Fin de renaissance

AS RECENTLY as two years ago the Kurds of Iraq were riding high, at the peak of a well-deserved social and economic recovery following decades of hardship and isolation under Saddam Hussein. The region seemed an island of stability even as the rest of Iraq was convulsed by violence following the American invasion and overthrow of the Iraqi leader.

But the Kurdish miracle is dissipating. The Kurds have suffered a triple blow: the freezing in 2014 of their take of the federal budget, which constitutes 95% of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG)’s overall budget; the emergence of Islamic State (IS) which took control of Mosul, just 85km (50 miles) from the capital, Erbil, making travel to Kurdistan’s oil facilities slower and more hazardous; and a steep drop in oil prices.

Today the skeletons of unfinished buildings and half-empty watering holes bear witness to those once-high hopes. The residents are increasingly unhappy. Although the 70% drop in oil prices or the war against IS could not have been predicted, the severity of the crisis could surely have been mitigated.

History has been harsh to the Kurds, scattered across...Continue reading

Source: Middle East and Africa http://ift.tt/1Oxiw8s

Author : Unknown

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