Referendums as a political party gamble: A critical analysis of the Kurdish referendum for independence
| Author | Dylan O’Driscoll,Bahar Baser |
| Published date | 01 November 2020 |
| Date | 01 November 2020 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0192512119858367 |
| Subject Matter | Special Issue Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512119858367
International Political Science Review
2020, Vol. 41(5) 652 –666
© The Author(s) 2019
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DOI: 10.1177/0192512119858367
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Referendums as a political party
gamble: A critical analysis of
the Kurdish referendum for
independence
Dylan O’Driscoll
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Sweden; LSE, UK
Bahar Baser
Coventry University, UK; Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Abstract
This article brings the case of the Kurdish referendum for independence into the wider literature on
independence referendums. It examines the decision to hold an independence referendum and explores the
pre-referendum conditions and the post-referendum consequences. The article argues that the referendum
in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq was held due to internal political competition and party politics rather than the
ripeness of the timing for independence. Theoretically, this article adds a new dimension to the scholarship
on independence referendums, as it demonstrates that the purposes of independence referendums can go
beyond the question put to the population – such as consolidating popular support by connecting to the
population’s nationalist desires, despite independence not being a realistic prospect. Finally, it brings further
support for previous findings of the importance of international support for independence referendums.
Keywords
Independence referendums, Kurds, Iraq, unrecognised states, nationalism, secession
Introduction
The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) can be considered a de facto state since the early 1990s and its
autonomy has only increased since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003; however, full independence
has remained illusive. In September 2017, the Kurds held an independence referendum, which
despite huge popular support came at a time of political, economic, and regional troubles and
occurred without the backing of the international community or the Iraqi government. The
Corresponding author:
Bahar Baser, CTPSR, Coventry University, IV5 Innovation Village, Cheetah Road, Coventry, CV1 2TL, UK.
Email: bahar.baser@coventry.ac.uk
858367IPS0010.1177/0192512119858367International Political Science ReviewO’Driscoll and Baser
research-article2019
Special Issue Article
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