Title: BETWEEN DREAM AND REALITY: THE IRAQI KURDS
Author: KUTBETTİN KILIÇ
Place of publication: Turkey
Publisher: MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
Release date: 2007

This thesis departs from the idea that the political behaviors of the Iraqi Kurds will play important roles in shaping of the future of Iraq in particular and the Middle East in general. Based on this idea, this thesis analyzes the perceptions of Iraqi Kurds towards new political and economic developments in Iraq appeared after American invasionin 2003. The research questions of the thesis are the following:what are the perceptions of Iraqi Kurds of their leaders Jelal Talabani and Mesud Barzani, who are considered to represent all Iraqi Kurds, of new socio-political developments in Iraq, for the political situation in Northern Iraq, of the status of Kirkuk, of foreign support and of Turkey. In order to find answers of these questions, this thesis evaluates the results of interviews and inquiries made with Iraqi Kurds. In order to contextualize the perceptions of Iraqi Kurds, this thesis also focuses its attention on the domestic and international dimensions of the issue. By doing this, it aims to show how both dimensions affect each other in terms of escalating the Kurdish problem in Iraq. Furthermore, it emphasizes on how the international and domestic evolution of the issue played roles in determining of perceptions and ideas in the region.[1]