Kaynak, Akif BahadırArıboğan, Deniz Ülke2023-02-012023-02-012023Kaynak, A. B., Arıboğan, D. Ü. (2023). Making of a new petro-state in the middle east? Fossil fueled kurdistan regional government. In Proceedings of Topical Issues in International Political Geography, 56-66. Cham: Springer International Publishing.2194-315Xhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12939/3208The emergence of a Kurdish political entity in the north of Iraq can be dated back to the aftermath of First Gulf War. When the coalition forces stopped short of destroying Saddam’s War machine in 1991, the Iraqi Army advanced north to crush the Kurdish rebels. A coalition force led by US declared a “no-fly zone” on the north of 36th parallel in order to create a safe haven for the Kurds. Second Gulf War further consolidated Kurdish autonomy in the region following the melt down of central Iraqi government while the peshmerga forces advanced south to control the abundant oil resources of Kirkuk province that has been contested by Baghdad and the Kurds for decades. Control of those underground resources enabled the Kurdish entity to pursue a more independent policy as well as providing financial resources for centralization of political power. The disputes with Baghdad government still are not over but a petro-state seems to be taking shape despite those political uncertainties. This new political entity shares many similar traits with other states in the region that rely on rents from fossil fuels. Underlying economic conditions are an important determinant of the political system of Erbil government.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessKurdistan Regional GovernmentPetro-stateRentier StateResource NationalismResource WarsBook Part56662-s2.0-85146244431Q3