Episode 297: The Unravelling of Autonomy: Familial Rule & Baghdad's Gains in KRG

The Unravelling of Autonomy: Familial Rule, Institutional Decay, and Baghdad's Strategic Gains in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Dr Rebwar Fatah

Abstract: The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) has witnessed a significant erosion of its hard-won autonomy since the 2017 independence referendum. While constitutionally recognized as a federal entity, its practical governance has increasingly devolved into a system dominated by powerful families and their respective party militias, undermining legitimate institutions. This paper argues that this internal decay, historically rooted in armed conflict and territorial division, coupled with Baghdad's strategic exploitation of the KRI's fragilities and the pervasive influence of regional powers (Iran and Turkey), has fundamentally weakened the Region's federal status. Crucially, this has led to a profound disillusionment among the Kurdish population, who now prioritize basic financial stability and peace over nationalist ideals, further eroding the KRG's legitimacy and presenting a critical challenge to its future. The paper also speculates on the KRG's missed potential for comprehensive development had it established genuinely independent and effective civil institutions.
Keywords: #kurdistaniraq Region, #Iraq, #Federalism, #Autonomy, #Corruption, #Peshmerga, #KDP, #PUK #Constitutionalism, #humanrights #, Public Sentiment, #Iran, #Turkey.


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