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Imbalance of Power in Iraqi Kurdistan

Dec 19, 2012 | 11:27 GMT

Imbalance of Power in Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in 2009

Wathiq Khuzaie/Getty Images

Summary

A looming leadership change in one of Iraqi Kurdistan's leading factions could upset the region's balance of power and destabilize relations between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Baghdad. The matter has arisen in the wake of a stroke reportedly suffered on Dec. 17 by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, scion of the Talabani clan and leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. According to reports, Talabani is in a coma and could be near death or permanently incapacitated.

Coming just a few months before Kurdish provincial and parliamentary elections, a change in leadership could derail the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan's efforts to restore parity with its rival faction, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, led by Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani. It could also weaken Iran's influence in the Kurdish north and reduce Iraqi Kurdistan's reliance on Turkey while benefiting Syrian Kurds. 

The two-party system that has long dominated Kurdish politics in northern Iraq is coming to a close....

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