International Quarterly of Foreign Relations

International Quarterly of Foreign Relations

Comparative analysis of US and Russia’s foreign policy towards the Iraqi Kurdistan region and its impact on Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Rahim Bodaghi 1
hamed mohagheghnia 2
Roohollah Shahabi 2
Shiva Jalalpoor 3
1 PhD student political sciences, Department of Political Sciences, Khuzestan Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Political Sciences, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Political Sciences, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.
Abstract
The Iraqi Kurdistan region has been considered by the great powers due to the importance of oil resources and its proximity to the four countries of Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria. This region has a special place in the strategic estimates of the US and Russian powers after the fall of Saddam and especially with the beginning of the Syrian crisis. The purpose of this article is to answer the question: What has been the foreign policy of the United States and Russia towards the Iraqi Kurdistan region? Hypothesis: While the geopolitical factor of energy has been a common feature of the two countries' foreign policy towards Iraqi Kurdistan, but the approach of the two powers to the Kurdistan region is different in geostrategic terms. While regional power relations and internal dynamics have shaped US foreign policy toward the Kurdish region, structural power relations in the international system, and in particular rivalry with the United States, have shaped Russia's relations with the Kurdish region.
Keywords
Iraqi Kurdistan Region
United States
Foreign Policy
Iran
National Security
Russia
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