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The victory over the so-called Islamic State’s territorial rule presents a chance for the Government of Iraq to rebuild its state institutions and re-assert its authority. In this transition, will the Iraqi leadership move past cycles of failure and address the structural problems that perpetuate state weakness and facilitate the emergence of groups like ISIS? To answer this question, this paper analyses the challenges of short-term stabilisation programming with longer-term governance reform at ...

On 25 September 2017, the government of the autonomous Region of Kurdistan in Iraq, under its president, Masoud Barzani, organised a referendum on independence, disregarding calls by the Iraqi central government and the international community to postpone it. The referendum was held in the Kurdistan Region's constituencies and also in the neighbouring 'disputed' territories, in particular the oil-rich area of Kirkuk, which have de facto if not legally been governed by the Kurdish authorities since ...

ISIL/Da'esh: From Mosul to Mosul

Lühitutvustus 13-07-2017

In June 2014, ISIL/Da'esh took over the city of Mosul in Iraq, and from there declared the advent of an Islamic State. Three years later, in July 2017, after nine months of battle involving Iraqi security forces, popular militias and Kurdish troops, ISIL/Da'esh has been expelled from its Iraqi stronghold, adding to the past two years' severe territorial losses. This is an important victory; however, it does not yet represent the eradication of a terrorist group that still has many supporters.

2016 report on Turkey

Lühitutvustus 27-06-2017

During its July plenary session, the European Parliament is expected to vote on a resolution on the Commission's 2016 report on Turkey. Long-standing EU-Turkey relations, despite being a priority for both sides, have recently reached a low point, and accession talks risk being brought to a halt.

The Yazidis: An ongoing genocide

Lühitutvustus 09-12-2016

The award of the 2016 Sakharov Prize to Nadia Murad Basee Taha and Lamiya Aji Bashar highlights the fate of their people, the Yazidis, one of the communities most affected, in proportion to their total population, by the violence committed by ISIL/Da'esh (or ‘Islamic State’).

Strengthened by its victories over ISIL/Da'esh, the government of the autonomous region of Kurdistan in Iraq has announced that it plans to organise a referendum on independence. The deadline is still unclear, as political divisions have led the region to an institutional stalemate. Negotiations with the federal Iraqi government will focus on the territorial scope of the referendum. The Kurdish leaders want to include the 'disputed areas', in particular Kirkuk, in the poll. However, Iraq is not keen ...

Relations between the European Union and Turkey gained new momentum last month with an agreement aimed at addressing the migration crisis. One element of the deal is that Turkey shall take back migrants who cross to Greece illegally. The EU would accept Syrian refugees directly from Turkey and compensate it with financial aid, early visa-free travel and further progress in accession talks. The intention of the agreement is to ease pressure on the borderless Schengen area. Yet some critics say the ...

Turkey 2014: Work in progress

Lühitutvustus 11-05-2015

2014 got off to a seemingly good start: then Prime Minister, and current President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared it the 'Year of the European Union', demonstrating Ankara's commitment to its EU path. However, several challenges strained Turkey's ties to the EU over the course of the year. Accordingly, the Commission's 2014 progress report highlights various political concerns.

In October 2013, the European Commission published an overall positive report on Turkey, followed in November by the opening of Chapter 22 (Regional Policy and Coordination of Structural Instruments) of the accession negotiations. However, recent domestic developments have given rise to serious concern and overshadowed progress achieved by Turkey up to then.

Turkey-Armenia Relations

Analüüs 02-10-2013

The two protocols signed by the Armenian and Turkish foreign ministers in Zurich in October 2009 addressed the twin issues of establishing diplomatic relations and reopening the closed Armenian-Turkish border. They offered a strategic roadmap for each country to “normalise” relations as a first step toward the broader process of reconciliation. Since the signing of the protocols, however, the “normalisation” process has dramatically stalled, with official state-level engagement suspended. During ...