Kirkuk amidst conflicts
Hiwa Jamal
Ever since tensions appease to an extent which is seen as a starting point of resolving the problems in Iraq, a new tension emerges. The potential crisis is those left alone with the Iraqi constitution, as with Article 140 to resolve the disputed areas, and Article 116 to form regions in the Federal Iraq.
When provinces such as Salahadin, Anbar, Mosul, and Diyala claimed they want to use this constitutional privilege of Article 116 to form new regions, a new tension between Sunnis and Shiites emerged, stemming from the terror charge against Tariq al-Hashmi.
While Kirkukis, with all their factions and sects were asking for a solution, the Sunnis lit the fire of another crisis in the Kurdistan region, as everyone forgets about the demand for a solution.
Why Sunnis? Since Kirkuk is bordered with the Sunni regions, the Sunnis are not convinced with the incorporation of Kirkuk into the Kurdistan region before Shiites, since Sunnis have a direct link with this province.
In my opinion, the US is dealing with the Iraqi government as a puppet state, by leaving the biggest embassy in Iraq with nearly 20 thousand personnel. Puppet state, as Liam Anderson and Garis Stanfield refer to it in the book The Future of Iraq, is currently in use, although it’s not a proper way of dealing with the situation according to the authors.
As for Iran, it has a direct influence on the Iraqi South, as well as indirect influence on the Kurdistan region. In any crisis, the citizens are those who were harmed the most.
As in the new crisis, Kirkuk citizens are those who are the best losers. Kirkuk is a city that local and outside politicians consider to be dangerous, as Baker-Hamilton’s 2006 report on Iraq calls it a gun barrel. It’s always in the centre of the tensions and not service. It seems politicians always need a point where they can endure their rivalry, as for the luck of Kirkukis, this city has always been their major tension point.
In the world that we live in, people pursue prosperity, without considering borders, colors, or language. For example, it’s not important for the Americans to choose a black president like Barack Obama, since they believed he can provide more prosperity than the others.
Is not it better for the Kirkukis, with all the different ethnicity groups and sects to pursue prosperity rather than fighting on who is governor and in which sect he belongs to? Kirkukis feel neglected, as the other residents of Iraq, but they should be ready to hold a decisive decision not turn into Baghdad for employing an ordinary person, and rather do it by themselves. Before thinking about Article 140, Kirkukis should think about getting the advantage of Article 116 to form their own region.
