Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Introductory profile

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) is an autonomous region situated in northern Iraq. Under the country’s 2005 constitution, it is the country’s only regional government and has its own regional presidency, ministers and parliament. Its politics are dominated by two Kurdish political parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), both of whom maintain their own separate security forces, the Peshmerga.

While the KRI’s status is recognised in Iraq’s constitution, there has been tension with the federal government over internal borders, oil exports, and the federal budget. In 2017, the KRI voted in favour of independence in a referendum, though this was rejected by the federal government and opposed by foreign governments, including the United States, the UK, Turkey and Iran.

While the KRI has been relatively stable compared to the rest of Iraq in the past two decades, the rise of Islamic State/Daesh from 2014 resulted in extensive violence across the region. Turkey and Iran have also conducted military action in the KRI, targeting Kurdish groups they say have been linked to instability in their respective countries (both having Kurdish minorities).

What does this paper cover?

This 23-page briefing provides an introduction to the region’s: 

• Leadership, politics, and political rights, such as the major political parties, recent elections and tensions within the regional government 
• Relations with the federal government of Iraq, including the Iraqi constitution, and tensions over the region’s borders and oil
• History of armed conflict, including the rise of Islamic State/Daesh and military action undertaken by Iran and Turkey
• International relations, specifically with the United Kingdom and United States.

The paper signposts further reading on the region on pages 20 to 23. This includes links to recent UK Parliament proceedings on the KRI and relevant Library briefing papers. 

The Library’s Iraq: introductory country profile provides contextual information on Iraq as a whole. Please visit the Library’s Middle East pages for further analysis on the region.