"Confrontation or conciliation?" Kırkuk question as the tightest knot in Iraq and Iraqı Kurdish politics to resolve it through

Abstract

Kirkuk, the oil-rich northern governorate of Iraq with symbolic meaning, has been sitting at the epicenter of inflammatory nationalist debates between all the stakeholders regarding the future of the region. The difficulty in the accommodation of the different political objectives has exacerbated the complexity of the problem. Kurdish officials argue that violence will increase in Kirkuk if a resolution is not reached immediately and have called for the swift implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, calling it critical for peace in Kirkuk. In contrast, Baghdad has concerns regarding the likelihood of violence if a resolution for Kirkuk is forced too soon. These two competing approaches suggest the possibility of escalating tensions between the Iraqi Kurds and Baghdad.The most appropriate solution for Kirkuk is a compromise that allows all stakeholders tö attain a portion of their objectives. This paper suggests compromise as both pragmatically and normatively the most desirable solution for Kirkuk. The objective of this paper is to accurately address the contested status of Kirkuk and to determine whether current Kurdish politics in Iraq are, in fact, capable of resolving this problem thorough compromise.