2017 South (Iraqi) Kurdistan Independence Referendum: Causes, Course, Results and Impact

This article examines the causes and results of the referendum held on 25 September 2017 in South (Iraqi) Kurdistan. Its historical significance lies in the fact that in case of recognition of the outcome of the referendum by the international community, the divided Kurdish nation of millions for the first time in history would have had an opportunity to build a capable independent national state. This article aims to evaluate the reasons why the referendum was not recognized by the global community. The author analyzes the historical and political context within which the decision concerning the holding of the referendum was made, and the influence of the great powers and the international community upon it. Iraqi Kurdistan had been in pursuit of sovereignty for decades and acquired a broad autonomy in the early twenty-first century. Following the outbreak of a civil war in Syria, the terrorist organization ISIL emerged and started the swift seizure of the Iraqi territory. This triggered a political crisis in Iraq and involved the neighboring countries and the global powers in the conflict. Supported by the international community, the Kurds were able not only to hold on to their land but also to gain control over the territories disputed between the federal government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Under those circumstances, it was decided to call a referendum on independence. The author of the study concludes that the referendum was doomed to non-acceptance from its inception, and setting the date for the referendum to September 2017 did not have necessary political and legal prerequisites. Sacrifices made by the population of the Kurdistan Region during the war with the terrorist organization ISIL did not appear to justify the recognition of the independence of Iraqi Kurdistan by the international community. The short-sighted actions of the authorities of South (Iraqi) Kurdistan resulted in loss of about 51% of territories under their control within three weeks after the referendum. The region was threatened of embargo and sanctions by the neighboring countries, and Iraqi Kurdish president Massoud Barzani's resignation led to a political crisis which set the political development in the Kurdistan Region back by quarter of a century. The author deems that the main aim of holding the referendum was not the declaration of independence of South (Iraqi) Kurdistan but the preservation of the present tribal political system resulting in keeping the authority over the Kurdistan Region in the hands of the Barzani clan.

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