| ID | 168245 |
| Title Proper | Factionalism Within the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Hama, Hawre Hasan |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Institutional conflicts within the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have existed ever since the party’s founding in 1975 as a result of a merger of three different factions. The conflicts were successfully managed in a way that did not hurt the party’s overall functioning until the Gorran movement, led by Nawshirwan Mustafa, split off in 2009. However, it was the withdrawal of party leader Jalal Talabani from political and public life due to a stroke suffered in 2012 that most damaged the party’s ability to function, and widened factional cracks within the organization. The absence of Talabani led to the emergence of intense competition between various groups within the PUK for influence and positions. Consequently, PUK policies on a number of important issues in Iraqi Kurdistan have been indecisive and weak since approximately 2013. This research will discuss the PUK’s inconsistent policies and their negative implications for the Kurdistan Region. Furthermore, it will argue that the PUK’s internal conflicts emboldened its rival, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, between the years 2014 and 2018. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of Asian and African Studies Vol. 54, No.7; Nov 2019: p.1012-1032 |
| Journal Source | Journal of Asian and African Studies 2019-10 54, 7 |
| Key Words | Factionalism ; Kurdistan Democratic Party ; Gorran Movement ; Patriotic Union of Kurdistan ; Inconsistent Policies |