Creating political space to resolve inter-communal tensions in Kirkuk, Iraq

Kirkuk Governorate has been a focal point of significant tensions in Iraq since the 2003 US-led intervention. Substantial oil reserves, strained relations between Kirkuk’s Arab, Kurdish, Turkoman and Chaldo-Assyrian communities, and the broader power struggle between Arabs and Kurds over Kirkuk’s future status place Kirkuk at the intersection of larger interests both inside and outside of the country. Kirkuk has nevertheless been largely neglected by the international community. At the time of the engagement described in the following case study, there had been little or no dialogue between the principal communities since 2003, and divisions (including violence) had caused them not to meet, trust to wane, and the stresses and risks of the situation to mount.