Alwaght- ISIS is knocking on Iraqi Kurdistan's door. The threat of the terrorist group which has already invaded central Iraq is real but it remains on the peripheral end of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region's troubles.
Kurdish forces have been fighting terrorists from the so-called ISIS terrorist group since the group took large swathes of territory across northern Iraq in an expansion bid last year. Yet, in order to fight in the region's internal battles, Kurds will need other weapons than just rifles and armored tanks to protect their rights.
Erbil has been burdened with a sack full of issues that might break its back. Not only is it facing a terrorist threat at its doorstep but it is also battling a political crisis, public discontent, and economic discrepancy.
Political upheaval
Deepening political wrangling among various Kurdish parties is fueling the crisis.
In one week, Iraqi Kurdistan witnessed the death of five people and the removal of four ministers from office. The Kurdish prime minister sacked four ministers from his cabinet on Monday and banned the speaker of parliament from entering the regional capita, all of whom are members of the Movement for Change Party, also known as Gorran, which the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) accuses of organizing the deadly protests.
Demonstrations broke out in the Kurdish cities of Sulaimania and Halabja over delayed public sector salaries but clearly bear the fingerprints of tensions between the parties who are seeking to put an end to the presidential crisis. Protesters accused the KDP of hoarding power following outgoing President Massoud Barzani's refusal to stand down after his term expired on August 19, exploiting fear of ISIS.
Parliament speaker (and Gorran member) Yousef Mohammed called the move "a coup against the legitimacy of the parliament" and "a dangerous development for the political process in Kurdistan".
Public scrutiny
Already facing criticism over its handling of dissidents, the KDP-led government is being blamed for failing to end economic hardships triggered by delayed government salary payments and the refugee influx into the region in northern Iraq.
A wave of public discontent has swept across "Kurdistan" where Iraqi Kurds are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with government corruption.
The last civil unrest hit the region in 2011 when Kurds demonstrated against corruption and nepotism which is widespread in Erbil. Should the protests continue at this rate and no swift and efficient reforms are implemented it seems likely that public frustration will mushroom into an internal uprising.
Economic woes
The government in Erbil has flinched in the face of slashed funds in 2014 when the central authorities in Baghdad decided to cut the annual allocations.
The economic crisis began in early 2014 resulting in a decline of the volume of foreign and domestic investment and the fall of trade rate.
Due to an ISIS expansion, investors had cold feet and an influx of about 3 million refugees strained the region's resources.
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) spokesman Safeen Dizayee said: "This has all accumulated into a dire situation...If this continues and the price of oil keeps dropping, it’s going to create more problems for us".
These woes have been exacerbated by the war on ISIS and a drop in oil prices.
"The crises must not be mixed up with political matters that will take Kurdistan in an unstable direction," the region's deputy prime minister, Qubad Talabani, said at a meeting with the teacher's union in Sulaimaniyah.
The government has failed to show economic might despite the enormous amounts of money flowing into the Kurdistan region in the form of investments and oil revenues. Kurds have complained of the social welfare system as well inequity in wealth divisions among its residents.
Kurds have also raised questions over where the revenues are spent. One banner carried by protesters read: "Oil money should be for the people, not for the mafias."
ISIS Threat
The Peshmerga has been engaged in fierce confrontations with ISIS since the terrorist group occupied the city of Kirkuk in 2014. But the region's internal crisis may threaten this front. An unstable situation within will negatively be reflected on the battlefield.
Observers have warned that the current situation jeopardizes the focus on the battle against ISIS especially that the top official responsible for the Peshmerga was among those who were removed from office.
"The impasse over the presidency is unfortunate for Iraqi Kurdistan because it occurs at a moment when the Kurds are at the cusp of realizing their national aspirations and gaining greater international support for a sovereign and independent Iraqi Kurdistan," David Phillips, a Columbia University researcher and former State Department official told the Huffington post.
Ultimately, the Kurds will lose the great battle if they are unable to fight off their own.
An enemy has many faces. In the Kurdistan region, this enemy has appeared in many guises politically, economically, socially, and even on a security-level. What worries most in this crisis is that a divided Kurdistan region will be unable to shut the door in the face of the lurking predator.
