ABSTRACT
Chapter Five examines the development of state identity for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and assesses its normative standing in the international system. The modern history of the Kurdish struggle is considered, comprising essential groundwork to understand the constructed statesmanship of its leaders. The type identity clash between the KRI’s rentier roots and later attempts at democratisation are scrutinised, shedding light on the instrumental use of attempted democratisation to successfully build diplomatic relations with the international community. This relationship-building has been pivotal to the alter-casting of the KRI’s role identity as an internationally acknowledged entity, playing a key role in influencing the path to, and consequences stemming from, the 2017 independence referendum. This chapter draws together the insights from these different components of the KRI’s identity to articulate its normative standing and demonstrate how dynamic international society’s layer of constitutionality can be.
