Ramadhan Mohammed Omer – Activists
The persistent tensions between Kurdish populations and the Iraqi federal government represent a complex manifestation of ethnic, political, and economic grievances that have characterized Iraqi state-society relations since the country’s formation. Contemporary Kurdish political discourse articulates profound dissatisfaction with what is perceived as systematic oppression and marginalization by successive Iraqi governments, reflecting deeper structural issues within Iraq’s federal system. The Kurdish political narrative emphasizes historical persecution, beginning with the Ba’ath regime’s systematic campaign against Kurdish populations, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 182,000 individuals through various military operations, chemical attacks, and forced relocations. Despite initial optimism following the 2003 regime change, Kurdish political leaders and civil society organizations argue that subsequent Iraqi governments have perpetuated discriminatory policies through different mechanisms. These grievances encompass allegations of resource appropriation, whereby federal authorities are accused of misappropriating state assets while simultaneously engaging in corrupt practices that extend to Kurdistan Regional Government officials, creating a system of mutual exploitation that disadvantages ordinary citizens. The deterioration of living standards, characterized by irregular salary payments despite public sector employment representing a fundamental social contract between state and society, has exacerbated popular frustration. Kurdish political discourse particularly emphasizes the 2017 federal government intervention in Kirkuk, which is characterized as an illegitimate occupation that transferred control of disputed territories to Popular Mobilization Forces, groups perceived by Kurdish political actors as sectarian militias pursuing demographic engineering through displacement of Kurdish populations and settlement of Shia Arab communities. This narrative frames such actions as part of a broader systematic campaign aimed at territorial reduction and demographic alteration of Kurdish-majority areas. Kurdish political activists and civil society organizations have increasingly sought to internationalize these grievances, appealing to international public opinion and governmental institutions to expose what they characterize as systematic oppression and human rights violations perpetrated by Iraqi federal authorities against Kurdish populations, reflecting the limitations of domestic political mechanisms in addressing these fundamental disputes over autonomy, resource distribution, and territorial control within Iraq’s federal framework.
