Survey of the Kirkuk crisis in the political developments in the region and future scenarios

The city of Kirkuk, located in Kurdistan of Iraq as a geopolitical region of the Middle East, has been one of the main causes of the emergence of crises and challenges among the Kurdistan, Iraq and the region over the last 100 years. Regarding the importance of this geographical location, it can be characterized by its oil-richness, ethnic-religious diversity, territorial claims and a historical ethnic group that kept alive the possibility of the emergence and tension of the region. This situation has turned Kirkuk from an issue into a national and international crisis. In this paper, while briefly describing the geographical, historical, political and economic characteristics of Kirkuk and its emergence of the crisis and ethnic-geopolitical conflicts over it, it is to analyze what the crisis experienced during the period of the federal system of Iraq and also describing of what will be the possible path to geopolitical developments in its region. The question is: What will the impact of the Kirkuk crisis on developments in Iraq and the region be and how will future scenarios? In response to this question, it appears that the crisis in Kirkuk has affected the developments in Iraq and the region, and now faces the Iraqi federal system with deeper gaps than it has been in the past. This actual crisis, with the impact of regional developments, has the potential of geopolitical changes. This situation has made the Iraqi government's relations with the Kurdistan region vulnerable and fragile and has left Kirkuk's future ambiguous, with multiple scenarios for the future of Kirkuk.