The Kurdish triangle

by Riad Al-Khouri November 21, 2012

written by Riad Al-Khouri November 21, 2012

Almost 20 months into the Syrian crisis, a heady mixture of Arab, Turkish, and Kurdish nationalisms are adding another level of complexity to confusion. Consider the following emerging triangular strategic relations between Turkey and the region’s Kurds. The Turkish government loves the folks in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan province, but hates some of their kin in northern Syria; even while Iraqi and Syrian Kurds draw closer. See also: Could a Syrian Kurdistan work? One arm of this triangle was formed by Turkey’s emergence as an economic partner of Iraq’s Kurdish region, in hydrocarbons and many other sectors. Iraqi Kurdistan is now the Turks’ eighth-biggest export destination. Meeting people in the public and private sectors on my visits to the regional capital of Erbil this year confirmed the ubiquity of Turkish business there. Of course, all this benefits both Turks and Kurds. By contrast, Ankara’s relations with Kurds in northern Syria, another

Riad Al-Khouri

Riad al Khouri is an economist specializing in the Middle East and North Africa region. He has undertaken extensive research on regional trade and political economy, among other topics, and writes widely about development issues. He taught economics at the American University in Beirut (AUB) and Beirut University College (now the Lebanese American University) and worked as a consultant for the European Commission, ESCWA, GTZ, ILO, IOM, OPEC Fund, UNDP, UNIDO, USAID, and the World Bank, among many other public sector organizations, as well as for numerous private firms.

The Kurdish triangle

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