Monthly Spotlight: Kurdistan's Contradictory International Relationships

From the Barzani Watch Editorial Board – Over the past two decades, Kurdistan has emerged from the tumultuous shadow of the Gulf and Iraq wars, playing a pivotal role in the fight against ISIS alongside the US. However, Kurdistan’s increasing coziness with authoritarian regimes like Russia and Iran raises serious concerns about its commitment to democratic principles and its status as a genuine American ally.

Relationship with Iran

Kurdistan’s relationship with Iran has warmed considerably in recent years, marked by a series of high-profile visits and diplomatic engagements. Both Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and KRG President Nechirvan Barzani attended the funeral of the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran in May 2024. Then, when Masoud Pezeshkian became Iran’s new President in July 2024, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani sent him a congratulatory letter acknowledging “significant progress in the economic, political, and cultural relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and the wider region.” KRG President Nechirvan Barzani also visited Tehran on a separate occasion in May 2024 for a series of high-level meetings, “opening up the possibility of a renewed era of cooperation”, according to The Washington Institute.

Most strikingly, in July 2024, Nechirvan Barzani called for the “all-out expansion of ties” with Iran during a private phone call with Masoud Pezeshkian and reported by the Iranian Mehr News agency.

The Barzani family’s apparent enthusiasm to embrace a regime known for its human rights abuses and authoritarian rule casts doubt on their dedication to democratic values. Such a relationship with a nation often starkly at odds with US interests underscores the contradictory nature of the KRG’s foreign policy.

Relationship with Russia

Kurdistan’s comradely relationship with Russia adds to this pattern of opportunism. Recent diplomatic visits and public comments have signaled an apparently shared interest in strengthening ties, despite Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and its increasingly authoritarian governance – both developments that the US has continued to condemn in the strongest possible terms. Kurdistan’s lackluster response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, seemingly aimed at not antagonizing Moscow, also speaks to its desire to prioritize strategic and economic interests over democratic ideals.

In 2018 Rosneft, Russia’s state-owned oil company, increased investment in Kurdistan’s main oil pipeline to $4 billion, took control of it and became Kurdistan’s single biggest financier, the Financial Times reported.

In June 2024, a KRG delegation was present at the annual St. Petersburg Economic Forum, also attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to Mohammed Shukri, Chairman of the Kurdistan Board of Investment, Kurdistan “will continue to participate in such conferences in the future to strengthen its economic ties and attract more investment.”

The KRG’s focus on economic cooperation with Russia indicates a prioritization of strategic and economic interests over democratic principles, highlighting contradictions in its foreign policy.

Relationship with the US

The KRG’s increasingly friendly relations with Iran and Russia come as it also looks to maintain a strong relationship with the US. This attempted balancing act underscores the Barzani family’s vulnerability amidst a complex geopolitical backdrop. This was most evident during KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s visit to Washington DC in February 2024, where he met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Following their meeting, Secretary Blinken and Prime Minister Barzani hailed “the importance of [their partnership]…in the context of their mutual, enduring commitment to regional security and their shared values, including good governance and respect for human rights”, according to a US State Department readout.

In July 2024, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met with a US delegation, led by Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Daniel Shapiro, in Erbil. Shapiro reiterated the US’ support, emphasizing that “the Kurdistan Region is an important and strategic partner for the US.”

Prime Minister Barzani’s official DC visit came just weeks after he was summoned by a US court in relation to a civil lawsuit filed against him and other members of the Barzani family by the Kurdistan Victims Fund, a non-profit foundation in the US. The lawsuit accuses 14 members of the Barzani family of complicity in a litany of crimes ranging from murder to terrorist financing.

Journalist and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Michael Rubin, has argued that Prime Minister Barzani’s belief in immunity due to alliances with the US will not shield him from the lawsuit, regardless of his political and security ties. According to Rubin, Barzani sought to leverage his connections in Washington to have the lawsuit dismissed, engaging with multiple US officials to this end. Despite the strategic importance of the Kurdish region to US interests, the officials reportedly turned down the requests, and President Joe Biden refused to meet him. Rubin argued that the unwillingness to intervene in the legal proceedings reflects a notable shift in the US stance towards the Barzani family’s alleged misconduct.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has described deepening ties between Iran and Russia as a “profound threat”. Such comments raise obvious questions about the US’ comfort with its supposed ally’s burgeoning relations with these two nations.

The Barzani family’s embrace of authoritarian regimes known for human rights abuses, and their willingness to prioritize economic and strategic interests over democratic principles, starkly contrasts with their diplomatic engagement with the US. The sustainability of this dynamic hangs in the balance, and rests largely on the endurance of US patience.