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Begin New Search Political Geography Mumbai Publishing Institution The Fletcher School, Tufts University

1. Iraqi Kurdistan: The Internal Dynamics and Statecraft of a Semistate

Author:
Matan Chorev
Publication Date:
09-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
al Nakhlah
Institution:
The Fletcher School, Tufts University
Abstract:
The semistate possesses many of the features commonly associated with the modern nationstate but remains unrecognized as a sovereign entity. Semistates (such as Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, Transnistria, and Iraqi Kurdistan) inhabit the central conflict fault-lines of Southwest Asia's strategic landscape at the dawn of the twenty-first century. In order to concoct effective conflict management approaches, policymakers must develop a framework for comprehending internal dynamics and statecraft of these entities. How do they function in the absence of international recognition? What impact did the dynamics of conflict and political development under such conditions have on the nature of the semistate? What is the entity's resultant worldview and statecraft?
Political Geography:
Mumbai

2. Like Father, Like Son – Personalized Succession: Bashar Asad and the New Challenges to the Ba'thist State

Author:
David Ethan Corbin
Publication Date:
09-2008
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
al Nakhlah
Institution:
The Fletcher School, Tufts University
Abstract:
Historically, Syria has had a unique position in the Arab world. Today is no different. Though overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim, Syria is run by a nominally Shi'a Islam, Alawi minority. Its population is a virtual ethnic and religious mosaic, comprised of Arabs, Alawis, Druze, Kurds and Armenians each belonging to various Muslim and Christian denominations and speaks Arabic, Kurdish, Armenian, Circassian and Aramaic. To complicate matters further, Syria's main ally in the region is Iran—the decidedly non-Arab, Shi'a Persian state and, in the aftermath of the U.S. invasion in Iraq, burgeoning regional hegemon. Damascus also plays host to many non-state armed groups that pose a persistent threat along Israel's borders.
Political Geography:
Mumbai