DOCSLIB.ORG

The Politics of Iraqi Kurdistan: Towards Federalism Or Secession?

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Politics of Iraqi Kurdistan: Towards Federalism Or Secession? The Politics of Iraqi Kurdistan: Towards Federalism or Secession? Ala Jabar Mohammed April 2013 Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Government at the University of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia i Abstract Scholars of ethnic conflict resolution have suggested various approaches to addressing the ethnic right to self-determination, especially when an ethnic group perceives itself to be a nation. These approaches include autonomy, federation and confederation. One neglected area is whether an ethno-nation feels that one of these institutional designs can accommodate their aspirations or is secession their ultimate goal, especially in an ethnically divided society? For this reason, the politics of Iraqi Kurdistan presents as a particularly interesting case study with which to examine the tension between internal self-determination and secession, and test the utility of one such design, namely, federalism. Since 1992 Iraqi Kurdistan has been in a politically more advantageous position than other parts of Greater Kurdistan in Turkey, Syria and Iran because population has gained an autonomous status. On 5 April 1991, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 688 setting up the Safe Haven for the Kurds in Iraq by the Allies following the second Gulf War, thus acting to prevent the Kurds from facing an uncertain future. The Kurds used this opportunity to elect their first parliament on 19 May 1992 and to establish the Kurdistan Regional Government. Since 1992 this Kurdish polity has been evolving, but its possible political futures have not been empirically examined in-depth. Thus, this thesis focuses on the issue of the future of Kurds in Iraq. It examines whether the formation of an independent Kurdish state is feasible and plausible. The research involved enquiry into the political views and activities of the Kurdish people in Iraq, asking them about their desired political future for Iraqi Kurdistan and their perceptions of what is feasible. In addition, this study used the researcher’s field observations and data drawn iii from secondary historical sources to provide a better and more profound understanding of Iraqi Kurdistan’s political futures. It was found that while Kurds considered themselves to comprise an ethno-nation and be entitled to nation-statehood, most people believed that autonomy within Iraq is the most feasible future. Further inquiry into the nature of this autonomy found that the pluralist type of federalism was seen as the most preferred and feasible political arrangement to address the question of Kurdish self-determination in Iraq. iv Dedications I dedicate this thesis to: Mylate father, Martyr Jabar Mohammed Jabary, who fought for justice, freedom and democracy. My late mother, An’am Abdurrahman Jassem, who devoted herself to raising me and encouraging me to further my education. And those who are fighting for a just cause on this globe. vii Acknowledgments I would like to thank the many people who have assisted me in the research and conduct of this thesis. First of all, I would like to express my sincere thanks to my supervisor Professor Mark Turner for his continual guidance, support and encouragement throughout the duration of this study. I consider it a privilege to have had the opportunity to work with him and share his valuable knowledge and expertise. Special thanks go to all academic and supporting staff of the School of Business, Government and Law at the University of Canberra. I would also like to thank all those who participated in the questionnaire survey and interviews and shared their valuable views on the political futures of Iraqi Kurdistan. In addition, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Professor John McGarry who shared his priceless knowledge on federalism and gave me a great chance to visit Queen’s University in Canada to use its generous library resources on federalism. Moreover, special thanks go to Beth Barber, an academic English lecturer at University of Canberra, and Robyn Keech for editing my thesis. Last but not least, final thanks go to my family and friends. I am truly grateful to my brother Sherko and my sister Juan for supporting me all my life. Special thanks go to my American father Foy Hartman and my American friends Michael Rubin and Kathy Pearce-Fuad for their continual encouragement and support. ix Table of Contents Abstract _____________________________________________________________________ iii Certificate of Authorship of Thesis _______________________________________________ v Dedications __________________________________________________________________vii Acknowledgments_____________________________________________________________ ix Table of Contents _____________________________________________________________ xi List of Figures ______________________________________________________________ xvii List of Tables _______________________________________________________________ xix Abbreviations _______________________________________________________________ xxi Appendices ________________________________________________________________ xxiii Chapter One: Introduction _____________________________________________________ 1 Introduction _____________________________________________________________________ 1 The Kurdish Self-determination Issue in Iraq __________________________________________ 4 Research Problem and Question _____________________________________________________ 6 The Objectives and Significance of the Research _______________________________________ 6 Justification of the Research ________________________________________________________ 7 Thesis Organisation _______________________________________________________________ 8 Chapter Two: Research Methodology ____________________________________________ 11 Introduction ____________________________________________________________________ 11 The Case Study Approach _________________________________________________________ 11 Mixed Methods __________________________________________________________________ 12 Location of the Empirical Study ____________________________________________________ 15 Data Collection __________________________________________________________________ 16 Semi-structured interviews _________________________________________________________________ 16 xi Questionnaire survey _____________________________________________________________________ 17 Documents ______________________________________________________________________________ 18 Non-Participant Observation ______________________________________________________ 19 Data Analysis____________________________________________________________________ 21 Triangulation ___________________________________________________________________ 21 Sampling Design of the Field Research ______________________________________________ 22 Research Limitations _____________________________________________________________ 25 Conclusion ______________________________________________________________________ 26 Chapter Three: Ethnicity, Nationhood and the Right to Self-determination _____________ 27 Introduction ____________________________________________________________________ 27 Ethnic Identity and Nationalism ____________________________________________________ 28 Ethnic group and identity __________________________________________________________________ 28 Ethnic nationalism ________________________________________________________________________ 37 Self-determination and International Law ____________________________________________ 43 Practices of Ethnic Conflict Resolution Arrangements__________________________________ 49 Secession _______________________________________________________________________ 49 Federalism ______________________________________________________________________ 55 Mononational/integrative federation/federalism _______________________________________________ 59 Multinational/pluralist federation/federalism _________________________________________________ 62 Symmetry _______________________________________________________________________________ 68 Asymmetry ______________________________________________________________________________ 72 Paradiplomacy ___________________________________________________________________________ 76 Federacy _______________________________________________________________________ 79 Conclusion ______________________________________________________________________ 85 Chapter Four: Iraqi Kurdistan from 1918 to 2009 __________________________________ 87 Introduction ____________________________________________________________________ 87 Iraqi Kurdistan Profile ___________________________________________________________ 88 xii The British Occupation in 1918 and Sheikh Mahmud’s Revolt ___________________________ 91 Sevres Treaty of 1920 and the Mosul Problem ________________________________________ 95 The Kurds and the Republican Regime 1958-1968 _____________________________________ 99 The Kurds and the Ba’ath Regime 1968-1990 ________________________________________ 102 The autonomy agreement of 1970 __________________________________________________________ 102 The Algiers Agreement of 1975 ____________________________________________________________ 104 The Anfal campaign and chemical bombing ___________________________________________________ 105 The Gulf War and the Kurdistan Regional Government 1990-2003 ______________________ 107 The no-fly zone and the Kurdistan Regional Government ________________________________________
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Significant of the New Republic of Iraq for the Kurds 1958-1975
    International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research (IJSBAR) ISSN 2307-4531 (Print & Online) http://gssrr.org/index.php?journal=JournalOfBasicAndApplied --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Significant of the New Republic of Iraq for the Kurds 1958-1975 Karwan Salih Waisya* a The National University of Malaysia, the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies, Malaysia, Kajang a Email: [email protected] Abstract In the first days of the new Iraqi republic system, everything appeared prefect for the Kurds of Iraq. Their leaders recognized the Kurds as the partners with the Sunni and Shiites in new republic of Iraq. They promised Kurds to give them their political and national rights within Iraq. Conversely, these anticipation lived-short; sooner differences emerge between the Iraqi administrations and the Kurdish leaders. The Kurdish leaders saw no whish, however to seek struggle with the purpose of getting their national rights. In 1961, the first major breakout of war between the central government and the Kurds occurred. This fighting was keeping on with some interruptions until 1975. This paper will explore how the Iraqi governments managed with the Kurdish leaders. It examines the three successive Iraqi governments’ policies toward the Kurdish issue, which are logically and functionally related to Iraqi national policy, constitutional framework, level of regional autonomy and the Kurdish relations with Iraqi governments. This study presented a significant amount of positively not published details about these parties. Particular attention is paid to link between successive Iraqi government policies as well as reaction to the Kurdish issue. This study is a historical research based on qualitative analyze of perspective from various actors .This study is used Kurdish and non-Kurdish sources.
    [Show full text]
  • Federal Systems and Accommodation of Distinct Groups: a Comparative Survey of Institutional Arrangements for Aboriginal Peoples
    1 arrangements within other federations will focus FEDERAL SYSTEMS AND on provisions for constitutional recognition of ACCOMMODATION OF DISTINCT Aboriginal Peoples, arrangements for Aboriginal GROUPS: A COMPARATIVE SURVEY self-government (including whether these take OF INSTITUTIONAL the form of a constitutional order of government ARRANGEMENTS FOR ABORIGINAL or embody other institutionalized arrangements), the responsibilities assigned to federal and state PEOPLES1 or provincial governments for Aboriginal peoples, and special arrangements for Ronald L. Watts representation of Aboriginal peoples in federal Institute of Intergovernmental Relations and state or provincial institutions if any. Queen's University Kingston, Ontario The paper is therefore divided into five parts: (1) the introduction setting out the scope of the paper, the value of comparative analysis, and the 1. INTRODUCTION basic concepts that will be used; (2) an examination of the utility of the federal concept (1) Purpose, relevance and scope of this for accommodating distinct groups and hence the study particular interests and concerns of Aboriginal peoples; (3) the range of variations among federal The objective of this study is to survey the systems which may facilitate the accommodation applicability of federal theory and practice for of distinct groups and hence Aboriginal peoples; accommodating the interests and concerns of (4) an overview of the actual arrangements for distinct groups within a political system, and Aboriginal populations existing in federations
    [Show full text]
  • The Kurds; History and Culture
    Western Kurdistan Association publications Jemal Nebez The Kurds; History and Culture Jemal Nebez THE KURDS History and Kulture Presentation held in German on the 19th September 1997 in the Kurdish Community- House in Berlin, Germany First published in German in 1997 by: The Kurdish Community House in Berlin, Germany First publication in English, including a Bio-Bibliography of Jemal Nebez, by: WKA Publications - London 2004 Translated into English by: Hanne Kuchler Preface by: Dr. Hasan Mohamed Ali Director of the Board of the Kurdish Community House in Berlin, Germany 1 Jemal Nebez The Kurds; History and Culture 2 Jemal Nebez The Kurds; History and Culture PREFACE On the occasion of the inauguration of the Kurdish community-house in Berlin, Germany in September 1997, the well-known Kurdologist Dr. Jemal Nebez held a warmly received speech under the title: The Kurds – their history and culture. This speech was not only of great importance because of its contents and coverage, but also because it was based on precise data and historic scientific evidence. In his speech Dr. Nebez covered various subjects, e.g. pre- Christian ancient history and the mythology of the Kurds, the cultural height and depth of the Kurdish people in the shadow of the numerous expeditions by alien peoples through Kurdistan, the astounding variety of religions in Kurdistan, with special stress on syncretism as the most striking feature of the Kurdish religious culture, delineating syncretism as inherently different from mixed religions. As an analytically thinking scientist (physicist) the speaker did not get stuck in the past, nor was his speech 3 Jemal Nebez The Kurds; History and Culture an archaeological presentation, but an Archigenesis, which in fluent transition reaches from past epochs to the present situation of the Kurdish people.
    [Show full text]
  • Courts and Consociations, Or How Human Rights Courts May De-Stabilize Power-Sharing
    The European Journal of International Law Vol. 24 no. 2 © The Author, 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of EJIL Ltd. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: [email protected] Courts and Consociations, or How Human Rights Courts May De-stabilize Power-sharing Settlements Downloaded from Christopher McCrudden and Brendan O’Leary* http://ejil.oxfordjournals.org/ Abstract We consider the use of consociational arrangements to manage ethno-nationalist, ethno- linguistic, and ethno-religious conflicts, and their compatibility with non-discrimination and equality norms. Key questions include to what extent, if any, consociations conflict with the dictates of global justice and the liberal individualist preferences of international human at Columbia University Libraries on June 27, 2013 rights institutions, and to what extent consociational power-sharing may be justified to pre- serve peace and the integrity of political settlements. In three critical cases, the European Court of Human Rights has considered equality challenges to important consociational prac- tices, twice in Belgium and, most recently, in Sejdić and Finci, concerning the constitutional arrangements established for Bosnia Herzegovina under the Dayton Agreement. The Court’s recent decision in Sejdić and Finci has significantly altered the approach it previously took to judicial review of consociational arrangements in the Belgian cases. We seek to account for this change and assess its implications. We identify problematic aspects of the judgment and conclude that, although the Court’s decision indicates one possible trajectory of human rights courts’ reactions to consociations, this would be an unfortunate development because it leaves future negotiators in places riven by potential or manifest bloody ethnic conflicts with consid- erably less flexibility in reaching a settlement.
    [Show full text]
  • Istanbul Technical University Graduate School of Arts
    ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES TRANSFORMATIONS OF KURDISH MUSIC IN SYRIA: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FACTORS M.A. THESIS Hussain HAJJ Department of Musicology and Music Theory Musicology M.A. Programme JUNE 2018 ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES TRANSFORMATIONS OF KURDISH MUSIC IN SYRIA: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FACTORS M.A. THESIS Hussain HAJJ (404141007) Department of Musicology and Music Theory Musicology Programme Thesis Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. F. Belma KURTİŞOĞLU JUNE 2018 İSTANBUL TEKNİK ÜNİVERSİTESİ SOSYAL BİLİMLER ENSTİTÜSÜ SURİYE’DE KÜRT MÜZİĞİNİN DÖNÜŞÜMÜ: SOSYAL VE POLİTİK ETKENLER YÜKSEK LİSANS TEZİ Hussain HAJJ (404141007) Müzikoloji ve Müzik Teorisi Anabilim Dalı Müzikoloji Yüksek Lisans Programı Tez Danışmanı: Doç. Dr. F. Belma KURTİŞOĞLU HAZİRAN 2018 Date of Submission : 7 May 2018 Date of Defense : 4 June 2018 v vi To the memory of my father, to my dear mother and Neslihan Güngör; thanks for always being there for me. vii viii FOREWORD When I started studying Musicology, a musician friend from Syrian Kurds told me that I am leaving my seat as an active musician and starting a life of academic researches, and that he will make music and I will research the music he makes. It was really an interesting statement to me; it made me think of two things, the first one is the intention behind this statement, while the second was the attitude of Kurds, especially Kurd musicians, towards researchers and researching. As for the first thing, I felt that there was a problem, maybe a social or psychological, of the Kurdish people in general, and the musicians in particular.
    [Show full text]
  • Yazidis and the Original Religion of the Near East | Indistinct Union: Chri
    Yazidis and the Original Religion of the Near East | Indistinct Union: Chri... http://indistinctunion.wordpress.com/2007/08/17/yazidis-and-the-original... Indistinct Union: Christianity, Integral Philosophy, and Politics Yazidis and the Original Religion of the Near East The horrific bombing in the Kurdish regions around Kirkuk (death toll estimates currently at 400) targeted the Yazidis, a smallish Kurdish (but non-Muslim) sect. The Ys tended to separate themselves from the Peshmerge (the Kurdish military), which likely resulted in their being left vulnerable to this brutal attack. (For interviews with some Yazidis, here via BBC). Who are theologically the Yazidis ? For repeat readers, they will know I support the (somewhat) controversial thesis of Christian scholar Margaret Barker (known as Royal Temple Theology). Barker’s first work is titled The Older Testament. A brilliant way to describe her point of view–namely that the Judaism that comes across in the Hebrew Bible we currently have has been massively (re)edited, more than most scholars will admit, by the Deuteronomic/Rabbinic schools of Judaism. The Older Testament (as opposed to the “Old Testament” of the Deutro. school) included the belief in two g/Gods. The first was the High God (El, Elyon) who had “sons” (angelic beings). Each angel, known as an angel of the nation, was chosen for a specific people. As above so below. i.e. When their was war on earth between two peoples, their angels were fighting in heaven. Hence all the Psalms rousing YHWH (Israel’s Angel/god) to fight. The second G/god then is YHWH for Israel.
    [Show full text]
  • Reluctant Victims Into Challengers Narratives of a Kurdish Political Generation in Diaspora in Sweden Zettervall, Charlotta
    Reluctant Victims into Challengers Narratives of a Kurdish Political Generation in Diaspora in Sweden Zettervall, Charlotta 2013 Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Zettervall, C. (2013). Reluctant Victims into Challengers: Narratives of a Kurdish Political Generation in Diaspora in Sweden. Lund University. Total number of authors: 1 General rights Unless other specific re-use rights are stated the following general rights apply: Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal Read more about Creative commons licenses: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. LUND UNIVERSITY PO Box 117 221 00 Lund +46 46-222 00 00 Reluctant Victims into Challengers Narratives of a Kurdish Political Generation in Diaspora in Sweden Charlotta Zettervall Copyright © Charlotta Zettervall Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Sociology ISBN 978-91-7473-412-6 ISSN 1102-4712 Lund Dissertations in Sociology 103 Printed in Sweden by Media-Tryck, Lund University Lund 2013 Oh, the leaky boundaries of man-made states! How many clouds float past them with impunity; how much desert sand shifts from one land to another; how much mountain pebbles tumble on to foreign soil in provocative hops! ..
    [Show full text]
  • Myth of Simorghian Mithraism (Mehrparasti) by Masato TOJO, Ph
    New Religio-Cultural Movement in Iran & Japan Myth of Simorghian Mithraism (Mehrparasti) By Masato TOJO, Ph. D. Mithraeum Japan Version information: ⇐Official Site 1st 2006 Nov 17 Fri. 8th 2008 Jul 01 Tue. 9th 2009 Apr 27 Mon. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to my friend Dr. Jamshid Jamshidi for his kind and rich suggestions. His long research and deep understanding of both Iranian and Japanese culture enables me to write this article. Myth of Simorghian Mithraism (Mehrparasti) ――Mithraic myth of the Simorghian culture―― CONTENTS Objectives 1. Preliminary Note 2. Myth 2. 1 The Mundane Egg 2. 2 Birth of Mitra 2. 3 Birth of the World 2. 4 Birth of Creatures 2. 5 Creatures were split into Three Groups 2. 6 Transmigration of souls 2. 7 History of the Humanity 2. 8 King Yima and the Long Winter 2. 9 Glorious Governance of King Yima 2. 10 Mirs 3. Glossary 3. 1 Simorgh 3. 2 The mundane egg 3. 3 The Cosmos 3. 4 Spheres, planets and fixed stars 3. 5 Vourkaša Sea 3. 6 Fravashi of the world 3. 7 Mt. Harā 3. 8 Êran-vēj 3. 9 Vara 3. 10 The rim mountains 3. 11 Cinvat bridge Appendix 1. Rig Veda A1. 1 Hymn 2.27 A1. 2 Hymn 3.27 A1. 3 Hymn 5.59 Appendix 2. Mihr Yasht A2. 1 Worship A2. 2 Mithra’s eight friends A2. 3 Mithra’s dwelling A2. 4 Keep contract, do not lie A2. 5 Do good governance A2. 6 Mithra’s rulership of the World Appendix 3 Hellenistic Sources A3.
    [Show full text]
  • Regime Change and the Restoration of the Rule of Law in Iraq
    Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen I Regime Change and the Restoration of the Rule of Law in Iraq Raid Juhi al-Saedi* Introduction fter Allied forces overthrew Hitler’s regime at the end of World War II, the AUS blueprint for running Germany included dismantling the Nazi Party, dismissing Nazis from government employment, prosecuting Hitler and his offi- cials as war criminals, dissolving all German courts and forbidding any political ac- tivity without permission from US military authorities. Following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, the United States tried to use the same strategy in Iraq, albeit using a new formula. Coalition Provi- sional Authority (CPA) Order No. 11 was issued to de-Baathificate2 Iraqi society. CPA Order No. 23 dissolved the Iraqi intelligence and security agencies, and the armed forces, as well as dismissed the Baathist employees and members of those or- ganizations. Subsequently, CPA Order No. 15 was issued with the stated purpose of reforming the “Iraqi justice system [which] has been subjected to political interfer- ence and corruption over the years of Iraqi Baath Party rule.”4 This order estab- lished the Judicial Review Committee, which dismissed a large number of judges and prosecutors. * Clarke Middle East Fellow, Cornell University Law School. Former Chief Investigative Judge, Iraqi High Tribunal. Portions of this article are derived from Raid Juhi al-Saedi, Glance into the Criminal Procedures under the Iraqi Judiciary, 41 CREIGHTON LAW REVIEW 713 (2008). Vol 86.ps C:\_WIP\_Blue Book\_Vol 86\_Ventura\Vol 86.vp Monday, May 24, 2010 11:46:27 AM Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen Regime Change and the Restoration of the Rule of Law in Iraq On September 13, 2003 the CPA issued Order No.
    [Show full text]
  • An Alternative to the Ethno-Sectarian Division of Iraq Paul R
    American University International Law Review Volume 24 | Issue 2 Article 2 2008 Rethinking the Political Future: An Alternative to the Ethno-Sectarian Division of Iraq Paul R. Williams Matthew .T Simpson Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wcl.american.edu/auilr Part of the International Law Commons Recommended Citation Williams, Paul R. and Matthew T. Simpson. "Rethinking the Political Future: An Alternative to the Ethno-Sectarian Division of Iraq." American University International Law Review 24, no. 2 (2008): 191-247. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Washington College of Law Journals & Law Reviews at Digital Commons @ American University Washington College of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in American University International Law Review by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ American University Washington College of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SIMPSON-WILLIAMS_TO PRINT.DOC 12/4/2008 12:03:18 PM RETHINKING THE POLITICAL FUTURE: AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE ETHNO-SECTARIAN DIVISION OF IRAQ PAUL R. WILLIAMS* MATTHEW T. SIMPSON** INTRODUCTION...........................................................................192 I. ETHNO-SECTARIAN DIVISION..............................................194 II. CALLS FOR THE ETHNO-SECTARIAN DIVISION OF IRAQ .........................................................................................196 III. THE CASE AGAINST THE ETHNO-SECTARIAN DIVISION OF IRAQ ................................................................201
    [Show full text]
  • Continuity Despite Revolution: Iran's Support for Non-State Actors
    Crown Family Director Professor of the Practice in Politics Gary Samore Continuity Despite Revolution: Iran’s Director for Research Charles (Corky) Goodman Professor Support for Non-State Actors of Middle East History Naghmeh Sohrabi Associate Director Mohammad Ataie Kristina Cherniahivsky Associate Director for Research he Islamic Republic of Iran supports a number of David Siddhartha Patel Tnon-state actors throughout the Middle East, such as Myra and Robert Kraft Professor Hizbollah in Lebanon and elements of the Iraqi Popular of Arab Politics Eva Bellin Mobilization Forces (al-Hashd al-Sha‘bi). Iranian leaders Founding Director describe their support for such groups in religious and Professor of Politics Shai Feldman revolutionary terms and as resistance against “global arrogance” (Istikbar-i Jahani), meaning imperialism. This aspect Henry J. Leir Professor of the Economics of the Middle East of Iran’s foreign policy, therefore, is widely understood to be a Nader Habibi product of the 1978–79 Iranian Revolution and as motivated, Renée and Lester Crown Professor in large part, by ideology. of Modern Middle East Studies Pascal Menoret In contrast, this Brief argues that Iran’s pattern of support for non-state Founding Senior Fellows entities after 1979, shaped around the so-called Axis of Resistance, is a Abdel Monem Said Aly Khalil Shikaki continuation of a regional policy that dates to the late 1950s and continued through the 1960s and 1970s. Both Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the Goldman Faculty Leave Fellow Andrew March leaders of the Islamic Republic pursued a strategy of backing extraterritorial groups and invoking historical and religious ties to Shi‘i communities Harold Grinspoon Junior Research Fellow in the region to counter perceived threats and contain adversaries.
    [Show full text]
  • Autonomism and Federalism
    Publius: The Journal of Federalism Advance Access published May 27, 2011 Autonomism and Federalism Jaime Lluch* *European Studies Center, St Antony’s College, University of Oxford; [email protected] This article aims to understand autonomism as an ideology of territorial order and institutional design. In particular, I ask whether the theory and practice of autonomism is consonant with federalist principles. ‘‘Autonomism’’ is a normative term that advocates the use of autonomist principles, and it has an intricate relationship with federalism, but is generally distinct from it. Autonomists are wary of federalism because they believe it has homogenizing and uniformizing tendencies. Autonomism as an ideology of territorial order and institutional design exhibits a number of clear anti-federalist stances, but yet it is based on the general federalist principle that multiple levels of government can lead to better governance in multinational states. To this com- Downloaded from plex anti-federalist and federalist hybrid stance, autonomism adds a nuanced anti-secessionism stance. publius.oxfordjournals.org Autonomism In many multinational democracies, models of federation are the preferred insti- tutional configuration to address the complexities of multinationalism, and much by guest on May 30, 2011 of the scholarly literature echoes this preference for federation (Keating 2004; Hechter 2000; Norman 2006; Kymlicka 1998; Gibbins et al. 1998; Stepan 2001; Burgess and Gagnon 1993; Elazar 1987; Watts 2008; McRoberts 1997; Griffiths et al. 2005; Gagnon and Iacovino 2007; Karmis and Norman 2005).1 Yet, there are autonomist national parties in sub-state national societies that reject a model of federation as an appropriate institutional design to address their needs.
    [Show full text]