Iraqi Kurdistan Politics and Erbil-Baghdad Relations After May 12 Elections

Iraqi Kurdistan Politics and Erbil-Baghdad Relations After May 12 Elections

Speaker: Van den Toorn, C. (American University of Iraq, Sulaimani)

Date: 12 June 2018

Speaker Session Preview

SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Ms. Christine van den Toorn (American University of Iraq, Sulaimani) as a part of its SMA CENTCOM Speaker Series. During this session, Ms. Van den Toorn discussed three important takeaways from the recent election in Iraq. First, Iran’s influence is becoming both increasingly relevant and significant (e.g., Iran likely played a role in the Iraqi election campaign). Second, given the low Kurdish voter turnout and fraud allegations associated with the elections, the election results do not seem to reflect the real dynamics in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and moreover triggered a huge shift in popular Kurdish sentiment. Third, there is a serious potential for instability now in the KRG, and there likely will be continued strain on Erbil-Baghdad relations as well. Ms. Van den Toorn concluded the session by assessing what the US could do to manage the impending violence and stability in the region.

Speaker Session Audio File

Download Ms. Van den Toorn’s biography