The Kurdistan Region’s Foreign Relations After the 2017 Independence Referendum
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14500/kujhss.v9n2y2026.pp568-580Keywords:
Kurdistan Region, Referendum, Foreign Relations, Paradiplomacy, ProtodiplomacyAbstract
Foreign relations remain a significant tool for non-state actors to achieve statehood. The Kurdistan Region (KR) is one of the most prominent non-state actors at the regional and international levels, with its own peculiarities. With the transformation of the ruling system in 2003 and the ratification of the last Iraqi constitution in 2005, the Region has become formally autonomous as a federal unit. The KR, similar to most other regions within the federal country, is exercising paradiplomacy in terms of its legal rights and attempts to achieve the right to self-determination. Since the ISIS insurgency from 2014 onwards, foreign relations in this region have taken a step further and are considered an exceptional opportunity in the form of protodiplomacy oriented towards achieving independent statehood. However, the decision to schedule an independence referendum on September 25, 2017, soon saw Kurdistan’s position at both regional and international levels slide back. The purpose of this research is to assess the level of effectiveness of the referendum on the KR’s foreign relations. This research seeks to answer the question: to what extent has the referendum affected the KR’s foreign relations? In order to achieve an in-depth understanding of the research, a qualitative methodology has been employed, along with the use of a quantitative methodology.
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