The International Dimension of the Iraqi Kurdish Nationalist Movement

This historical study examines the international dimensions of the Kurdish nationalist struggle in Iraq between 1960 and 1975, with particular reference to the US foreign policy in the context of the Cold War. This study contributes to a better understanding of how the Kurdish struggle fits into the wider historiography of the cold war dynamics and the US foreign policy in the Middle East. It brings to attention how regional powers and the US perceived and handled the ″Kurdish question″ based on their respective strategic considerations during this period. It uses declassified US intelligence sources, defense department and foreign relations documents, as well as Kurdish language official sources and memoires. They also help to understand political zigzags of the Iraqi Kurdish leaders (Barzani and his encourage) who, in different periods, attempted to rely on various foreign players and allies who could shore up to reach the vital objective of the Iraqi Kurds, for instance, political and self-governance. This study shows how the Kurdish issue featured in the evolving US foreign policy towards successive governments in Iraq.