1
Associate professor of international relations University of Tehran, Iran
2
Master of international relations, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
Abstract
Holding of a referendum on the independence of the Iraqi State of Kurdistan in 2017 provoked a wave of regional and trans-regional reactions. Regional reactions, obviously, were from the governments of Iran, Turkey and Syria. The most important trans-regional reactions including Russia and Western countries. This descriptive-analytical research aims at assessing Russia’s foreign policy strategy as a trans-regional country, as well as collecting relevant data from articles and books. The main question of the research involves Russia's foreign policy strategy towards the independence referendum in the state of Kurdistan of Iraq. Based on the cost-benefit equation and the instrumental-tactical approach, the research hypothesizes that although Moscow did not take a clear position during the referendum on the independence of the Iraqi Kurdish state, Russia opposed the issue in practice. Th the main concern of Russia for opposing the referendum regarded short-term, medium-term and long-term concerns. Alliances and cooperation with Iran and Turkey, and strengthening the Iraqi central government, included the reasons why Russia consulted the Iraqi Kurdistan Autonomous Region to postpone the referendum. Other concerns regarded the weakening of national sovereignty, development of extremists, jeopardizing Russia's stabilizing role in the region, and further US interventions in the region, creating security problems on Iran's borders as Moscow's most important ally, and abolishing any separatist activity both inside and outside the borders.
asgarkhani, A., padervand, M., & hoshmand nanekaran, D. (2021). Russia's Foreign Policy Strategy Refarding the Referendum In Iraqi State of Kurdistan. Security Horizons, 14(50), 153-173.
MLA
Abomohamad asgarkhani; mahdi padervand; Dariush hoshmand nanekaran. "Russia's Foreign Policy Strategy Refarding the Referendum In Iraqi State of Kurdistan", Security Horizons, 14, 50, 2021, 153-173.
HARVARD
asgarkhani, A., padervand, M., hoshmand nanekaran, D. (2021). 'Russia's Foreign Policy Strategy Refarding the Referendum In Iraqi State of Kurdistan', Security Horizons, 14(50), pp. 153-173.
VANCOUVER
asgarkhani, A., padervand, M., hoshmand nanekaran, D. Russia's Foreign Policy Strategy Refarding the Referendum In Iraqi State of Kurdistan. Security Horizons, 2021; 14(50): 153-173.
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