Irakiska Kurdistans självständighet : En kvalitativ fallstudie om Iraks, Turkiets och Irans motstånd till ett självständigt Kurdistan i norra Irak

Sammanfattning: Iraq, Turkey and Iran have all historically opposed an independent Kurdistan. This is because the Kurdish quest for an independent Kurdistan is a threat to Arab, Turkish and Persian nationalism and their national security. I have therefore formulated the following question to gain a deeper understanding of the subject: How can the realist perspective and the balance of threat theory explain the opposition of Iraq, Turkey and Iran for an independent Kurdistan in northern Iraq? The goal of this essay has been to answer the above question using the realist perspective and the balance of threat theory. This has been done using a case study design to study each of the countries' opposition to an independent Kurdistan. The results show that realism and the balance of threat theory can explain the opposition of Iraq, Turkey and Iran for an independent Kurdistan in northern Iraq. Kurdistan's aggregate power, geographic proximity, offensive capabilities and perceived intentions are factors that worry the three countries if Kurdistan were to declare independence today. This can be explained by the fact that these factors can be seen as a threat to the countries' security and their position of power in the region.