Iraqi Kurdish Push for Independence: Structural Analysis and Scenarios

This article seeks to determine the most important factors that could influence the prospects of Kurdish independence in Iraq in the next decade and to present possible scenarios. To this end, a structural analysis was conducted to determine the major factors as well as the extent of their influence and how much they can be influenced by other factors in a macro-system. The findings of the research have been presented and explained in different sections. The study shows that the support received, international approaches, competitions, and the attitude of the actors involved are, in descending order, the most important factors in the issue of Kurdish independence. The power and cohesion of the central government and differences or strategic cohesion of the Kurds are two key uncertainties shaping the scenarios of Kurdish independence. Four scenarios for Kurdish independence have been presented in this article.