
| Border Countries -
Iran
1,458 km,
Jordan
181 km,
Kuwait
242 km,
Saudi Arabia 814 km,
Syria
605 km,
Turkey 331 km | | Major Cities
-
Baghdad |
| Independence -
3 October 1932 (from League
of Nations mandate under British administration) | |
National holiday - Revolution Day, 17 July (1968) | |
ISD CODE
Iraq 964 | |
Languages Spoken
-
Arabic (official) and
Kurdish |
|
Weather Forecast - • Baghdad
• Mosul
• Saddam
Irq-Afb / Civ • Shaibah
/ Basrah |
| Major Airports -
Baghdad
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Ports
- Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, and
Al Basrah have limited functionality | |
Population
-24,001,816 (July 2002 est.) | |
Religion
-
Muslim 97% (Shi'a
60%-65%,
Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3% | |
Nationality - Iraqi(s) |
| Currency - Iraqi dinar | |
Currency Code - IQD | |
National Bird - "Kew" (Chukar) | |
Lakes
- Hammer | |
Rivers
-
Euphrates,
Tigris |
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Terrain
- Mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with
large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey |
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Climate
- Mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers;
northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold
winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes
causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq | |
Geography
- Strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of
the Persian Gulf | | | | | | |
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Syria
The Society and Its Environment
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