Study and Analyzing of Geopolitical Position of Iraqi Kurdistan

Nowadays the subject of Geopolitical Position is a considerable issue for geographers and geopolitisians. In American and European countries, during last four decades, many studies and research about this subject have been done. We can analyze geopolitical position from different aspects. One of these aspects is hydro politics, another dimension is hydro carbonic potentials. Different geographical regions of the world in terms of power and influence over other areas and amount of importance that have in the policy of world powers do not have the same status. Each of the different geographical areas based on their relative and absolute position, and other structural and functional features has a special geopolitical weight.

In this paper, we try to study and explain the geopolitical importance of the Kurdish region in northern Iraq with a descriptive - analytic approach and use of related texts, documents and books. And for that the methodology of the research is based on descriptive analysis.

Kurdish Region in the Middle East with an area of 475,000 square kilometers is located in the heart of the crisis region of the Middle East. Located at the crossroads of four different areas of civilization, Turk- Altai civilization in the north, Arabic and Semitic civilization in South and South-West, Aryan civilization in the East, Slavic and Armenian civilization in the North East, and division among four countries, has cause the more complex issues in this part of the Middle East. Meanwhile, Iraqi Kurdistan in terms of having energy natural resources, flowing a lot of rivers and hidropolitical issues related to them, and its transitional and tourism position, play a very important role in structure of political geography of Iraq. Moreover, decentralization of Iraqi political system has increased the geopolitical importance of regions in Iraq.

Research findings show that Iraqi Kurdistan in comparative with another region of Iraq has a very important position in the country. This part of Iraq that has located in north of country, due to its geopolitical and hydro political position, play an important role in structure of political geography of Iraq, especially after fall of Saddam in 2003 until now.