UPS AND DOWNS OF TURKISH RELATIONSHIP WITH ERBIL AND BAGHDAD IN THE POST-2003 ERA Cover Image

UPS AND DOWNS OF TURKISH RELATIONSHIP WITH ERBIL AND BAGHDAD IN THE POST-2003 ERA
UPS AND DOWNS OF TURKISH RELATIONSHIP WITH ERBIL AND BAGHDAD IN THE POST-2003 ERA

Author(s): Tomáš Kaválek
Subject(s): Political history, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Evaluation research, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010)
Published by: Masarykova univerzita nakladatelství
Keywords: foreign policy; Iraq; KRG; Kurdistan Regional Government; New Foreign Policy; Turkey;
Summary/Abstract: This article elaborates on the development of the Turkish foreign policy towards Iraqi Federal and Kurdistan Regional Government (IFG and KRG) since the US invasion to Iraq in 2003. The article analyzes several dimensions of Turkey’s foreign policy towards KRG and IFG: security, politics and economy. Relations between Iraqi Kurds and Turkey underwent remarkable change since 2009. Rather warm relations with Baghdad started to falter since 2009 onwards. Strengthening Iran’s influence over predominantly Shiite Iraqi Federal Government since the US pullout from Iraq only strengthened Turkey’s reliance on Erbil. In 2014, ISIS swept through vast Sunni areas of Iraq bringing decay of Baghdad’s power and further increasing its dependency on Tehran.