Dissertations / Theses: 'Kurdistan Region'

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Mustafa, Mohammad Salih. "Religious nationalism in the Kurdistan region of Iraq." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/30444.

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This thesis explores a new political phenomenon in the Middle East - the reconciliation of nationalism and Islamism by Islamic political parties in the context of nation states. Although the concept of religious nationalism has been discussed substantially before, as for example in Juergensmeyer (1993: 40) where the author defines religious nationalism as “the attempt to link religion and the nation-state”, this work highlights that a new brand of religious nationalism has emerged in the Middle East as the result of the intertwining of nationalism and Islamism. The focus of this study is, therefore, on the development of religious nationalism in the continuously tumultuous region of the Middle East. The aim of this researchis to investigate whether Islamism in Kurdistan is limited by the politics of nationalism, which is an accentuated example for the whole Middle East region. Furthermore, it should be noted that many of the religious nationalists themselves have not yet fully acknowledged the existence of the trend of merging between Islamism and nationalism. For instance, although the position of the Muslim Brotherhood of Kuwait, during the liberation of their state from the Iraqi regime, is a clear example of religious nationalism, all other affiliations of this organisation around the world at that time viewed the military operation as a foreign occupation. Highlighting this historical juncture in the political life of the Middle East by studying the Islamism in the Kurdistan region helped to elaborate on this new type of politics exceptionally well. This is essentially due to the absence of a politically recognised nation state which renders Kurds to be particularly susceptible to various manifestations of nationalism. The key finding of this project was, therefore, the notion that Islamism in Kurdistan has become significantly framed by the politics of nationalism.

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Braim, Kadhim Magdid. "Managing cultural tourism in a post-conflict region : the Kurdistan Federal Region of Iraq." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2018. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/48705/.

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During any period marked by conflict, potential investors (domestic and foreign) are reluctant to invest in the tourism sector of a country or region, owing to weak investor protection and the general climate of instability, in parallel with the lack of comprehensive planning for the tourism industry. Moreover, after a period of conflict, major challenges have to be faced in rebuilding the social, cultural, educational, service and economic infrastructure. Thus, the tourism industry in conflict and post-conflict areas often suffers a number of challenges, in the form of poor infrastructure, low investment and a lack of proper tourism management planning, or, poor implementation. In the case of the Kurdistan Federal Region of Iraq (KFR), conflict caused major challenges to heritage protection and consequently to the development of cultural tourism. The region was subject to ethnic conflict between the Iraqi government and Kurdish opposition, in particular the armed conflict in 1961 to 2003. There was lack investment in transport infrastructure. The absence of essential facilities such as motorways, rail networks and airports severely restricted the development of a tourism industry from 1991 (the year in which Kurdish autonomy in the region was achieved) to 2005 (when the KFR was officially recognised in Iraq's Constitution of 2005) and continued until 2006. Thereafter, the tourism industry recorded an increase of approximately 700% from 2007 to 2013, after the building of two international airports and thousands of miles of motorways in the KFR. However, so far, in the KFR, no consideration has been given to the conservation of cultural heritage, either as a legacy to the nation or in terms of its potential use to develop tourism. This underdevelopment is attributable to a number of problems, but notably the conflict, which led to the lack of an integrated tourism policy, lack of knowledge on how to protect heritage assets, poor infrastructure and low investment. The preservation of heritage assets has been discussed in the literature, but mostly the focus is on preservation of resources in the context of sustainable tourism (often in the context of over-utilization), and there is a lack of studies undertaken to investigate how post-conflict issues affect the protection of heritage assets, that is, what the potential challenges are to the conservation of heritage assets in post-conflict countries, and how these challenges impact on the future potential for cultural tourism development. This thesis investigates how post-conflict issues affect heritage protection and cultural tourism, in terms of both planning and management, by exploring heritage protection and cultural tourism in the KFR as an example of both a post-conflict area and a new autonomous region. It suggests solutions and makes recommendations for the development of successful, competitive and sustainable cultural heritage tourism in the KFR. The results show that the KFR is rich in cultural resources, but currently not enough governmental consideration is given to cultural heritage conservation. The managerial issues caused by lack of legislation and poor government administration, in parallel with some other challenges, notably a lack of funding, are the core barriers to investment in heritage protection in the KFR, and consequently creating major problems to the development of cultural tourism. Other issues include: a lack of investment and poor implementation, a negative destination image and marketing difficulties. The findings will help decision makers to develop a strategy for cultural protection and to establish a proper cultural tourism policy in the KFR through recommendations to government. The findings will also be of interest to other post-conflict nations and regions. The thesis reports data from a series of focus groups and in-depth interviews conducted in 2015 and 2017.

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Karim, Abdolbaset. "Selenium and iodine status in the Kurdistan region of Iraq." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2018. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/51123/.

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The primary aims of this project were to: i) provide a survey of selenium and iodine concentrations in the terrestrial environment and locally grown crops of Iraqi-Kurdistan; ii) gain greater understanding of the factors controlling bioavailability of these elements in the calcareous soils of the region; iii) investigate the feasibility of biofortification of selenium and iodine and test the use of isotopically enriched tracers for this purpose; iv) assess iodine and selenium dietary intake and nutritional status of the local population using dietary questionnaires and a survey of a human biomarker. A survey was conducted covering locally grown crops, matched soil samples and irrigation water including 300 plant, 100 soil and 20 water samples. The potential availability of Se and I for plant uptake was examined by quantifying the soluble and adsorbed fractions of both micronutrients and their species. The influences of soil factors on plant Se and I uptake were examined. Results indicated that total soil Se (SeTot = 309 μg kg-1) was lower than the global average (400 μg kg-1). Approximately 2.5% of soil Se was present in the soluble and adsorbed fractions with an equal proportion of selenate and selenite in the soluble fraction and mainly selenite in the adsorbed fraction. The organically-bound Se extractability ranged from 20-89% of SeTot, depending on soil pH. Plant Se content was variable between crop species and different areas within Kurdistan with mean concentration of 113,112, 69 and 49 μg kg-1dw for leafy vegetables, tubers, fruit vegetables and wheat grain respectively. Higher plant Se concentrations were observed in plants grown in soils with pH > 8. The mean concentration of total soil iodine was 4140 μg kg-1. Almost 10% of this value was present in the soluble and adsorbed fractions. Mean plant iodine concentrations were 439, 368, 140, and 12 μg kg-1dw for leafy vegetables, fruit vegetables, tubers and grains respectively. The combined concentrations of soluble and adsorbed iodine were correlated with plant iodine content. The mean concentrations of irrigation water Se and I were 0.495 and 11.9 μg L-1 respectively. The amount (%) of soil CaCO3 was strongly correlated with iodine concentration in groundwater used for irrigation and irrigation water iodine concentration was again strongly correlated with plant iodine concentrations. The feasibility of Se biofortification in calcareous soils using local vegetable genotypes from Kurdistan was examined using 10 g ha-1 77Se as a biofortification treatment (and isotopic tracer). Five commonly used vegetables, including celery, chard, lettuce, radish and spring-onion were planted in soils spiked with the 77Se application and grown for 8 weeks under controlled growth room conditions. Results indicated that, at the end of the growth period approximately 35% of applied 77Se had been transferred to a recalcitrant form in the soil which resisted extraction with 10% TMAH. Only 5% of 77Se was present within the soluble and adsorbed soil fractions combined, at harvest. The amount of 77Se taken up by plant biomass varied according to crop species; 25% for radish and 7-8% for other vegetables from the total 77Se applied. Plant 77Se concentrations varied despite growing in identical soils and, unexpectedly, plants contained more Se originating from the soil rather than the fertilizer. The ratio of Sesoil/Sefertilizer also varied between varieties reflecting different growth patterns and uptake rates against a backdrop of decreasing fertilizer Se availability during the growing season. Biofortification of iodine using a range of vegetable crops grown in calcareous soil was investigated, using soil and vegetable genotypes from Kurdistan, and employing 129I as a tracer. Vegetables were irrigated daily with water containing 5.56 and 6.89 μg L-1 129IO3- and 129I- respectively for 8 weeks. Total and fractionated iodine (127I and 129I) was conducted on moist soil (c. field capacity) and air dried soil at the end of the growing season. Plant analysis was also undertaken for 127I and 129I, using ICP-MS. Results showed that plant iodine concentrations originating from native soil iodine were variable even when grown in identical soils. Generally, iodine concentrations in roots was greater than in shoots for both 127I and 129I. Vegetables irrigated with 129I- (iodide) had considerably lower iodine concentrations (6.2-12 μg kg-1dw) than those irrigated with 129IO3- (iodate) (53.3-479 μg kg-1dw). The majority of plant iodine originated from soil iodine rather than fertilizer iodine and varied depending on 129I species applied (iodate or iodide) and the vegetable plant type grown. For vegetable shoots treated with 129I- (iodide) only 3% of the iodine of the three test plants originated from the 129I treatment. By contrast, for 129IO3- (iodate) applications 11, 22 and 58% of iodine in the shoots of celery, lettuce and chard were from the 129I additions respectively. The recovery rate of 129I from soil extracted with 10% TMAH ranged from 63-95% of total iodine applied and varied depending on vegetable variety. The 129I recoveries from pots irrigated by 129IO3- were less than from 129I- irrigated soils suggesting greater loss of iodine from the iodate irrigated system. To assess the Se and I status of the population in a region of Kurdistan, the food composition data and dietary intake of Se and I was determined for 410 volunteers using a semi- quantitative food questionnaire, including commonly used food items. To directly investigate level of nutritional status of Se and I, urine samples were also collected from each participants as a biomarker. Daily dietary intake and source apportionment of Se and I from each food item was determined using questionnaire survey. The daily intake of I from food excluding salt was 119 μg d-1. Vegetables and fruits supplied 48%, protein sources 25%, cereal and grains 9%, dairy products 8% and water 2% of daily I intake. The majority (>90%) of salt samples collected were iodised with a mean I concentration of 40 mg kg-1 and daily intake of salt was estimated as 13.5g d-1. Accounting for salt intake, average daily iodine intakes increased to 668 μg d-1, with salt supplying 82% of daily I intake. The median urinary iodine (corrected for creatinine) was 379 μg g-1CRT and 424 μg L-1 osmolality corrected. More than 90% of school age children and over 55% all participants had excessive I intake according to WHO classification. The salt I concentration consumed by each family was highly correlated with mean urinary iodine of family members. Urinary Na and I were also correlated. The iodine intake estimated according to salt intake (calculated based on urinary Na) was strongly correlated with iodine intake calculated according to urinary iodine. The daily salt intake estimated by urinary Na was 15.3 g d-1 considerably higher than WHO recommended. Mean total daily intake of Se according to the questionnaire responses was 72.9 μg d-1 with 21% of participants having a daily intake lower than recommended RDA. The mean urinary Se fell in the range of 21.2-24.8 μg L-1 depending on justification methods. The predicted Se intake from urinary Se gave a values of 59 and 42 μg d-1 according to the method used which may imply Se deficiency. To conclude, Kurdistan soils Se content was found insufficient. Despite that, Due to high pH effect in some areas plant Se content seems to be having considerably higher Se content rather than areas with lower pH. Later studies revealed that daily Se intake may not enough to address the Se requirement of population. Biofortification of Se possible but to prevent decreasing availability would be recommend to apply in med season or foliar application. Typically soil and plant of Kurdistan found in a minimum of normal range of iodine and comparable with other areas. Irrigation water was found as a main source of plant iodine uptake. The daily iodine intake from food excluding salt is not enough to meet the recommended iodine level but considering high consumption of iodized salt in that region it can be classified as an excessive iodine intake which could cause high intake iodine consumption disorders such as hyperthyroidism and in turn health issues caused by elevated Na intake such as cardiovascular disease. In current iodine nutritional status of the region plant biofortification would not be recommended.

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Yaseen, Abdulhameed Abdullah. "Seismic fragility assessment of masonry buildings in the Kurdistan region." Thesis, University of Portsmouth, 2015. https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/seismic-fragility-assessment-of-masonry-buildings-in-the-kurdistan-region(68d3f8fb-c760-4a1c-a10f-86f103686f9f).html.

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The collapse of building structures during recent earthquakes, particularly in the countries around the Kurdistan region (KR), including Turkey (2011 Van earthquake) and Iran (2003 Bam earthquake), has raised many questions about the safety of existing buildings in the region and structures that are going to be constructed in the future. The KR, which is located in northern and northeastern Iraq, is also considered to be the most hazardous region of Iraq. However, many buildings in the region, especially unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings, were not engineered to withstand seismic loads. The seismic vulnerability assessment of these types of buildings in this region is a necessary step towards the development of regional seismic retrofitting and pre-disaster mitigation plans. Fragility analysis is often used for this purpose and to graphically represent a structure’s seismic vulnerability in terms of fragility curves. Considering that there are several important uncertainties involved in such an analysis and after developing and proposing seismic zonation maps, response spectra and the seismic zone factor Z for the KR, the results of analytical fragility analyses of URM buildings in the KR indicated that the correct selection of a ground-motion intensity measure (IM) is the most important variability involved in assessing the fragility of URM buildings. The results suggest that the variability in the mechanical parameters of materials can be neglected because the variability of ground motion is considerably more substantial. Furthermore, the use of incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) and a well-selected IM allows fragility curves to be derived with only a few records (i.e., a minimum of 7 records) with the same performance as for with numerous records (i.e., 60 records). Moreover, the pronounced difference in the results when using only one IM vs. using two IMs cannot be ignored; hence, fragility surfaces are preferred over the more commonly used fragility curves. Furthermore, a framework based on using machine learning models (i.e., a wrapper-based approach) for the optimal selection of an IM for developing fragility curves is proposed in this study. The feasibility of the wrapper method for selecting the best IM is compared to a statistical regression (log-logistic regression) used to develop fragility curves and the results were encouraging. Finally, the outcomes of the study indicate that the seismic safety of the investigated low-rise buildings in the region is questionable and that these structures must be strengthened to prevent failure.

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Hussein, Nawfal Rasheed. "The pathogenesis of Helicobacter pylori associated diseases in Kurdistan region, Iraq." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2009. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/10782/.

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Helicobacter pylori is regarded as the most important risk factor for peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. In Kurdistan region, northern Iraq, gastric cancer is rare (5/100,000). To investigate some possible reasons for this, the prevalence of H. pylori infection, gastric mucosal histopathological changes in H. pylori infected subjects, and virulence factor genotypes (especially dupA) of colonising strains were studied. The immune response to H. pylori infection, focusing on genes associated with T-helper (Th) and regulatory T-cell (Treg) cells, was also investigated. It was found that 79% of 163 adults and 37% of 120 children were seropositive for H. pylori (p<0.0001). For infected people, gastric lymphocyte infiltration was more prominent in the antrum (p=0.01). 71% of Iraqi H. pylori strains were positive for cagA and its presence was significantly associated with peptic ulcer disease (PUD) (p<0.01). cagA genes encoding four or more tyrosine phosphorylation motifs could not be found in any of the Iraqi strains. Isolates possessing the i1 form of vacA were significantly associated with GU (p<0.02). 32% of Iraqi H. pylori isolates were dupA-positive and presence of this gene was associated with PUD (p<0.01). The levels of IFNγ, IL-12 p35, IL-10, IL-4 and FOXP3 mRNA were found to be elevated in gastric mucosal samples from H. pylori-infected patients compared to those from H. pylori-negative patients (median increase 7-fold p=0.001; 17-fold p=0.002; 1320-fold p=0.001; 1184-fold p=0.001; and 3-fold p=0.01, respectively), indicating a predominant IL-4 and IL-10 (Th2) response. Interestingly, IFNγ mRNA levels were 16-fold higher in tissues taken from 17 infected smokers than found in tissues taken from 18 infected non-smokers (p=0.009). IL-4 mRNA levels in tissues from 20 infected females were 40-fold higher than in tissues from 15 males (p=0.005). Nucleotide sequencing of the dupA 3' region from 32 strains showed that dupA commonly had additional single base insertions or deletions that either truncated or extended the open reading frame (ORF). We have therefore classified dupA into two main groups: the common extended ORF within jhp0917-19 (dupA1), and dupA with an early stop codon to truncate the ORF (dupA2). ELISA performed on supernatants from H. pylori-infected gastric epithelial cell lines found no significant differences in IL-8 production between strains that possessed or lacked dupA. In comparison to wild-type H. pylori, disruption of dupA significantly reduced IL-12, IFNγ, TNFα and IL-8 production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in 2/4 strains. For the remaining 2 strains, where gene sequencing revealed a frame shift resulting in truncated dupA in the wild-type, the level of these cytokines was unchanged by dupA mutation. H. pylori infection is common in Kurdistan region and acquired at a young age. The low cancer rate may be partially explained by a predominant lymphocyte infiltration in the antrum rather than the corpus, which has been reported to be associated with reduced risk of gastric adenocarcinoma. An absence of the more toxic cagA genotype with four or more tyrosine phosphorylation motifs in the Iraqi strains, and the predominance of Th2 cytokine expression rather than a more pro-inflammatory Th1 response to H. pylori could also contribute to a reduced incidence of cancer. dupA1 appears to play an important role in promoting the inflammatory response of leukocytes to H. pylori.

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Hussein, Hataw H. S. "The role of news media in supporting democracy in Kurdistan Region." Thesis, Nottingham Trent University, 2018. http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/34661/.

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This thesis has chosen the Kurdistan Region of Iraq as a case study to examine the media's function in newly democratised countries. In any new transitional democracy, the media will be influenced by the new political system and they will frequently be criticised for being unable to act as a watchdog because of the close relationship with the political elites. However, there are also many other factors, such as cultural, political and economic pressures that affect the development of the media. This thesis makes an original contribution by furthering understanding of the role of the media in supporting an emerging democracy in the Kurdistan Region after 2003. It argues that there is also an assumption the news media will try to keep their independence from political dominance, and work actively to expose the political and government wrongdoings. Therefore, this thesis aims to examine the state of the news media in playing the role of watchdog and holding power to account. It also assesses the working environment for journalists in Kurdistan to see whether the general situation encourages media to the same degree as in established democratic societies. To understand the current situation of the media and how the news media take a critical stance towards political corruptions, this thesis has conducted in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The results show that the media have demonstrated good practice in exposing corruption and malfeasance in the government. It argued that the media are present in the political scene and have performed their task as a forum for the public, providing the public with the necessary information. However, as a newly democratised country, the general environment in the political system is not helpful, for example, the executive, legislative and judicial authorities do not have enough power to play a key role in the democratic system. Various pressures on the media still exist, and the country lacks effective democratic institutions supporting the media, which are essential to build a strong democratic system. This has certainly limited the media's ability to stand against political corruption and hold the government to account.

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Shukri, Nawzad Abdullah. "Explaining U.S. foreign policy towards Kurdistan Region of Iraq (2003-2015)." Thesis, University of Leicester, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/39353.

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The objective of this thesis is to examine U.S. foreign policy towards the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) from 2003-2015. It argues that after 2003 there has been a considerable change in U.S. policy towards the KRI, and attempts to explain the key reasons behind this change. The regime change in Iraq in 2003 can be considered the beginning of a dramatic departure from the U.S.' traditional policy towards the Kurds, which was mostly embodied in the rejection of any Kurdish aspirations for autonomy and independence. From 2003, the U.S. backed the Kurds and pursued more flexible policy towards the KRI, yet it was always limited by the U.S.’ position on maintaining Iraq as a unitary state. Whilst the U.S. worked with the Kurds and supported Kurdish autonomous region, it nevertheless blocked the Kurdish aspirations for independence. In particular when it appeared to threaten U.S. policy in Iraq and the Middle East. However, this U.S. policy changed further from 2012 to 2015, during which the KRI was seen as almost the final platform of stability in Iraq, a perception that was strengthened by the rise of ISIL in 2014. Thus, the U.S. position towards Kurdish interests and even a Kurdish independent state changed, as the KRI in particular became more important to the U.S. strategy in Iraq and region. However, the position of the KRI highlights a wider set of issues. The regime change in Iraq in 2003 was latest part of the U.S.’ wider strategy to enhance its regional hegemony, and so its behaviour towards the Kurds depended on the extent to which they contributed to its interests. As such, this thesis provides a case study to explain the changing approach of U.S. policy towards the KRI, and in doing so also provides a useful and detailed case study of U.S.-Kurdish policy.

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Hossin, S. "Determinants of foreign direct investment in Kurdistan Region (North of Iraq)." Thesis, Nottingham Trent University, 2009. http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/30402/.

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Iraq has the second largest oil resource in the world, presenting good business opportunities for foreign investors. However, foreign investors have avoided the country due to its ongoing unrest. This includes two wars (the Iran-Iraq war from 1980 to 1988, then the Gulf war in 1991), followed by United Nations (UN) sanctions, and most recently, since 2003 the country has become a battle ground for terrorists and insurgents in most parts of the country. Kurdistan Region is a safe and sustainable part of Iraq compared to the rest of the country. Its rich natural resources (oil and gas), and competitive investment laws are expected to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Region. However, despite Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) massive advertising campaign internationally, and the many incentives offered to foreigners to invest in the Region, there is little evidence of foreign multinational companies' willingness to commit to long term investment in Kurdistan Region. This thesis is part of an overall research study, exploring the determinants of FDI in Kurdistan Region. In the previous documents the author investigated the Region's market attractiveness for FDI, through interviews with senior government officials in Kurdistan and Iraqi Central Government (Document Three), and foreign investors (Document Four) regarding their main concerns relating to foreign investors’ investments in Kurdistan Region. This study, investigating a different set of stakeholders, a number of UK and Turkey based organisations involved in FDI in the Kurdistan Region. It aims to investigate all the potential risks associated with investing in Kurdistan Region as well as to research how these organisations evaluate the Kurdistan market. The findings of this research project suggest that although Kurdistan Region presents good business opportunities for FDI, investing in the Region is closely associated with political and market risks. These risks are a result of Iraq's recent history of violence, the current conflict between different ethnic groups over power and authority, and the Region's uncertain long term political risks which are affecting multinational companies' (MNC) modes of entry and preventing high-resource commitments (Uppsala theory). The findings also suggest that participants' opinions regarding the Region’s market attractiveness for FDI consideration are influenced by their own experiences, and the participants of this study play an encouraging role in MNCs' decisions to enter the Region.

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Khalil, Hiwa Majid. "The obstacles to political development in the Kurdistan Region, 1992-2014." Thesis, Bangor University, 2016. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/the-obstacles-to-political-development-in-the-kurdistan-region-19922014(5837f1a8-99f0-439e-9d5e-68f04c9e07e3).html.

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This thesis examines the main obstacles to political development in the Kurdistan region (KR) in the period 1992-2014. It is an interdisciplinary study of recent history, culture, economics, politics and regional relations with a focus on political outcomes. Data from documentary sources is supported by semi-structured interviews with political stakeholders. The first part reviews the current historical, geographic, economic and social situation in the KR. The analysis is informed by theories of political development and the dependency school. The second part concentrates on the socio-political organisation of the KR, the performance of government and parliament, the role of the political parties and tribes. The third part evaluates the external relationships between the KR and the neighbouring countries, namely Iran and Turkey, and their impacts, positive or negative on political development. The aim of the study is to explain the interaction between all these aspects in the process of political development. Modern political institutions are considered as a tool for development, manifested in general elections in a multiparty system. However, the finding of this thesis is that the political institutions in the KR themselves obstruct the process of political development. The main political parties have a strongly centralised hierarchical structure without devolution of power or rotation of leaders. The parties cooperate with chieftains and tribes to stay in power. A further finding is that the level of political development in the KR corresponds to its relationships with neighbouring countries and the stability or instability of the region. The existence of Kurdish populations in the neighbouring countries and the standing of the KR as a non-state entity has had a negative impact on the ability of the Kurdistan regional government to follow an independent policy for development.

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Jalal, Pishtiwan Abdulwahid. "Sectarianism in Kurdistan Region of Iraq Between Political and Theological schism." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/99090.

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Sectarianism has become the magic word with which many scholars and politicians describe the current Middle East politics. Much of the existing literature presumes that most of the state and non-state actors of the region are divided over Shia and Sunni blocs led by Iran and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabi (KSA) respectively. However, so far scholars have left out the Kurds within their studies on sectarianism. Scholars have not explicitly pointed out why they are disinterested in sectarianism among the Kurds; it might be due to the perception that the Kurds are mostly Sunnis who have an ethnic and not a religious cause. The main aim of this research is to look at sectarianism in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and find out whether or not of this perception is true. To do so, this research rejects the general application of the English term "sectarianism" in the first place as a theme to explain the politics of the Middle East. Instead, in the first chapter it is argued that there are three tiers of relations among regional actors: 1) state-state realpolitik, which is based on geopolitical realities among Turkey, Iran and the KSA, 2) political sectarianism (taifiyya) among sectarian groups such as the MB, Wahabis and Shia, often conducted through political agents like state and non-state actors, and 3) the civil and non-violent sect-sect theological sectarianism (madhabiyya) among those three sects. In the second chapter this new understanding of sectarianism is then applied on the domestic politics of the KRI. It is argued that while there is theological sectarianism in the KRI, there is no political sectarianism. The third chapter explores the foreign relations of the KRI. It argues that the KRI as an unrecognized state, acts rationally to survive. It evades sectarianism and deemphasizes its demands of international recognition. Alternatively, the KRI pursues 'Regional Acceptance Policy' within which the Kurdish leadership persuades the regional powers, especially Turkey and Iran, that the de facto state will not declare independence, in return, they ask regional powers' acceptance of the KRI as a legitimate actor with its unique status.
Doctor of Philosophy
Throughout the 20th century ethno-nationalism was the strongest sentiment in the Middle East. Within the past decade or so, however, Islam's two main sectarian identities, Shia and Sunni, have become extraordinarily strong, if not stronger than ethno-national identities. The common understanding of the region's politics is that Iran, as a Shia majority country, has allied with the other Shia non-Persian countries and actors, such as Iraq and Hezbollah. The Sunni countries, on the other hand, have gathered around the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) against Iran or Shias in general. There is also, however, a common perception that Kurds are the only people in the Middle East who have not become sectarian. This research is to see whether this perception towards the Kurds is true, and if it is, why? The first chapter argues that the English term "sectarianism" fails to explain the current politics of the Middle East. Instead, it is argued, there are two different forms of sectarianism in Islam; one is about theological disagreements, which in Arabic is called "madhabiya", the other is about the political competition among the various Muslim groups which in Arabic is called "taifiya". Regardless of the religious factor, states of the Middle East act rationally based on geopolitical realities. Political sectarianism comes emerges especially when those sectarian groups mobilize under political parties and armed militia groups. Sects and states sometimes cooperate for mutual interests and hence it appears that the entire conflicts of the region are driven by sectarian motivations. The second and third chapters then explore sectarianism in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) within this new understanding. The KRI acts like the state actors based on its interests and not its Sunni sectarian identity. Contrary to the common perception towards the unrecognized state which assumes that the KRI's ultimate goal should be international recognition (IR), it is here argued that the KRI prioritizes 'regional acceptance' (RA) over IR. Within the KRI there is theological sectarianism among Salafists, Sufis, and political Islamists. However, there is no political sectarianism because the Kurdish government has neutralized and unarmed the sectarian groups.

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Othman, Mustafa Razzaq. "Developing economies, Evaluation of Manufacturing Industrial development and a Model for Industrial Development for a Case of Kurdistan Region/Iraq." Paris, EHESS, 2014. http://www.theses.fr/2014EHES0041.

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Nous devons affirmer que face aux menaces et enjeux des marchés économiques actuels dans la région du Kurdistan/ Iraq (KR) c'est une politique industrielle forte et ambitieuse qui est nécessaire. Comme nous avons tenté de le démontrer au cours de cette recherche, il est nécessaire d'articuler et de mettre en cohérence entre elles les diverses procédures, à périodes données, et ce afin de permettre aux institutions de prendre du souffle et d'entrer sereinement dans la prochaine étape. Depuis 2003, l'économie s'est rapidement modernisée sous les effets conjugés de l'afflux des recettes pétrolières et de la promotion du secteur privé, de l'investissement en capital et du développement des investissements directs étrangers. Les interventions gouvernementales sur les marchés sont minimales et l'économie est devenue ouverte et libérale, tandis que le secteur privé a agit efficacement en fonction de l'état des affaires. L'inflation et l'augmentation des salaires comme l'expansion de la corruption, ont déterioré la compétitivité et faisant, le développement de la production industrielle locale. Cette thèse se donne comme objectifs de répondre aux questions suivantes:La réalité industrielle de la KR reflète-t-elle les potentialités d'allocation optimale des ressources en présence (naturelles et socio-économiques)? Est-ce que le climat d'investissement présent dans la KR est-il approprié et incitatif? Quelles en seraient les procédures adéquates? Le gouvernement de la KR a-t-il une politique ? Une stratégie ? Quels sont les problèmes qui entravent l'activité industrielle ? Quelle stratégie opportune, comme une étape politique, pourrait être mise en place par le gouvernement?
In contrast to before 2003, the economy has rapidly been modernized by the inflow of oil revenues and the promotion of private sector, capital investment and FDI development. Government market intervention is minimal and the economy has become open, liberal and the PS has operated effectively. The Industrial sector in the Kurdistan Region (KR) suffers from serious imbalances. Does the reality of industries in the KR reflect the true reality of the potentiality of natural and human resources available there? Is the investments climate appropriate for attracting the industrial investments in KR? Does KRG have a Policy? Strategy? What are the problems that impede the industrial activity? What is KRG investment policy to the structure and develop of MI’s optimally? What strategy would be appropriate to propose as of steps of policy measures to adopt for the KR ? It has proved on the ground in Iraq despite what happened; collapses and problems fighting, but inside of KR qualifications have strengthened the federalism and development in all aspects, particularly the low level of industrial activities and their participation in the GDP. The chapter V includes the conclusions and recommendations which provide the author own creative ideas. KRG must adopt a strong industrial strategy long-term plan for development that consistent with the economic capabilities, to build or develop the economic sectors within a diversified and integrated structure. The author, for the long-term, based on a strategic planning approach or/and SWOT understanding of the KR status and vision for the future prepared a multi-year strategic plan which will be the reference for industrial development

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Fidan, Christina B. "The presence of the Turkish private sector in the Kurdistan region of Iraq." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2016. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/81026/.

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How do practices guiding the engagement of the international private sector in fragile and conflict-affected states emerge, and who are the important actors and institutions in this process? Using a human security framework, this thesis seeks to apply critical security studies by taking a closer look at the role of the Turkish private sector in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This thesis argues that the international private sector can be a vital tool to enhance human security, in particular economic security, in fragile and conflict-affected states. However, without a regulatory environment for the private sector to follow “best practices,” it is largely at the discretion of each business to adopt measures to enhance human security. In this light, this thesis presents the conditions that either enhance or constrain economic security following the intervention of the international private sector. The central findings suggest the Turkish private sector enhanced certain economic security areas such as infrastructure recovery and restoration of access to basic services, the dismantling of a war economy and illegal economic networks, and expansion of opportunities for people through training, skills development and empowerment. The central findings also suggest the Turkish private sector constrained economic security in the areas of job creation or to the establishment of public and private sector employment, wage employment and self-employment. The impact of the Turkish private sector on public-private relations appeared to have had a mixed impact. Moreover, there were some economic security conditions such as basic income and poverty alleviation, rehabilitation and diversification of the agriculture sector, development of productive activities for ex-combatants, returnees and impoverished groups, provision of microfinance opportunities, clarification of property rights, macroeconomic development, and provision of well-coordinated, predictable, and multifaceted aid, where the Turkish private sector appeared to have had little impact if any at all.

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13

Sarky, Sarook. "An evaluation of participatory ecotourism planning appoaches in the Kurdistan region of Iraq." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2016. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/397582/.

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This thesis aimed to evaluate stakeholder attitudes towards, and tools for, participatory planning in the ecotourism sector in Kurdistan. Ecotourism has been adopted widely to promote conservation and community development. Ecotourism has the potential to support post-conflict recovery as it requires multi-stakeholder involvement, and has the capacity to unite different community sectors and the government. Ecotourism development may, however, encounter a range of challenges in post-conflict areas and areas lacking democratic governance, an area which has been relatively under-researched (Nianyong and Zhuge, 2001; Fletcher, 2009; Altinay et al., 2007). Research is needed to underpin ecotourism development, especially in places where it is newly introduced. By evaluating participatory approaches to ecotourism development in Kurdistan, this study addressed the following research gaps: limited understanding of the needs of local communities in participatory planning; barriers and enablers to participatory planning and the potential of ecotourism in such post-conflict settings. In addition, the literature cites use of GIS-based Multiple Criteria Evaluation (MCE) for site selection, but generally with limited stakeholder consultation and a lack of critical appraisal of stakeholder input. Thirty-eight participants from different stakeholder groups, including civil society, private bodies, government agencies and academia, were consulted to gain an understanding of their perspectives on ecotourism development and potential ecotourism sites. The initial consultation used a participatory workshop adapted from the Ketso toolkit, followed by complementary semi-structured interviews with additional stakeholders selected via chain-referral sampling. After two years, the same stakeholders were consulted again about their preferences for potential ecotourism sites and the sites’ suitability using a new, iterative GIS-based MCE approach. Local community attitudes and intentions towards conservation and a proposed ecotourism project were examined using questionnaire-based interviews with 70 respondents and RRA, adapted from a conceptual framework developed by Lai and Nepal (2006) in Taiwan. The workshop and survey suggested stakeholders lacked interest in participatory planning, and held ambiguous attitudes towards ecotourism development, particularly local community members, who were marginalised by other stakeholders. Several approaches could move Kurdish ecotourism forward. NGO participation should be encouraged, as NGOs are likely to be more trusted than government. Greater environmental education and awareness among stakeholders is essential to strengthen decision-making. Critically, local communities need to be empowered and engaged. Insight into the degree of consensus among different stakeholders was gained using a novel MCE and GIS approach, which developed suitability scores for proposed destinations based on stakeholder assessment of site criteria, followed by a comparison of suitability scores for destinations proposed by stakeholders versus ‘control’ locations chosen without reference to stakeholders. 78 destinations nominated by participants had significantly higher MCE scores than ‘control’ locations (58), suggesting consistency in stakeholder input. The application of existing techniques (questionnaires and a Ketso-derived stakeholder workshop) in a post-conflict setting forms part of the methodological contribution. The principal methodological contribution was to devise a GIS-based technique for assessing consistency in stakeholder input to participatory suitability mapping. The technique has potential application in ecotourism as well as other forms of participatory suitability mapping, and could be transferable to settings outside of Kurdistan.

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Raza, Mahdi. "Using survival analysis to investigate breast cancer in the Kurdistan region of Iraq." Thesis, City, University of London, 2016. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/15877/.

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The objective of this thesis is to carry out a survival analysis for patients with breast cancer. Using data from the Nanakaly and Hewa hospitals in the cities of Erbil and Suleimaniah, respectively, cases where there is hidden censoring on survival time were investigated. The aim of this study was to identify the main risk factors and quantify the overall risk for breast cancer. We developed a new Markov chain-based method for generating survival curves and hazard functions. In particular we adjusted the Kaplan Meier analysis to find a survival curve with hidden censoring of the data, and also estimated a survival function from the biased one obtained directly from the data by generating new models in two cases; with and without censoring. To ensure the validity of the suggested model we considered different simulation techniques applied to the Nanakaly data. Because of the availability of a good survival function, we chose to work with a German data set. As a result we conclude that our model performs well in many circumstances, and its predictions, even when less accurate, are always an improvement on considering the apparent survival curves from the unadjusted data. For the data from Nanakaly hospital, the only variable we had to consider was age at diagnosis and the survival results showed that this was a significant variable. With far more detailed reports available for Hewa hospital, we were able to identify estrogen abundance, smoking habits and tumour grade, as having a statistically significant impact on the incidence of breast cancer. On the other hand, when analysing the Nanakaly and Hewa data for comparison with German data, in all three cases the survival curve is greater among younger patients. The suggested models may be verified using cross validation or by using new data. Finally, we note that it would be preferable to have accurate data to applying our methods to imperfect data. Therefore we established both a general and a specific flowchart to collect the data in the future. Encouraging the implementation of the recommended procedures might serve to obtain the data needed to develop a more comprehensive understanding of breast cancer in Kurdistan.

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Khdhir, Dilshad H. "Dynamics of Kurdish identity formation in the Kurdistan region-Iraq between 1991 and 2014." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2015. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47221/.

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This study is built around two core questions. Firstly, what constitutes the formation of Kurdish identity in the Kurdistan Region-Iraq (KRI)? Secondly, what have the inner dynamics of this process been since 1991? Two major theoretical approaches are used to address these questions, namely ethno-symbolism and political discourse theory (PDT). These theories are utilised to approach the research questions on two levels: the cultural-historical and the political; and result in four major findings regarding the inner dynamics of collective identity formation in the KRI. Firstly, it is found that actors active in the process of collective identity formation are primarily nationalist political parties and intellectuals. Secondly, that Kurdish identity in the region forms around ‘Kurdish’ ethnic, cultural and historical features. Thirdly, that a large set of cultural and historical tools have been utilised to produce Kurdish identity in the KRI. Fourthly, that different forms of Kurdish identity have been produced in the KRI, meaning that Kurdishness in the region is split, fragmented, relational and crisis-ridden. This study also argues that the process of Kurdish identity formation in the KRI from 1991 to 2014 can be divided into three II historic phases. The first of these stretched from 1991 to 2003 and saw the ambiguous development of a traditional Kurdish ethno-nationalist identity; the second lasted from 2003 to 2009 and saw the development of an ambiguous Kurdish nationalist identity; whilst the third stretches from 2009 to the present and has seen Kurdish identity acquire a civic character in response to newly emerged political, social and economic conditions in the KRI. The study also combines the theoretical and methodological approaches of ethno-symbolism’s culturist approach and PDT’s social constructionism in order to develop an approach suitable for studying the complexities of Kurdish identity formation in the KRI. The resulting argument is that whilst Kurdish cultural and historical features play an essential role in producing the Kurdish identity in the KRI, this identity is produced in the discursive realm by competing social and political actors, each of which seeks to hegemonise their own particular form of Kurdish identity.

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Noori, Rawand Bakir. "Late cretaceous foraminifera from the Kurdistan region, NE Iraq : palaeontological, biostratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental significance." Thesis, University of Leicester, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/32334.

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The early Turonian-early Maastrichtian planktonic and benthonic foraminiferal faunas of the Kurdistan region, NE Iraq are evaluated. Some 93 planktonic foraminifera (24 species of the family Heterohelicidae are described in detail) from the Kometan and Shiranish formations, and 115 benthonic foraminifera from the Shiranish Formation are identified and illustrated. The fauna reveals new and important data bearing on the palaeontological, biostratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental significance of the Late Cretaceous successions in the Kurdistan region, NE Iraq. Based on the planktonic foraminiferal assemblages, nine biozones and two subzones spanning the early Turonian to late early Maastrichtian were identified. Sequential changes in planktonic foraminiferal assemblages map discrete intervals within the Kometan and Shiranish formations that suggest dominantly warm, nutrient-poor marine surface and near-surface conditions during the mid-Turonian to late Coniacian, latest Santonian, and late Campanian, and cooler more nutrient-rich surface and near-surface waters in the early Turonian, early to late Santonian, early Campanian and early Maastrichtian. Species of the benthonic foraminiferal genus Bolivinoides provide a refined biostratigraphic biozonation for the late Campanian to early Maastrichtian Shiranish Formation in the Kurdistan region, NE Iraq. Three biozones and two subzones are identified for the first time in Iraq: the Bolivinoides decoratus biozone (late Campanian) subdivided into a lower B. decoratus subzone and an upper B. laevigatus subzone; the B. miliaris biozone (earliest Maastrichtian); and the B. draco biozone (late early Maastrichtian). Combined, the Bolivinoides and planktonic foraminiferal biostratigraphy enables the informal recognition of lower and upper intervals within both the Globotruncana aegyptiaca and Gansserina gansseri planktonic foraminifer biozones that may be important for a more refined inter-regional correlation in the Middle East and North Africa. The new Bolivinoides biozonation precisely locates the Campanian-Maastrichtian boundary in NE Iraq. The benthonic foraminiferal assemblages are interpreted as representing outer shelf to middle slope environments, between ca 200 m to at least 600 m water depth, with maximum water depths in the late Campanian, followed by shallowing into the early Maastrichtian. The most likely control mechanism for the shallowing of sea level is the beginning of southern Neo-Tethys Ocean closure at this time.

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Bahram, Haqqi. "Kurdish Guests or Syrian Refugees? : Negotiating Displacement, Identity and Belonging in the Kurdistan Region." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, REMESO - Institutet för forskning om migration, etnicitet och samhälle, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-149451.

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With the conflict ongoing in Syria since 2011, many Syrian Kurds have been forced to leave their homes to seek safety and security in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Their displacement to KRI is a distinctive experience of migration as it has happened within an intra-ethnic setting of Syrian Kurds, as refugees, encountering Iraqi Kurds, as hosts. Sharing ethnic identification and imagination of a historical homeland but holding different nationalities, has turned identity and belonging into sites of contestation between the refugees and the hosts. Within this intra-ethnic setting of displacement, the study has investigated the construction of home and politics of identity and belonging among the refugees in relation to protection regimes and forms of inclusion and exclusion. This has been done through a content analysis of relevant policy and regulations for refugees in KRI and Iraq and a thematic analysis of individual narrative interviews with the refugees themselves. Research results from the policy analysis have indicated the lack of a comprehensive protection regime in Iraq and KRI, and the deployment of the ‘guests’ rhetoric towards the refugees as a responsibility evasion mechanism. Results from the interviews have revealed that home for the participants is plural, and it connects to Syria and Kurdistan to varying degrees. Their identity as Kurds is contested when their Syrianness is evoked with boundaries limiting their recognition to be both Syrian and Kurdish. Similarly, their belonging is challenged with their social position as refugees and their legal belonging to Syria. With this, they get involved into a continuum of politics of identity and belonging ranging between the situational demonstration of their Syrian identity and the role of ‘the successful Syrian refugee’, and the accentuation of their attachment to Kurdishness through belonging to Rojava. These politics have been discussed as reflecting a process of reconstructing Syrian Kurdish identity in the light of the experience of displacement and the intra-ethnic encounter. Contextualizing the research results in a wider perspective, it is argued that they carry further implications related to the Kurdish struggle with identity and belonging, not only in KRI, but in all the other parts of Kurdistan.

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Amin, Sara Raouf Muhamad. "Factors influencing the adoption of location based identification in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2017. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/34420/.

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Location Based Identification (LBI) can be defined as a string of numeric or alphanumeric characters that are used to define a specific location. Virtually, it is the most compact data element capable of specifying the location of a mail addressee with high precision (Raper, Rhind, & Shepherd, 1992; Zandbergen, 2008). LBI is an essential element of communication between people, public, governmental organisations and business sectors. It plays a significant role in postal services and consequently it is a significant element of social communication and economic development. LBI is a significantly important concept that has been implemented in developed countries. Examples include the American zip code and the UK postcode. LBI is used by governments, organisations, institutions and retailers to keep track of their customers and participants. Today, as a result of continuous development and expansion, LBI needs to be devised to include a more robust sense of adaptation for the growing urban sprawl. The lack of use of LBI in developing countries is the key point of this research. However, an issue surrounding the designed LBI systems in developed countries is the non-existence of justified design techniques. Hence, the designed LBI systems around the world lack intelligent features such as directional impressions of the codes. In this regard, this study presents a new technique to design LBI systems, where the codes give a view of how far a point is from the centre, in addition to the direction with respect to the centre. The technique is based on a transverse division of the area being designed. Each area is classified numerically, with respect to the four main directions or the compass (North, South, East and West). Moreover, the method indicates the approximate distance from the central point of the area being designed, by dividing the area into concentric zones. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq has been chosen as a case study to validate the technique. The study begins with a quantitative study and many factors have been considered and examined, which may affect the adoption of LBI in developing countries - specifically within the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Furthermore, empirically, the main effective factors of LBI adoption have been found. In this regard, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour (DTPB) have been used as base models to test the factors that cause the adoption of LBI system in the region. The latent variables used in this study are government support (GS), self-efficacy (SE), perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), compatibility (COM), family and friends (FF), attitude (A), subjective norm (SN), perceived behaviour control (PBC) and behaviour intention (BI). Then another study has been conducted based on an open-ended questionnaire. The aim of this study is to ascertain the impacts of the LBI system in daily life. The study focused on five important points related to the accepted design of the LBI system by the users. The code format, the impact on technology, the necessity of having the system, the impact on the economy and the impact of policy, have all been studied and analysed based on the participants’ views. The final study was based on interviews to assess the outcomes of the current research. The participants have been chosen based on their experience and career position. Experts and decision makers in fields related to LBI systems have been chosen. The assessment is based on four different aspects, which are novelty, applicability, scalability and the flexibility of the proposed ideas of this research. The study is based on the positivism philosophy to observe individuals behaviour toward using the LBI system. However, a deductive research approach has been applied to provide the research hypothesis. In the first and second questionnaire, 236 and 153 respondents are involved respectively. In addition, 7 interviewers have been participated for the study assessment. The results encourage the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) decision makers to develop strategies that may lead to the adoption of LBI in the region. The selection of the design has been analysed to be based on the impact of the proposed system on the different sectors of the daily life. Furthermore, this proposed SR_LBI has been positively assessed by the interviewees and will be beneficial for developing countries that have the desire to start designing their own system.

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Mawlood, Saman Jalal. "Challenges and Opportunities: The Impact of the Press Law (2008) on the Role of Journalism in the Kurdistan Region post-2003." Thesis, University of Bradford, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/5370.

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This thesis examines the role of the media in the Kurdistan Region focusing on developments since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003 in order to identify the challenges which have faced journalists there, and the construction of national identity and the potential opportunities which this sector presents for shaping public opinion and strengthening the nascent democracy in the region. After tracing the history of the Kurdish media against the broader backdrop of Iraq, using an interdisciplinary approach, this thesis analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the Kurdish media, with particular reference to regulation, examining the Press Law (2008). It concludes with a series of recommendations regarding the growth and development of new opportunities in the Kurdish media. In addition, it will present arguments to support the urgent need to develop a legal and regulatory framework which is fit-for-purpose for the media in this style democracy.

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20

Ranharter, Katherine. "Gender equality & development after violent conflicts : the effects of gender policies in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/14552.

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This thesis analyses the effects of gender inclusive policies or the lack of such on development at a time of conflict transformation. It has nowadays been established that the presence of women and the existence of gendered policies at a time of peace building are vital for the development of any country or region presently in this situation. Despite this knowledge, inclusion of women and gender has remained scarce and effects of their integration have thus proven difficult to measure. It is the aim of this thesis to support research in this area, by demonstrating the implications of incorporating or failing to implement different types of gender inclusive policies on the example of the actions taken in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The Kurdistan Region is currently in a unique position of its development. After withstanding decades of armed conflict, the region today is greatly autonomous and economically prosperous. For the previous decade it has been the government’s aim to decrease the potential of new conflict, to become internationally competitive and to increase positive development for its people. One of their stated foci was thereby the promotion of gender and women’s inclusion in public policies. By comparing the policies deployed in the Kurdistan Region with experiences and knowledge from around the world, and by using the citizens of the region themselves as validators, this thesis will examine if the existing policies have had the desired effect, and if not, what should be changed. This will be done in the political, economic and social sphere (focusing on education), with the outcome that policies introduced by Kurdistan’s decision makers are partly positive, but lack in consistency, inclusiveness and gender sensitivity. This leads to a loss of human resources for the region, as well as to unequal effects within society, and thus to a lack of sustainable peace.

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Syan, Karwan Ali Qadir. "Media in an emergent democracy : the development of online journalism in the Kurdistan region of Iraq." Thesis, University of Bradford, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/11060.

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This thesis examines online journalism in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and its role in political debate in this emerging democracy. It also focuses on the role of the internet in the public sphere, explores the historical context in which Kurdish online journalism has developed and compares mass media in the Kurdistan region to that in other newly democratic countries, in addition to the mass media landscape, human rights conditions and political system in the Kurdistan region and Iraq overall are explored. Data has been collected through in-depth interviewing of journalists, both independent and affiliated with political parties, as well as media academics and other educators. Moreover, as a case study, a qualitative thematic analysis has been carried out on opinion articles in online news sites to search for key themes and messages published and explore the limits of free discussion online. The thesis argues that although there are many barriers to media work and freedom of expression, online journalism in the Kurdistan region is an alternative tool for expression and constitutes a better medium for promoting freedom of speech than mainstream media outlets. It then suggests recommendations for conducting further studies about the development and influences of online journalism and social media on Kurdish society.

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22

Iwan, Abdulrahman. "Energy efficient buildings in a hot and dry climate. : Improvment of traditional houses in Kurdistan region." Thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för ekonomi, samhälle och teknik, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-27820.

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23

Rasool, Izaddin Abdulsamad. "Female suicide and attempted suicide in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq : a study of social factors." Thesis, Bangor University, 2013. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/female-suicide-and-attempted-suicide-in-the-kurdistan-region-of-iraq-a-study-of-social-factors(6639fdd2-dcc6-446c-b6b5-968d25f24043).html.

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Female suicide is considered to be a serious problem in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). This research explores the topic 'Female suicide and attempted suicide in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq: A study of social factors'. In recent times, female suicide in Kurdish society has become one of the most pressing social issues. According to Rasool (2004), the female suicide rate is more than four times higher than that of males in the KRI. Indeed, according to Othman (2010), in Sulaimani City the female suicide rate is nearly nine times higher than that of males. Therefore, the study has focused on females who attempted and committed suicide in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The aim of this study is to identify common contributory factors to female attempted and committed suicide since 1991 in the KRI. This research is based on three types of data collection: questionnaire, expert interview and media sources. Research questionnaires were administered to a sample of 100 females who had attempted suicide in three cities: Erbil (Hawler), Dohuk, and Sulaimani. The questionnaires were either self-administered or face-to-face interview. Additional qualitative information was collected through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with four different groups: journalists, the Directorate for Monitoring Violence against Women (DMVAW) coroners, and clerics. The data from the interviews is presented and analysed in relation to the themes and questions which emerged in the questionnaire findings. The main data collected on the phenomenon of female attempted and committed suicide in the KRI came from three cities, Erbil (Hawler), Dohuk, and Sulaimani, between June and September 2010. In addition, 322 female suicide reports were collected from eight local Kurdish newspapers in the KRI. The findings indicate that self-burning is the most common suicide method for young females aged 14-30, with the youngest at 14 years old, and the oldest at 35. Social factors such as traditional marriage, forced marriage, marital and family conflict, and conflict with in-laws, domestic violence, love affairs, social isolation, gender discrimination, women’s freedom, continuing education, taking revenge, culture and traditions, are the main drivers for female suicide attempters and committers in the KRI. The findings and conclusions of the study are different from the results of western studies of suicide whose patterns are not applicable to Kurdish society. The study calls on the Kurdistan Regional Government to intervene not only to remedy the situation but also to make legal provisions to mitigate or try to eliminate the phenomenon altogether.

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Sadoon, Hajar Bashir Kalari. "From foreign relation to foreign policy : transformation of the Kurdish de facto state into an independent foreign policy actor." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/32229.

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In 1991, following its defeat in the Second Gulf War and as a response to the international humanitarian protectionist umbrella provided to the three Kurdish-population governorates in Northern Iraq, the Government of Iraq (GOI) under Saddam Hussein centrally seceded from the area. The vacuum that ensued was soon filled by the leadership of the Iraqi Kurdistan Front (KNA) and soon a de facto state resurrected from the ashes of destruction besieging Iraqi Kurdistan for many decades. Hence, the precarious existence of what came to be known as the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) in a highly challenging geopolitical environment and the strategic imperative of preserving the de facto independence of the entity forced the Kurdish leadership to give high priority to building foreign relations and pursuit of foreign policy. Foreign policy as a political activity is of paramount importance to all actors including sovereign states to preserve and promote their national interests. The practice of foreign policy, however, is particularly acute for de facto states. As internationally non-recognized entities, the international system of sovereign states is often skeptical if not hostile to engage in foreign relations with de facto states. Yet, projection of foreign policy and building foreign relations is extremely vital for the continued survival and consolidation of de facto states. By exploring the case of the KRI as a case of de facto statehood, this research argues that, mutatis mutandis, de facto states can pursue independent foreign policies. By identifying major transitions in the KRI, this thesis seeks to better explain foreign policy determinants, objectives and instruments of implementation of foreign policies of the KRI. In doing so, this thesis further seeks to contribute to the analysis of de facto statehood in general, and to contribute to the study of the KRI as the case of de facto statehood in the Middle East region.

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Kuruüzüm, Umut. "Expanding war, expanding capital : production, labour, and contradictions of contemporary capitalism in the Kurdistan region of Iraq." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2018. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/3799/.

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This thesis explores a heterogeneous migrant labour force, particularly Kurdish workers from the south-east of Turkey, working in a private steel mill outside Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The wider context is one of war, population displacement, political disintegration, and economic fluctuation. The dissertation builds on ethnographic fieldwork conducted over a period of 16 months between November 2014 and February 2016 in the south-west of Erbil, ten miles away from the town of Gwer, the ISIS–Iraqi Kurdistan war front. It demonstrates how political and economic fragmentation created a zone for the appropriation and super-exploitation of cheap material and human resources and facilitated an expansion of unregulated capitalism. In this process, capitalist production became freed from the cost and constraint of a moral economy of labour, as political disintegration and Kurdish nationalism created consent and coercion for the corporate control of local resources. Industrial production constituted a field of experimentation in labour relations for both management and labourers, in a manner exemplary of contemporary capitalism. The dissertation opens with a discussion of relational and holistic approaches to the expansion of capitalism and inequality; it then moves to examine the Hiwa neighbourhood as a frontier landscape between the relative stability and security of Iraqi Kurdistan and the insecurity and uncertainty of the war zones of Iraq, Syria and Eastern Turkey. Chapters 1 and 2 describe how production and destruction, formal and informal economies, and deregulation and criminalization are interconnected and integral to the recycling of war scrap on which the expansion of the steel mill depends. Chapters 3 and 4 turn from the environment to labour, and examine the heterogeneous work force composed of migrant men from India, Syria, Turkey, Iran, and the rest of Iraq. Their labour has been made cheap through distinct formal and informal work practices within the wider dynamics of war, displacement, and informalization in the region. Complementary to this structural analysis, Chapters 5 and 6 turn to individual life stories of migrant labourers, focusing on how they experience incertitude, from gruelling everyday uncertainties concerning unstable work to life-threatening disease. In so doing, the thesis aims to document the moral and material consequences of contemporary capitalism in Iraqi Kurdistan for migrant labour at a more intimate level.

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Ahmed, Najih S. "Performance appraisal in Higher Education Institutions in the Kurdistan region : the case of the University of Sulaimani." Thesis, Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10369/8465.

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In contemporary society, nation development relies heavily on the presence and availability of human resources/capabilities. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are vital to create of this human resource. The Kurdistan Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) reformed its Higher Education policy in 2009 to enhance service/product quality. The most tangible aspect of these reforms was the evaluation of academic performance. MoHESR claimed it is the duty of academics to invest time/effort to fulfil their contractual obligations. Consequently, a new mechanism of performance appraisal (PA) for evaluating teachers‘ performance was formally launched. Despite its benefits, PA has created many challenges for Kurdistan HEIs due to external and internal factors, including: culture; continual wars; inadequate laws and regulations; political unrest; poor management of HEIs and mismanagement of human resources, which have exposed gaps in effective PA management and dissatisfaction amongst key stakeholders - particularly academics. This exploratory sequential mixed methods study explores the perceptions of senior/middle managers and other stakeholders at different levels of the organisational hierarchy of PA management at the University of Sulaimani (UoS) and examines their experiences of/aspirations for better PA. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to identify the key contextual and institutional factors affecting PA, supported by quantitative data collected through a questionnaire involving 654 teaching staff at UoS. The study reveals PA in Kurdistan HEIs is strongly influenced by contextual factors: cultural dimensions; legal characteristics; political hegemony, which have eroded attention to human values so human resource activities were not fully embraced in Kurdistan HEIs. Consequently, PA is challenged by: low commitment, support and enthusiasm from top management; little engagement between PA and institutional strategy; unclear purpose/standards; little communication; poor training; unfavourable rewards; absence of interviews, equality and promptness in the process. The study presents a final model of PA more suited to the Kurdistan HE context and makes recommendations for government, MoHESR, HEIs, leaders and faculty members.

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Jameel, Hemn Namiq. "A case study of political corruption in conflict-affected societies (the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, 2003-13)." Thesis, University of Leicester, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/39926.

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This thesis presents the analysis of a case study on political corruption in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The focus is on the democratic transition between 2003 and 2013 addressing three zones. The first area is associated with the ways the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) carries out public recruitment processes and allocates exceptional pensions. The second is about the ways in which media outlets are financed, and how this affects the position of the press in the fight against corruption. The final case is related to how political parties finance their activities, and how this process is linked to political corruption. The objectives of this study are to identify the traits and extent of political corruption, to determine potential reasons for the growing opportunities for it, and to provide possible recommendations to minimise corruption incentives. The central argument of this thesis is that the two dominant ruling parties benefited from their positions, managed to abuse government positions and to appropriate public wealth to serve their own ends in a critical transitional period. This analysis essentially relies on primary data gathered from face-to-face interviews conducted with relevant elites and from official documents. The findings of this analysis suggest that the KRG has applied informal procedures to exclusively recruit members of the ruling parties to its institutions, offering them public positions and allocating them exceptional pensions. It is also argued here that both parties have established a substantial number of partisan and semi-partisan press networks, funded by the KRG, to deliver their political sentiments and attack their opponents. This thesis further asserts that the ruling parties abused two core sources of party funding, namely public subsidies and private financial resources, to strengthen their domination and challenge any political party that sought to unseat them. These conditions have laid the grounds for the emergence of different forms of political corruption, including party patronage, clientelism and state capture, which have together created a vicious circle. Faced with these findings, this thesis finally proposes some policy recommendations to strengthen public institutions and reduce opportunities for political corruption.

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Mohammed, Karzan. "Potentially toxic elements in agricultural soil of the Kurdistan region of Iraq and implications for human health." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2016. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/31759/.

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A rapidly increasing human population has resulted in the expansion of urban areas and an associated increase in the demand for food . Consequently, urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA), using waste water as a source for irrigation, is increasingly common around the world, particularly in developing countries. Although UPA plays a crucial role in supplying food to urban populations, the quality of that food may be affected by accumulation of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the soil and the food chain. The aim of this study was to assess potentially toxic element (PTE) contamination in soils and vegetables grown in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Specific objectives included (i) to measure the total concentrations, mobility and bioavailability of PTEs using isotopic dilution approaches (E- and L-values) and single- and sequential-extraction procedures (ii) to compare these different metrics to determine the best assay for soils in Kurdistan and (iii) to investigate the potential human health risks from consumption of contaminated vegetables by estimating dietary intake and hazard quotients (HQs). Overall, the concentration of PTEs were noticeably higher in waste disposal areas and progressively lower in urban, peri-urban and rural areas, with the exception of Ni concentrations which were high at all study sites, reflecting the geological background of the region. However, the total metal concentration does not represent the ‘bioavailable’ fraction of an element - chemical extractions such as DTPA, sequential extractions and measurements of isotopically-exchangeable metal may better represent bioavailable PTEs. DTPA-extractable and isotopically-exchangeable metals (E-value) were typically low for Ni (2.89, 0.629 mg kg-1), Cu (4.76, 1.98 mg kg-1), Zn (12.9, 9.92 mg kg-1), Cd (0.144, 0.066 mg kg-1) and Pb (5.03, 2.13 mg kg-1), but the metals were more labile in soils in waste areas compared to urban, peri-urban and remote areas. Sequential extraction suggested that most PTEs were in the residual fraction with the exception of Se, Cd and Pb which were in the organic matter, carbonate and Fe/Mn oxide fractions, respectively. PTE concentrations in the edible parts of vegetables collected from the study sites varied between vegetable types and site. Higher total concentrations of PTEs were measured in vegetables from the waste areas with decreasing concentrations in urban, semi-urban and rural areas. Concentrations of Ni and Cu exceeded recommended UK and WHO/EU limits (0.5 mg kg-1Fw) in almost all vegetables except for tomato, okra and cucumber for Ni, while limits for As were exceeded in fruit vegetables from waste areas and leafy vegetables in waste, urban and peri-urban areas. Concentrations of Cd were above recommended limits in all vegetables except for cowpea and cucumber at all sites. The concentration of Pb exceeded the limits in okra, cow pea, leek, celery and chard in waste, urban and peri-urban areas. An experiment growing vegetables in pots under controlled conditions was established to evaluate the ability of plants to accumulate PTEs by estimating the isotopically-exchangeable metal pool in plants (L-values). Results gave similar L-values for different vegetable types ranging from 7.70 mg kg-1 in chard to11.0 mg kg-1 in radish leaf for Ni, 44.2 mg kg-1 in lettuce to 51.8 mg kg-1 in celery for Zn and 0.0912 mg kg-1 in lettuce to 0.0992 mg kg-1 in chard for Cd. The L- values of trace elements in plant roots were higher than those obtained for the shoots in the vegetables. A comparison between DTPA, E- and L-values was made and the results demonstrated that L-values were higher. Risks to human health were assessed using hazard quotients (HQ) assuming intakes of 0.187 kg FW d-1 for adults and 0.118 kg FW d-1 for children with body weights of 70 and 14.2 kg, respectively. Vegetable consumption showed no risks for adults while HQs ≥ 1 were observed for Ni, As and Cd for children. Although HQs for the vegetables suggest elevated risk for children these are likely to be lower when realistic dietary consumption levels are considered. Thus, more accurate estimates of daily intake of vegetables are recommended for future studies.

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Kakamad, Karwan Kakabra. "UNIVERSITY SCHOOL SYSTEMS IN KURDISTAN REGION OF IRAQ: HOW CAN THEY BETTER PREPARE STUDENTS TO STUDY IN THE WEST." OpenSIUC, 2013. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/theses/1211.

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As of Spring 2013, this is the first research study of its type which has looked at and analyzed the results of qualitative interviews conducted with Kurdish Iraqi students studying abroad in the government's, Mhe-HCDP, foreign study abroad program. The study looks at student's actual experiences and perceptions about the program, as well as their recommendations for improving the program. The study also looked at the overall goals and acknowledged problems within the program as established by the Iraqi Mhe reports of 2010 and 2011. The study found a considerable amount of agreement between problems identified by the Mhe and problems recognized by the students in the program. Moreover, the research surveyed a considerable amount of literature in the field of study abroad programs which correlate directly too many of the problems identified by both the Mhe and the students. Several of the problems identified in this research pertain to the need for more ESL programs, more "pre-departure" orientation programs, more coordination between Iraqi universities and host universities, more cultural training, more emphasis on pedagogical structures related to critical thinking, reading, and writing, as well as the need for more education in the area of conducting advanced, post-secondary, research in western institutions and more programmatic support at host universities. The study presents the results of 25 qualitative interviews with students, 3 interviews with program administrators, and one interview with a former minister of the Mhe and lists the recommendations and observations all of them have about the existing study abroad program.

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Ali, Selar Othman. "Higher Education reform : a study of quality assurance and the reform policy of Higher Education in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2017. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/411960/.

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The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Kurdistan Region Government (MoHESR_KRG) has initiated a reform policy in 2009. The reform has been initiated in order to bring high standards of quality of higher education to the Kurdistan higher education. The reform process has covered all the higher education institutions in the region, whether they are public or private institutions. Generally, the reform process has focused on reforming areas of management and academia but, only the academic area is considered in this study. The academic areas which are covered in this study are teaching quality assurance and curricula development, academicians’ further development, postgraduate and research, assessment and accreditation, and social justice and safety. The sample selected for this study consists of two public and two private universities and one higher education institution. They have been selected directly based on their students’ and lecturers’ capacity, and academic programs. The sample included 1131 students of whom 801 have responded and 282 lecturers of whom 201 have responded to the questionnaires. Yet, eight junior and senior managers and policy makers have been directly chosen and interviewed. The results of the study show that i) students have negative attitude towards teaching quality assurance program; ii) lecturers have neutral attitude towards the program; iii) policy makers, senior and junior managers have positive attitude about the program; iv) the type of university, whether being in a public university or a private one, has an impact on students’ attitude; and v) gender has no role in students’ attitude towards the quality assurance program. This study is significant for policy makers, decision makers, and academic leaders in higher education institutions in the Kurdistan region because i) it studies the reform policy based on data collected from lecturers, students, junior and senior managers, and policy makers in higher education institutions in the region; ii) it is based on academic interpretation of the reform policy supported by literature on policy studies and reform process; and iii) it can be considered as an academic assessment of parts of the reform policy to be considered for progress purposes while conducting other assessment studies in the future.

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Aziz, Mahir Abdulwahid. "Ethno-nationalism in a de facto state : An investigation of national identity among university students in the Kurdistan region of Iraq." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2009. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.532016.

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Zebari, Bahroz Gh A. "Controls on the spatial and temporal evolution and distribution of depositional components in the Paleocene-Lower Eocene Succession, Kurdistan Region-Iraq." Thesis, University of Aberdeen, 2018. http://digitool.abdn.ac.uk:80/webclient/DeliveryManager?pid=239281.

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Jaff, Twana Abdlkader Husain. "An analytical investigation into lead-time reduction in the manufacturing sector : a study of discrete manufacturing in Kurdistan region of Iraq." Thesis, Brunel University, 2016. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/14585.

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The dynamic business environment has prompted the companies to improve their competitiveness in terms of manufacturing efficiencies by exploring faster, better and cheaper modes of product development. In this concern, different approaches are configured such as lean manufacturing, just in time and lead time reduction. The study focuses on a critical investigation into the reduction of Lead Time within discrete manufacturing in Kurdistan region of Iraq and the reasons behind this research, that area has evolved gradually as well as the government has an action plan for national recovery and development of reconstruction, where lead-time has become a major issue in manufacturing industry. Specifically, current research study aims at contributing to the strand by focusing on a critical investigation into the reduction of lead time within discrete manufacturing in Kurdistan region of Iraq, where lead-time has become a major issue in manufacturing industry. Mainly, the study has the goals of developing reliable techniques for reducing the lead time through application of assessment survey, capacity planning and key performance indicators in order to implement and control the manufacturing processes. The rationale behind the present study is consisted of economic development within the region, which has attracted a large number of foreign direct investments, but the expanded lead time is causing hurdles with the lack of a strategic plan for resolving the issue which has not keenly addressed in literature so current study would be beneficial for both the stakeholders such as researchers relying on literature and for practitioners as well. In order to conduct the analysis, current research applies the mixture of quantitative and qualitative research. Specifically, for quantitative analysis, a survey is conducted using questionnaires as data collection tool and SPSS analysis for exploring the cause and effect relationship. Mainly, the data are collected from eight Kurdistan based manufacturers. On the contrary, the qualitative analysis is conducted through the case studies. The development of a comprehensive conceptual framework has been applied for focusing on quick response manufacturing both at batch and mass production level. The framework is a contribution to academic knowledge. Through the outcomes of the study, specific factors which are explored to be the main causes of extension in lead time include ineffective forecasting for material requirements, capacity planning, inaccurate demand analysis, decreased resource efficiency and shipment delays. As the most effective solution to these issues, the findings explained that the lot for lot technique is much better than the fixed period requirements which are mostly used in the Iraq region. Moreover, just in time manufacturing strategy and closed loop capacity is also proven to be fruitful along with the splitting order tactic. It is concluded from the findings of this study that the basic issue lies with management in different areas like in human resource, quality, information acquiring, technological developments and operational efficiency. So, it is recommended to the practitioners to higher efficient management squad at the most basic level to eradicate the root cause of the lead time issue. This research will provide new simple strategies for reducing manufacturing lead-time because this is particularly important, as it can be used to provide guidance to industry practitioners on how to reduce manufacturing lead time.

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Al-Mizory, Arsalan Haji Issa. "Towards a new understanding of the right of self-determination in the post-colonial context : the case of the Iraqi Kurdistan region." Thesis, Bangor University, 2015. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/towards-a-new-understanding-of-the-right-of-selfdetermination-in-the-postcolonial-context--the-case-of-the-iraqi-kurdistan-region(923b1484-b3bf-4fbf-9e97-7ab6264d8af5).html.

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This thesis discusses the meaning of the right to self-determination in its historical and contemporary perspective, and examines the different options available for the accommodation of contested self-determination claims. Arguably, the creation of new States and secession are amongst the most significant and controversial issues pertaining to self-determination beyond the colonial context. Detailing these implications in relation to the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR), the thesis argues that even if secession is one mechanism to resolve self-determination disputes, this does not do away with the need to continue exploring a new conflict settlement approach as an alternative to extremist secession. The proposed ‘Remedial Earned Sovereignty’ (RES) approach affords a way of assessing post-colonial breakaway movements in their different manifestations. A new entity may come into being lawfully through negotiated and consensual constitutional processes. The RES approach allows another layer of consideration to be added that goes beyond the superficiality of pure ‘legality’, by delving into the legitimacy of the new entity. It will argue that legitimacy is a second layer of essential consideration, and it involves a deeper and more holistic level of analysis. Significantly, the thesis will argue for a need to look at the circumstances that led to the secession and State creation, and also at how the entity has conducted itself, and how it has organised itself internally. It demonstrates that outside the colonial context the emergence of a new State is not a matter of meeting the statehood criteria, but rather a politically realised legal status. Accordingly, in order to navigate through these considerations of legality and legitimacy, a set of guidelines for States in assessing how to deal with entities coming into existence because of secession have been suggested. This is dubbed a ‘Remedial Approach to Post-Colonial External Self Determination’. The thesis will then apply and refine the remedial approach to post-colonial external self-determination in the cases of Kosovo, Quebec and South Sudan, and ultimately test the finalised hypothesis idea on the IKR. This Thesis is based on the situation up to October 2014.

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Shareef, Shareef Maulod. "Electronic government adoption based on citizen-centric approach in regional government in developing countries : the case of Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI)." Thesis, University of East London, 2012. http://roar.uel.ac.uk/1602/.

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In the latter part of the 20th century ICT has been broadly employed in an effort to enhance the quality of service provision to the public. In the light of this, both public and private sectors have recognised the necessity of adopting technology and its applications in their potential. However, using ICT facilities for development facing various factors such as; establishing technical infrastructures, users and employees’ awareness, legal framework for interactions with public authorities, security, privacy, trust, digital divide, along with organizational issues should be taken into consideration. Therefore, all these challenges should be considered and discussed if continuing progress is to be maintained because missing a few issues and only discussing some of them will lead to a waste of resources. Currently, most of the developing countries suffer from the lack of transparency, accountability, and increasing corruption in government administration. E-government has appeared as a potential solution to reduce the level of corruption by enhancing the services to its citizens effectively and efficiently. Furthermore, e-government has the potential to enhance and organise the relationships between stakeholders which include; citizens, government, and business. So, thriving implementation of e-government will improve accountability, efficiency, and effectiveness of government institutions and also may decrease corruption at both federal and regional levels. This research proposes a novel e-government stage model based on the citizen’s participation of improvements in the delivery of governmental services. In other words, find the importance of putting citizens’ insights and their requirements in the context of e-government development along with the potential use of a multi-channel delivery of services. It is expected that the model will enable more transparent and effective communications with businesses. Thereby, reducing bureaucracy and by implication, may result in a reduction in corruption. To accomplish this, the researcher investigates in the literature to find out the existing models and experiences in the area of e-government in order to identify the drawbacks reasons and limitations of the failure. The researcher also set out to investigate and analyse iii one of the well established e-government stage models, to identify possible opportunities to adopt for use in regional government in developing countries. The proposed model has been evaluated by adapting the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) decision making method and integrating it with the SWOT analysis method. SWOT factors were identified through interviews with experts from various ministries in the KRG. The proposed model were evaluated by adopting a qualitative case study strategy such as IT projects, taking the expert’s opinion of the proposed model by using qualitative method. Moreover the researcher, by using a qualitative case study strategy such as the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), observes the proposed model in various government institutions in the KRI. The analysis of pragmatic data leads to a narrative inclusive model for e-government initiatives in the public sector that can be assisted in different ways. The advantage of this model is to decrease the uncertainty of e-government implementation in the public sector by recognising the consequence of the institutional readiness, adoption processes, the needs of ICT tools, and the factors that influence the implementation process. The model might also assist policy makers in government to offer a clear vision for e-government. Ultimately, any conclusions could be useful to other researchers in the developing world who are seeking to explore the potential of similar initiatives.

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Ismael, Shireen Y. [Verfasser], Christa [Akademischer Betreuer] Reicher, and Dietwald [Gutachter] Gruehn. "Promoting integrated heritage conservation and management in Iraqi Kurdistan Region : Applicability of values-based approach / Shireen Y. Ismael. Betreuer: Christa Reicher. Gutachter: Dietwald Gruehn." Dortmund : Universitätsbibliothek Dortmund, 2015. http://d-nb.info/111181208X/34.

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Taha, Karwan. "An institutionalist analysis of the role of environmental sustainability ideas in urban development policy processes : a case of Erbil in Kurdistan Region of Iraq." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2018. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/22225/.

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Hajani, Ismail Ibrahim Suliman [Verfasser], Dietwald [Akademischer Betreuer] Gruehn, and Sabine [Gutachter] Baumgart. "Promoting urban spatial planning guidance for achieving physical sustainable urban development in Duhok City - Kurdistan Region, Iraq / Ismail Ibrahim Suliman Hajani ; Gutachter: Sabine Baumgart ; Betreuer: Dietwald Gruehn." Dortmund : Universitätsbibliothek Dortmund, 2019. http://d-nb.info/1217063587/34.

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Irwani, Muslih. "Implementing social security programmes in post-conflict Iraqi Kurdistan region : the case of "Social safety net" and "Rights and privileges to families of martyrs and genocide survivors" after 2001." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2014. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/14414/.

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By drawing on the hegemony of politics over the administration and social policy in the Kurdistan Region, researching the implementation of social security programmes is critically important for understanding the outlook of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) towards social policy. This research broadly examines policy implementation theories within the context of this politically underdeveloped region, taking into account the social security programmes of the KRG as a case study. Primary questions could be asked here, such as what are the critical factors in the implementation of social security in the KRG? Why has the KRG not adopted and implemented an effective social policy with its developmental programmes since its relative economic growth in 2001? My focused question in the current research is: why has the KRG implemented its two main social cash transfers (‘Rights and Privileges to Families of Martyrs and Genocide Survivors’ and ‘Social Safety Net’) differently? Exploring these cases would favour understanding of the extent to which the political conditions of the Kurdistan Region have influenced the implementation of social benefit schemes of the KRG. Experiencing its national struggle in the past, intra-Kurdish civil war during the 1990s and partisanship afterwards has formed the KRG. As for the theoretical framework of this research, I have used two sets of literature: policy implementation and clientelism. Having employed qualitative semi-structured interviews with forty-six individuals and six focus groups from implementers of the aforementioned programmes in the region, this research discusses the critical factors in the implementation process of social security programmes in the KRG. In contrast to almost all policy implementation theories and models, which lay emphasis on the role of top officials (top-down approach), bureaucrats and implementers (bottom-up approach), I argue that the political character of the programme and its beneficiaries is potentially a determinant actor in the policy implementation success. The KRG deals with social cash transfers in accordance with the profile and socio-political status of beneficiaries. In this regard two types of clients could be distinguished: high value clients treated within a preferred programme (RPFMGS) and low-value clients treated within a neglected programme (SSN). The profile and status of beneficiaries of social security schemes play a decisive role in the salience given to the social programme, and in the effectiveness of its implementation. Both aforementioned social security programmes are implemented at a ministerial level. However, the performance of the two programmes appears to be complicated and evidently different. The main difference between both programmes is that the first programme, RPFMGS, serves a population who are characterised as ‘political victims’, while the second programme, SPF, covers ‘socio-economic victims’. Labelling beneficiaries based on their socio-political status will primarily explain the reason why the KRG deals with each social security programme very differently. The first programme is highly prioritised politically, while the second is neglected politically.

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Al-Saleem, Khalid I. "The legal framework for the sustainable development of Iraqi oil and gas : a study in particular reference to the Kurdistan Region, and with special emphasis on the New Delhi Declaration." Thesis, University of Portsmouth, 2015. https://researchportal.port.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/the-legal-framework-for-the-sustainable-development-of-iraqi-oil-and-gas(9dbb6166-56f3-49cd-986d-092ecb608625).html.

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Iraq’s liberation from the Saddam regime after a few decades of oppression signalled national transition to peace and stability. The entire world had its eyes fixed on Iraq as a model for newly liberated nation states. Even though Iraq was liberated from authoritarian rule, but it has yet to be liberated from its socio-economic woes. Decades of neglect at the hands of a military dictatorship, newly found ethnic and sectarian divides and now a regional cum international jihadist agenda threaten to tear Iraq apart. The true underlying cause of Iraq’s problems is socio-economic divide – precipitated at both domestic and international levels, and manifested as ethnic and sectarian conflicts. The only real solution to Iraq’s woes is to capitalise on the oil and gas resources, in such a fashion that they provide socio-economic dividends with a hope of conserving the environment for future generations. The idea of sustainable development is auspicious in terms of consequences yet elusive in terms of implementation. Iraq’s domestic problems and international pressure groups are creating an environment where sustainable development is a hard-to-realise goal. Moreover, the everchanging definition of sustainable development and the concept’s credibility poses its own dynamic undercurrents. The greatest hope at sustainable development for Iraq’s situation is to shape and implement a legislated framework through public participation, responsible legislation along the lines of globally accepted sustainable development principles. This research aims to provide various options for a legal framework for sustainable development keeping in view Iraq’s peculiar circumstances. The various challenges confronting Iraq on domestic, regional and international forums for sustainable development are discussed at length, and legal solutions are provided through an examination of international practice, stakeholder views and emerging best practices.

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Anwar, Ibrahim A. [Verfasser], Günter [Akademischer Betreuer] Kroés, and Fank [Akademischer Betreuer] Bliss. "Promoting women’s participation in decision-making at the local level. : A case study of Barzan Sub-district in Kurdistan Region of Iraq / Ibrahim A. Anwar. Betreuer: Günter Kroës. Gutachter: Fank Bliss." Dortmund : Universitätsbibliothek Dortmund, 2012. http://d-nb.info/1098312821/34.

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Nanakali, Hemna A. Mawlood [Verfasser], Einhard [Akademischer Betreuer] Schmidt-Kallert, and Dietwald [Gutachter] Gruehn. "Rural sustainable development policies in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and their impact on migration : The case of Erbil Governorate / Hemna A. Mawlood Nanakali ; Gutachter: Dietwald Gruehn ; Betreuer: Einhard Schmidt-Kallert." Dortmund : Universitätsbibliothek Dortmund, 2021. http://d-nb.info/1234713330/34.

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Gailan, Mohammed. "National Security Concerns And The Kurdistan Region In A New Middle East: From Rebellion To Statehood : The Influences Of Power, Threat Enviornment And Opportunity Structures On The Choice Of Becoming An Independent State." Thesis, Försvarshögskolan, Institutionen för säkerhet, strategi och ledarskap (ISSL), 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:fhs:diva-7009.

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Under which conditions do some nations and de facto state actors with relative power assert their statehood and independence? What factors should we focus on when we assess such cases? How much can we relate a nation’s choice and path to statehood and independence to its national security concerns? The aim of this case study has been to answer the questions asked above and explain why nations during some periods do not choose to declare independence and form their own state and during other periods they aim to do so. The case of the Kurdistan region of Iraq has been selected and studied both due the drastic regional changes in the Middle East since Saddam Hussein’s fall and the rise Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. During 2003-2005, the US invaded Iraq, toppled Saddam Hussein and destroyed the Iraqi army. Unlike the expectations that the Kurds would declare independence, they did not do so. However, 14 years after the fall of Saddam Hussein and establishment of the new Iraq, the Kurds aim to declare independence and form their own state. Hence, the puzzle is why not then and 14 years later? Inspired by realism, nationalist movement theory and rational strategic actor, three interrelated hypotheses have been tested and verified, which lay ground for a theoretical and explanatory model for this and similar cases within the fields of security studies and international relations. Process tracing has been used as an additional analytical tool in order to detect critical junctures and the chain of events that have produced the two different outcomes. The empirical material is mainly based on a fieldwork conducted in the Kurdistan region followed up by 12 individual qualitative interviews with a number of highly ranked Kurdish political and military officials including the President of the Kurdistan region, the Foreign Minister of the Kurdistan region, a senior Foreign and Security Advisor, three Peshmerga Generals and six members of both Kurdistan and Iraqi Parliaments. Building on the previous research, the findings of this study suggest that the choice and decision for becoming an independent and sovereign de jure state is closely related to a nation’s national security concerns and it is the same factors that causes a nation to declare/not declare independence during different periods of time. They are: (1) changes in power relations and access to a certain degree of indirect/direct external support and cooperation, (2) the existence/non-existence of national security threats and threat environments and (3) the rise of opportunity structures, strategic thinking and the ability to mobilize resources.

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Hakim, Sarko Hussen Hakim [Verfasser], Moh’d M. [Akademischer Betreuer] Amro, Moh’d M. [Gutachter] Amro, and Leonhard [Gutachter] Ganzer. "History matching sensitivity investigations and forecasting for low matrix porosity, permeability and highly fractured carbonate reservoir to optimize oil production in Kurdistan Region / Sarko Hussen Hakim Hakim ; Gutachter: Moh’d M. Amro, Leonhard Ganzer ; Betreuer: Moh’d M. Amro." Freiberg : Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, 2019. http://d-nb.info/1226101100/34.

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Hakim, Sarko [Verfasser], Moh’d M. [Akademischer Betreuer] Amro, Moh’d M. [Gutachter] Amro, and Leonhard [Gutachter] Ganzer. "History matching sensitivity investigations and forecasting for low matrix porosity, permeability and highly fractured carbonate reservoir to optimize oil production in Kurdistan Region / Sarko Hussen Hakim Hakim ; Gutachter: Moh’d M. Amro, Leonhard Ganzer ; Betreuer: Moh’d M. Amro." Freiberg : Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg, 2019. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:105-qucosa2-325314.

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Hamasaeed, Nazakat Hussain. "The impact of commercial global television on cultural change and identity formation : a study of Kurdish women and the Turkish soap opera 'Noor'." Thesis, University of Bradford, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/5431.

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This thesis aimed to report on the qualitative research conducted which identified the role played by international television soap operas in identity formation and cultural change in relation to Kurdish women. Currently, Kurdish women live in a cultural context where traditional values often conflict with modern values when it comes to behaviour deemed appropriate for their gender. Through the impact of international television soap operas, Kurdish women come to identify themselves as being 'traditional' while at the same time they attempt to integrate non-traditional beliefs into their value system. This study looked at the relationship between Kurdish women's exposure to international television, soap operas and consumerism, as well as the problems which they create in terms of non-Western women's identity formation. This thesis has documented the lives and experiences of 21 female Kurdish participants, aged between 18 and 40, through in-depth interviews and observations. The thesis assumes that the views recorded are representative of the general viewpoint of viewers of the international soaps. Open-ended, in-depth interviews about women were used to explore viewing habits and preferences for various soaps. This thesis incorporates and expresses the ideas which were recorded with regards to the accepted 'typical' characteristics of men and 4 women - it is these characteristics which play an important role in selfformation. It became evident that these women had incorporated values from the traditional Kurdish culture and the modern way of life. The Kurdish women cannot be said to have a 'modernist' outlook on gender-appropriate behaviour, as they are still endemically entrenched in traditional Kurdistan worldviews. The qualitative research analysed the level in which the soap operas act as a kind of medium between the values of modernity and those of tradition. This study, in addition, demonstrates the appeal that soap operas can have on the norms, and other aspects, in the Kurdistan Region, and therefore illustrates that the soaps have an active role as a mechanism of change in Kurdistan. Thus, the research demonstrates the power of the soap operas and their effects on the Kurdish people in this region. Furthermore, this research explored the current media environment in the Kurdistan Region by reviewing the dependency of Kurdish viewers, and the Kurdish television channels, on foreign and imported television programmes into the region.

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Zebari, Mjahid [Verfasser], Kamil [Gutachter] Ustaszewski, Frank [Gutachter] Preusser, and Anke M. [Gutachter] Friedrich. "Structural style and long-term slip rates in the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt (Kurdistan Region of Iraq) derived from structural modeling, luminescence dating of river terraces and tectonic geomorphology / Mjahid Zebari ; Gutachter: Kamil Ustaszewski, Frank Preusser, Anke M. Friedrich." Jena : Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, 2021. http://d-nb.info/1239248229/34.

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Al-Saffar, Mohammed Abdullah. "Conservation Biology in Poorly Studied Freshwater Ecosystems: From Accelerated Identification of Water Quality Bioindicators to Conservation Planning." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1456926241.

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Gray, Chase W. "Petrocapitalism in Iraqi Kurdistan: Leveraging Oil and Gas Firms in Post-War Iraq." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2012. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/337.

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In the absence of a continued military presence in Iraq, the United States must use alternative means to achieve its foreign policy goals. Stated goals include maintaining influence, increasing stability in Iraq, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula, and ensuring Iraq's territorial integrity. This paper suggests leveraging the power of American oil and gas firms operating in Iraqi Kurdistan given the relative ineffectiveness of the embassy in Baghdad and the hostility many Iraqis exhibit toward American diplomats. It first outlines American policy toward Iraqi Kurdistan from the end of the Gulf War to the present. Next it provides a brief overview of the current state of affairs in Iraqi politics and Iraq's oil and gas industry. Then the paper describes four specific ways in which supporting American oil and gas firms in Iraqi Kurdistan can help the United States achieve its foreign policy goals. First, it can check undue Shi'a centralization of power and keep Iraq from drifting too far into the Iranian sphere. Second, it can strengthen the Kurdish bargaining position with Baghdad and push Iraq toward resolving the status of Kirkuk and enacting a comprehensive hydrocarbons law. Third, oil and gas extraction through profit sharing contracts (PSCs) rather than technical services agreements (TSAs) would promote foreign direct investment and spur economic growth. Finally, private sector oil and gas companies could be a critical component in maintaining American influence with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Government of Iraq (GOI) through their strong local ties. The last chapter is devoted to policy prescriptions for achieving the aforementioned goals.

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Shafiq, Shagul M. "Airports as Portrayers of Regional Character and Culture: A Case Study of Sulaymaniyah Airport." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1535636997174456.

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Kurdistan Region'

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