Fall season, Halabja Province, Kurdistan Region
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Reframing U.S.–Iraq Policy: The Centrality of Kurdistan to American Strategy
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September 30th, 2025 marked the end of the American and coalition combat mission in Iraq, which started in 2014 to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Washington seeks to transform its combat role with Iraq into a comprehensive security and economic partnership under the 2008 Strategic Framework Agreement. Although the shift appears as a logical next step, it is likely to reflect a more complex change in U.S. policy, with the Kurdistan Region becoming more central to the country's strategy in Iraq.
There will be fewer American soldiers in Federal Iraq, but many will be moved to the Kurdistan Region, per a 2024 agreement between Baghdad and Washington. They will continue to support the U.S. mission in neighboring Syria and carry on with counterterrorism operations. The redeployment emphasizes the strategic importance of Kurdistan and Washington's confidence in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) as a reliable partner for the United States to further its long-term security and strategic objectives.
Washington has also upped its diplomacy in Iraq, which led to the brokering of an overdue deal in late September between Erbil, Baghdad, and the International Oil Companies (IOCs) to resume oil exports via the Iraq–Türkiye Pipeline (ITP) to the international market. The ITP had been closed since March 2023 due to an arbitration decision against Ankara, and then because of ongoing disagreements between Erbil and Baghdad over oil export rights and IOC payments. The new agreement is only valid until the end of the year, but it demonstrates that, even in Iraq's politically fragmented climate, sustained U.S. diplomacy can be successful.
At the same time, the Kurdistan Region has seen a substantial increase in energy investments from U.S.-based companies. The KRG inked two $110 billion natural gas contracts with American companies in May 2025. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who characterized Kurdistan as a key component of Washington's strategy in Iraq, supported these deals. His statement that explicitly framed U.S. strategy toward Iraq via the prism of Kurdistan was noteworthy in May when he testified before the Senate. The "linchpin" of the American "approach to Iraq", said Mr. Rubio, "is the autonomy of the Kurdish population and the economic lifelines that allow them to prosper and succeed." This is a recognition that Kurdistan offers economic opportunities and a relatively stable partner in an otherwise divided country.
These changes are also likely to imply that America is shifting its focus to Iraq in a more regional manner. Reliability is limited by Baghdad's ongoing severe political divisions, and anti-Western sentiments and rotten institutions. On the other hand, Erbil, although it has its own political issues, has consistently joined forces with the United States to further its political, energy, security, and diplomatic objectives. The troop repositioning, the flow of oil via ITP again, and large-scale U.S. energy investments all point toward a future in which the Kurdistan Region plays a central role in U.S. strategy.
How this strategy evolves remains to be seen. However, rather than viewing Iraq as a single partner, the trend suggests a possible new strategy with Kurdistan as the anchor. In this regard, Kurdistan is not only a beneficiary of American strategy; rather, it is emerging as an essential part of American policy toward Iraq and the Middle East in general.
Yerevan Saeed,
Barzani Scholar-in-Residence
Director of the Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace
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On September 15, 2025, Yerevan Saeed, Barzani Scholar-in-Residence and Director, delivered a lecture at the Institute of World Politics on the Halabja chemical attack of 1988 and the broader Kurdish genocide. He emphasized the tragedy’s lasting impact on Kurdish and Iraqi history and its role in advancing international humanitarian law, including the global ban and destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles.
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Saeed was also featured in the Atlantic Council’s MENA Source, where he highlighted the implications of Operation Inherent Resolve's (OIR) conclusion in Iraq and the legacy of the US military in Iraq.
In media appearances, Saeed shared insights across multiple media venues. He joined prime-time broadcasts on Rudaw TV and NRT to analyze the oil agreement between Erbil, Baghdad, and international oil companies, which paved the way for the resumption of Kurdish oil exports through the Iraq–Türkiye pipeline after its closure in March 2023. He also spoke to Petroleum Economist and Kurdistan 24, highlighting the strategic importance of the Kurdistan Region’s natural gas reserves and the challenges that could hinder the sector’s development.
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Leverage or Liability? Kurdistan’s Gas on the Iraqi & Regional Chessboard
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On September 17, 2025, the Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace at the School of International Service (SIS), American University, hosted a panel discussion on the geoeconomics of natural gas in the Middle East titled "Leverage or Liability? Kurdistan’s Gas on the Iraqi & Regional Chessboard". The goal of the discussion was to tackle one of the most complex questions facing Iraq and the Kurdistan Region: will natural gas emerge as a tool of leverage or a source of liability for the Kurdistan Region and how it will shape Erbil-Baghdad relations? Moderated by Yerevan Saeed, Barzani Scholar-in-Residence and Director of the Initiative, the panel brought together three leading experts on Iraq’s energy sector and regional geopolitics: Raad Alkadiri, Senior Associate (nonresident) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; Noam Raydan, Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy; and Victoria Taylor, Director of the Iraq Initiative at the Atlantic Council.
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On the Horizon: Governing Iraq After the Election: Implications for Iraq- U.S. Relations
The GKIP is pleased to host its upcoming event on the implications of Iraq’s parliamentary elections, scheduled for November 11, 2025, and their impact on Iraq and U.S.-Iraq relations. The event will occur on Tuesday, October 21, 2025 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at SIS Founder’s Room.
Confirmed speakers include Jennifer Gavito, Senior Advisor at the Cohen Group and former Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, and Sarhang Hamasaeed, former Director for Middle East Programs at the United States Institute of Peace. Additional speakers will be announced. The discussion will be moderated by SIS Professor Yerevan Saeed.
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Art and Culture: Nuveen Barwari |
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“I want people to see that Kurdish culture, history, and art contain both beauty and grief. It’s full of joy, color, tragedy, resilience.”
Nuveen Barwari, an artist based in Albany, NY, uses textiles as tools of resistance, drawing on their fluidity and adaptability to reflect the shifting nature of language. Born in Nashville, TN, and raised in Duhok, Kurdistan, Barwari has long moved between cultures, languages, and materials, a duality that influences her work. She earned a B.S. in Art from Tennessee State University in 2019 and an MFA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2022.
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Her work has been exhibited internationally, from Berlin to Toronto, as well as across the U.S. and Kurdistan. In 2023, she joined Skidmore College’s Art Department Workspace Residency Program, and her work has been featured in outlets including Nashville Scene, New American Painting, and Gazete Duvar.
In conversation with GKIP, Barwari reflects on her journey as a Kurdish American artist shaped by life between Nashville and Duhok, and how navigating various cultures has influenced both her identity and creative practice. She describes her shift from writing poetry in English to making visual art—a medium that allowed her to convey what words alone could not. Barwari creates pieces that hold memory, history, and the experience of diaspora through combining text, textiles, and motifs rooted in Kurdish poetry and tradition
Through deconstructed dresses, floral imagery, and layered framing techniques, Barwari explores themes of diaspora, memory, and the reconstruction of history. Her work speaks to Kurdish, diasporic, and American audiences alike, holding space for the beauty, grief, and resilience embedded in Kurdish culture while acknowledging the complexity of living between worlds.
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NextGen Voices: Arazoo Shwany |
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“I chose the path of medicine because I saw it as a way of uplifting the Kurdish American community, as well as other marginalized communities in the United States.”
Like many Kurds, Arazoo Shwany knows what it means to live as a refugee in the United States. Originally from Erbil, Shwany moved to the United States with her family at a young age.
That experience inspired her decision to co-found the Kurdish Refugee Relief Foundation (KRR), an organization dedicated to empowering refugees by improving access to medical care.
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She earned her B.S. in Human Biology and Society from UCLA in 2019, where she both advocated for survivors of gender-based violence and conducted research on behavioral disorders. Later, she pursued medical school and is now a resident physician in North Carolina.
In our conversation, Shwany explains how her Kurdish identity shaped her path in medicine and her commitment to community service. She recalls how KRR took root during the COVID-19 pandemic, when critical needs in refugee camps were being overlooked, especially those related to essential health care for women and girls. What began as an urgent response has since grown into a sustainable effort, providing reusable products and health education to thousands of women and girls across Iraqi Kurdistan.
She also speaks candidly about the cultural and logistical hurdles of this work, underscoring the need for sensitivity to community values. Looking ahead, Shwany hopes to see KRR expand its reach: increasing the frequency of distributions, forging stronger partnerships, and advancing advocacy for women’s health throughout the Kurdish diaspora and beyond.
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Iraq
On September 25, the Federal Iraqi Government, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the International Oil Companies from the Kurdistan Region's oilfields via the Iraqi-Turkish Pipeline after a two-year halt, with Baghdad's state marketer SOMO handling shipments through the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline. The U.S., which brokered the agreement, praised it as a step toward stronger ties between the two countries.
Türkiye
On September 19, an Ankara court ordered access to the Kurdish news agency ANF blocked on grounds of national security and public order. Meanwhile, the broader push toward a resolution of the decades-long conflict with the PKK continues to generate contention: the PKK formally announced its disbandment earlier this year, and Kurdish MPs are urging the government to fast-track legislative protections for militants who disarm and to open direct talks with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.
Pro-Kurdish and opposition political groups have been caught up in the broader crackdown on dissent, with opposition headquarters in Istanbul besieged and protesters and MPs trying to enter despite police blockades, following a court ruling to remove party leadership under procedural claims.
Syria
On September 17, and other towns in northeastern Syria in support of the Kurdish-led autonomous administration, demanding decentralization after Damascus unveiled a temporary constitution that excluded the recognition of Syria’s ethnic diversity. At the same time, to prevent military escalation between the Syrian forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), whose partnership with Washington remains a key pillar of U.S. counter-ISIS strategy.
Iran
On September 12, the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan commemorated the . Komala denounced the ongoing state violence against Kurds and called for unity, civil resistance, and international solidarity. Relatedly, Iran 58 Kurds from Mahabad, Bukan, Piranshahr, and Shno for three months over wearing traditional clothing, including relatives of victims of the Women, Life, Freedom protests.
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The Barzani Peace Fellowship |
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Established in honor of the Kurdish leader Mustafa Barzani, the Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace offers the Barzani Peace Fellowship, a prestigious scholarship for graduate students dedicated to Kurdish affairs. Beyond financial support, it empowers future leaders through academic excellence, professional development, and opportunities to engage directly with the program and its mission for peace.
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