Crisis on the Turkish-Iraqi border: A Primer

Tension is rising between Iraq, Iraqi Kurdistan, and Turkey over the PKK. On April 7, Kurdish leader Masud Barzani threatened to spark an insurrection inside Turkey. The head of the Turkish General Staff called on his government to approve a cross-border military operation to eradicate terrorist bases in Barzani’s territory. Barzani remains defiant.

• The U.S. role in Kurdish overconfidence: Enabling Kurdish Illusions
• The Nature of the PKK: Can the PKK renounce violence?
• The PKK threat: The PKK factor
• Can the Kurds be trusted? The Barzani Chameleon
• U.S.-Turkish diplomacy in the run-up to the Iraq War