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Photo of a oil refinery on the water.

Policy Analysis ·

U.S.-Brokered Deal Turns On Iraq-Turkey Pipeline Spigots

The flow of Kurdish oil via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline to the international market after more than two years demonstrates the effectiveness of sustained U.S. diplomacy.
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The audience watching the panel featuring Yerevan Saeed, Sarhang Hamasaeed, Jennifer Gavito, and Rend Al-Rahim.

Policy Analysis ·

Recap: Governing Iraq After the Election: Implications for Iraq- U.S. Relations

On October 21, 2025, the Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace hosted a panel discussion titled "Governing Iraq After the Election: Implications for Iraq-U.S. Relations", exploring Iraq's November 2025 parliamentary elections.
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An oil refinery.

Policy Analysis ·

Is the Baghdad-Erbil oil deal a blueprint for settlement—or a stopgap?

After nearly two and a half years, a fragile but consequential agreement between Iraq’s federal government in Baghdad, the KRG in Erbil, the seven major Oil Companies (IOC), and a local Kurdish oil company has resumed oil exports.
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People walking around the Erbil Citadel in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Policy Analysis ·

Centralized Rule Is Not a Panacea for Failed States in the Middle East

Decentralized governance efforts in the region, while offering promise to societies fractured by years of dictatorship and war, will be messy, inconsistent, and vulnerable to reversal and external manipulation.
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Yerevan Saeed with Victoria Taylor, Noam Raydan, and Raad Alkadiri

Policy Analysis ·

Recap: Leverage or Liability? Kurdistan’s Gas on the Iraqi & Regional Chessboard

On September 17, 2025, the Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace 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”.
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Factory at sunset.

Policy Analysis ·

The Kurdish Gas Gambit

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) recent multibillion-dollar gas agreements with U.S. energy companies represent a significant and multifaceted strategic gambit.
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Kurdish flag flying over a building.

Policy Analysis ·

Baghdad’s Financial Squeezing of Kurdistan Undermines U.S. Interests

Baghdad is weaponizing economic levers to punish the Kurdistan region for signing energy pacts with U.S. firms and for aligning with President Trump’s commercial diplomacy.
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Flags of Kurdistan and the United States

Policy Analysis ·

It's Time for a Kurdistan-Specific Travel Advisory From the US

Since 2003, the State Department has maintained a blanket “Do Not Travel” advisory for the whole of Iraq, an approach that conflates the Kurdistan Region’s notable security and political stability with the ongoing challenges in other parts of Iraq.
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Several oil refinery chimneys expelling smoke in a mountainous area.

Policy Analysis ·

BP's Return to Kirkuk

BP and the Iraqi government signed a comprehensive energy agreement aimed at developing the northern oil fields of Kirkuk. This BP deal threatens to aggravate a century-old source of contention between Baghdad and Erbil.
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The flags of the United States and Kurdistan in front of a sunset on the mountains.

Policy Analysis ·

Roadmap to Improve Kurdish-U.S. Relationships Workshop Report

The Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace hosted a private roundtable to discuss the current state and future of the relationship between the KRG and the United States.
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