ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the development of federal relations in Iraq since the adoption of the new federal constitution in 2005. It seeks to explain why the new federal system was not fully implemented and why the Kurdistan federal region held a referendum of independence.
Our main argument - the federal system in Iraq during 2005-2017 was more secession-inducing than independence-preventing - is tested using a qualitative format. The data was generated through interviews and collected from journals, official documents, newspaper reports and governmental websites.
We find that during 2005-2017, the new Iraqi federal system was more independence-inducing than secession-preventing due to several factors, such as a lack of full implementation of the federal constitutional provisions, a wealth of natural resources in the region and Kurdish nationalism.
