Iraq's Disputed Territories and the Kirkuk Question : Perspectives of Local Communities

This work examines the dynamics of Iraq's so-called "disputed territories" - specific geopolitical entities within the country whose legal and constitutional status remain highly contested and unresolved. Kirkuk is arguably the most strategic city in the country due to its huge reserves of oil and gas. This Book reveals that the voices of the residents of Kirkuk city, and of its Province, are not heard. The Book notes that the discourse on Kirkuk's future is often dominated and exaggerated by politicians and the media, and that the voices of the local populationare are conspicuously missing and/or silenced by those with power to appropriate public opinion. The Book further reveals that fear of "ethnic war" or "resource war" in Kirkuk is far-fetched: participants expressed inclination toward multi-ethnic coexistence. It appears communal stability is of great importance to Iraq's population in avoiding the outbreak of ethnic violence in the country's oil-rich provinces.