The American foreign policy towards the Kurds in Iraq

• Main Author: Abdullah, Mahdi Ameen
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English; English; English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: JZ International relations
• Online Access: https://etd.uum.edu.my/9016/1/s95969_01.pdf; https://etd.uum.edu.my/9016/2/s95969_02.pdf; https://etd.uum.edu.my/9016/3/s95969_references.docx; https://etd.uum.edu.my/9016/

The Middle East term is an English term, it is occupying a significant place in the U.S. strategy. The importance of the region lies in the first: the flow of oil from the region to the world Second: the preservation of Israel's security and finally the fight against terrorism. However, The Kurdish relationship with the U.S. as one of the original people that inhabited the Middle East historically labeled as an ambivalent relationship, because this relationship ranged between engagement and estrangement through its history, and based on U.S. interests. Therefore, we often see that America frequently abandoned the Kurds in critical moments, because U.S. interest requires so. Such behavior happened to the Kurds several times during their close history. This study attempts to investigate the relationships between the U.S. and Iraqi-Kurds after the emergence of ISIS. It focuses on the transformations and fluctuations that occurred in U.S.-Kurdish relations spanning more than four decades (1975-2018) and reveals the factors and reasons that have had an impact on how the U.S. has approached its ties with Iraqi-Kurds. Neoclassical Realism used as a theoretical framework for this research in terms of national interests and balance of power. In addition, the methods for the analysis of this study are a blend of descriptive and historical analytical approaches. The study finds out the importance of the Middle East to the U.S. strategy It does not lie just in oil. However, there are geopolitical considerations for the region in U.S. foreign policy and Israel's security and, Islamic terrorism, still threat to security in the region. In addition, only national interests drive the U.S. policymakers, and that U.S. interests with these Kurdish-populated countries far outweigh America's interests with Kurds.