[link removed]
** Regional Perspectives
------------------------------------------------------------
** Nechirvan Barzani and the New Kurdish Diplomacy
------------------------------------------------------------
I am pleased to share the first paper in a new Center for the National Interest series, Regional Perspectives. The series will aim to provide a venue for guest authors to present their views of what the world looks like from outside America’s borders.
In the paper, "Nechirvan Barzani and the New Kurdish Diplomacy," Dr. Soran Tarkhani examines the changing dynamics of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Dr. Tarkhani asserts that the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is transforming Kurdish diplomacy into truly modern statecraft. Nevertheless, Tarkhani argues, the KRG leader faces an uphill battle within Kurdistan.
As an Iraqi Kurd and the author of a recent book on politics in his homeland, Dr. Tarkhani is well-positioned to express the hopes and concerns that many observers in the region have for the KRG's future. In his view, the diplomatic window of opportunity that Nechirvan Barzani is opening can yield tangible gains for the KRG and the Kurdish people. However, he notes, that window will close if the Iraqi Kurdish political parties cannot reach an accommodation with each other and find a way to support institutional growth in Erbil.
CFTNI Senior Fellow Joshua Yaphe served as editor of this initial Regional Perspectives paper.
Read the brief ([link removed]) .
For more CFTNI publications, please see our website ([link removed]) .
Paul J. Saunders
President
[link removed]
** Nechirvan Barzani and the New Kurdish Diplomacy
------------------------------------------------------------
Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq, is trying to move Kurdish politics from an approach rooted in revolutionary prestige to a more modern style of networked statecraft. In that, he has been successful. But the harder negotiation may be inside Kurdistan itself.
There are three main factors in domestic politics that hinder the pursuit of Kurdish foreign policy goals.
Read it here ([link removed]) .
About the Author:
Soran Tarkhani is an Assistant Professor at Hampton University. His research examines ethnic politics, party competition, and conflict in the Middle East, with particular attention to Kurdish movements and regional alliances. His peer-reviewed articles appear in Nationalism and Ethnic Politics and Kurdish Studies Journal. He is also author of the new book, Divided Loyalties, Electoral Rules, and Intra-Party Competition: Kurdish Politics in Iraq ([link removed]) (Routledge, 2026).
Copyright (C) 2026 Center for the National Interest. All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
Center for the National Interest
1025 Connecticut Avenue NW
Suite 709
Washington, DC 20036
USA
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences ([link removed]) or unsubscribe ([link removed])
