Contact Us

4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016 United States

Policy Analysis

The GKIP Policy Analysis delivers in-depth, expert-driven insights on critical policies and developments impacting Kurdistan and the broader Middle East. Through rigorous analysis of the political, economic, and social challenges facing Kurdish communities, we aim to elevate these issues within policy and academic circles, as well as the public in the United States, Kurdistan, and beyond. Our mission is to foster informed dialogue, promote peaceful solutions, and contribute to policies that deepen understanding and advance the Kurdish struggle for rights and recognition.

We welcome well-researched, original analyses that focus on a single issue and/or policy and offer practical, solution-oriented recommendations. Submissions should be between 1000-1200 words, written specifically for GKIP. We do not accept articles from anonymous authors. All contributors must include a brief bio and current affiliations. To ensure accuracy and transparency, factual claims must be supported with hyperlinks to credible sources.

Please send submissions as a word document to KurdishSIS@american.edu.

We strive to respond to all submissions within five business days.

Policy Analysis · September 30

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.
Full Story

Policy Analysis · September 24

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.
Full Story

Policy Analysis · September 23

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”.
Full Story

Policy Analysis · July 8

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.
Full Story

Policy Analysis · July 3

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.
Full Story

Policy Analysis · April 18

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.
Full Story

Policy Analysis · March 5

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.
Full Story

Policy Analysis · March 4

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.
Full Story