A Geopolitical Analysis of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Policies toward Religious Minorities and Their Implications for the National Security of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Document Type : Original Article from Result of Thesis

Authors

1 PhD student in Public Policy, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Political Science., Faculty of Law and Political Science., Central Tehran Branch., Islamic Azad University. Tehran,. Iran

3 Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract
The Kurdistan Region of Iraq, due to its diverse ethnic and religious context, has always been an arena for complex security activities. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) policy towards religious minorities (including Yazidis, Christians and Kakaites), beyond human rights approaches, has been used as a strategic tool to gain international legitimacy and consolidate its position against the central Iraqi government. Using the descriptive-analytical method and the theoretical framework of Barry Buzan's "regional security" and Waltz's "structural realism", this research seeks to answer the question of what impact this region's policies towards these minorities have on the national security geometry of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The research findings show that this region's approach, by creating platforms for influence for trans-regional actors in Iran's peripheral regions, can fuel emerging security challenges such as information-security influence, weakening strategic depth and fueling identity faults in the west of the country. Finally, while criticizing passivity in purely security-related policymaking, the article suggests that the Islamic Republic of Iran, by adopting active "religious-economic diplomacy" and a structural presence in minority areas, move towards preventive management of the surrounding environment instead of a reactive approach, in order to prevent these minorities from becoming centers of insecurity.

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