COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
I N T H E C I T Y O F N E W Y O R K
I N S T I T U T E F O R T H E S T U D Y O F H U M A N R I G H T S
Dear friend/colleague: Attached is the “Task Force Report: State-Building in Iraqi Kurdistan” (embargoed until October 13, 12pm). The report assesses Kurdistan’s path to independence and makes recommendations to the Kurdistan Regional Government and the international community to strengthen democracy in Kurdistan and enhance security cooperation in the fight against ISIS. Ambassador Nancy E. Soderberg, President Clinton’s Deputy National Security Adviser, is chair of the Task Force. Members of the Task Force include former U.S. officials, U.S. and European scholars and activists with many years of experience in Kurdish issues. The Task Force met regularly since April 2015 to discuss strategies, methodology, findings, and recommendations. A number of us visited Erbil and Ankara. The region is in crisis – Iraq’s collapse, Syria’s civil war, the overwhelming flow of refugees, the brutal sweep of ISIS, and Russia’s latest move to prop up the Assad regime. These events are a wake-up call to US policy-makers: the current course is failing. It’s time for some difficult decisions. Done correctly, the emergence of an independent, democratic, prosperous, and stable Iraqi Kurdistan is a win-win, advancing the interests of the Kurds, Iraq, countries in the region, and the broader international community. We hope this report spurs further thinking and analysis.
David L. Phillips Director,
Program on Peace-building and Rights
Watch the launch of the task force report on C-SPAN www.c-span.org/video/?328713-1/discussion-iraqi-kurdistan
View full report: State-Building in Iraqi Kurdistan