Analysis of Iraqi Kurdistan's Oil Strategy, Goals and Approaches

Oil is one of the main issues of concern between the KRG and the Iraqi central government which has gained growing attention in recent years. This issue has developed extensive dimensions during the past recent years which led the divergence between the KRG and the central government and deepened the existing gap increasingly. Much of the tension goes back to the mentality and concepts on which both sides have agreed according to which they try to act. In this research we seek to investigate the issue, which could be called the second crisis of Iraq’s oil, to see what strategies and plans the KRG adopts for its oil production under its own control. The hypothesis of the study suggests that since socio-political structures of Kurdistan have always evolved around the concept of "autonomy and independence", the issue of oil can be used as an economic catalyst in line with these definitions. In this study, the descriptive-qualitative method and the theory of constructivism is applied for analysis.