ABSTRACT
An analysis of the political system of Iraqi Kurdistan requires a comprehensive contextual analysis of factors which influence, or have influenced, the region. Located at a crossroads of cultures, nations and states, the list of applicable subjects to address in a contextual analysis of Iraqi Kurdistan would be extensive. I therefore address those areas which have an immediate impact upon the contemporary political and administrative system, namely the physical and human geographic characteristics of the region, and the economic features which have developed in the 1990s.
