Kurdistan’s De Facto Statehood

Kamaran Palani is a Lecturer in International Relations at Salahaddin University-Erbil.

• 1. Introduction  2. On de Facto Statehood  3. Background to Kurdistan's de Facto Statehood  4. A Volatile Partnership  5. Changing Strategies to Gain International Recognition  6. Who is a Patron? Who is a Client?  7. Conclusions and Implications

'This is a unique, perceptive, scholarly voice analyzing the dynamics of Iraqi Kurdistan’s often fragmented, fluid existence and de facto sovereignty. As such, this book is a welcomed, well-written addition to the burgeoning literature in Kurdish studies.'Michael M. Gunter, Professor of Political Science, Tennessee Technological University, and secretary-general of the EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC)'I highly recommend Kamaran Palani's book "Iraqi Kurdistan's de facto statehood". It is an important contribution to the growing number of studies on the Kurds in general and the Kurdistan Region in Iraq in particular. In addition to his intimate knowledge of the subject, Palani provides a new theoretical framework for understanding the unique case of the de facto state that has emerged in Iraqi Kurdistan. His thesis of the fluid entity goes a long way to explain the complexity of this entity and the ebbs and flows in the thirty years of its existence.'Professor Ofra Bengio, Senior Research Fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, Tel Aviv University and Head of Kurdish Studies Program at the Moshe Dayan Center.'Kamaran Palani uses the case of Iraqi Kurdistan to offer readers a nuanced and original analysis of de facto states. He convincingly explains why "Statehood within these entities is a matter of degree, and hence de facto states should be studied as dynamic and fluid political entities." This book should prove invaluable for those wanting to understand how Iraqi Kurdistan remains both a de facto state and also a federal region of Iraq, why the Kurds in this region pursue their own diplomacy and foreign relations yet still remain dependent on Baghdad, or how and why the 2017 referendum on independence constituted both a success and a bitter defeat for the Kurds -- among other things.' David Romano, Thomas G. Strong Professor of Middle East Politics, Missouri State University