Journal on Policy & Complex Systems Volume 5, Number 2, Fall 2019 | Page 31

Journal on Policy and Complex Systems
Kurds just one year after the revolution . ( Rubin , 2007 ) mentioned that religious and tribal ties are an obstacle for Kurdistan solidarity . In other words , the hatred between Shia and Sunni Kurds is enough to prevent Kurd unity . However , if nationalism increases among Kurds in the future , this might change . Thus , religion also plays an important role , and religious differences are perceived as dissimilarity among Kurds , which later could hamper Kurdish unity . As a result , I assume being a Sunni Kurd makes it more probable to join the movement .
Government hegemony . According to ( McGarry & O ' Leary , 1994 ), more hegemonic control results in more ethnic minority regulation , and less hegemonic control results in more ethnic violence . The overthrow of Saddam Hussein ’ s regime was the turning point in the independent Kurdish province . Kurds got control of many territories that many had dreams of inhabiting . As ( Nader , Hanauer , Allen , & Scotten , 2016 ) asserted , Baghdad ’ s ability to control Kurdish independence is limited . Another factor was the Arab Spring , which provided incredible opportunity for Kurds in Syria . After the overthrow of rulers in Tunisia and Egypt , Assad had to withdraw many of his forces from Kurdish areas to control the rebellions , and this gave Syrian Kurds a chance for independence . In contrast , Iran has a strong central government , which cannot admit the
Kurdish movement . Thus , a country such as Iran , with a strong central government , has more control over its territory in comparison to Iraq and Syria , which have weak central governments . Consequently , in Iraq and Syria , the Kurdish people have more power to protest . It should be mentioned that this study considers central government power .
Distance from Arbil ( center of Kurdish conflict ). I do not consider the economic hypothesis from the literature review as an independent factor because Iraq has huge oil reserves . As a result of the U . S . invasion of Iraq , Kurds gained control over rich oil resources in Iraq ; however , they recently lost control of Kirkuk ( Billon , 2015 ). Iraqi Kurdistan gains considerable revenue by connecting to international oil companies and selling oil to other countries . Thus , Iraqi Kurds who are pioneers of this movement do not perceive economic inequality . In contrast , Iranian Kurds who live in poor areas and have no access to natural resources have also protested against the central government and caused unrest in Kurdish areas . Thus , assigning a value for either area causes bias toward the other . Instead , I propose a new factor : the distance from Arbil . I assume if Kurds want to be one state , Iraqi Kurdistan will send aid and support to other Kurds ( troops and economic resources ). Thus , being close to the center of Iraqi Kurds ’ power ( Arbil ) make it easier to receive
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