The Gravest Danger : Kurdish Identity, Local Power Politics and the Future of Iraqi Federalism

The impending withdraw of American forces from Iraq will leave the country in the hands of what amounts to two separate military forces: Iraq’s national armed forces and those of the Kurdish Regional Government. Integral to the Iraqi federalist bargain is the autonomy of the Kurdistan region, which includes independent control over the Kurdish military, the Peshmerga. The standing tensions between Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army along the so called triggerline attest to the potential dangers the situation poses. This paper explores the reasons why the integration of the Peshmega into the Iraqi national armed forces has not nor is likely to occur. It examines the hypothesis that a combination of identity politics, territorial disputes and local power structures has effectively prohibited integration for the immediate future.