New Iraqi Prime Minister Faces Complex Test in Kurdistan Region Relations

Prime Minister Ali Zeydi faces an early and difficult test in managing Baghdad’s ties with the Kurdistan Region, where political tensions between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan are complicating his handling of the file. The issue has added weight because Baghdad is pursuing plans to link the region’s oil and non-oil resources to the central authority. Those plans also include unifying the customs system and transferring strategic decisions to the federal government, moves that could reshape the balance between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government. The confrontation comes at a sensitive moment for relations between the two sides. Analysts say US and Western backing will be decisive in strengthening Zeydi’s position and creating a more coordinated atmosphere between the Kurdistan Region and the Baghdad government. That support is seen as particularly important as he seeks to consolidate authority. Whether Zeydi can manage the broader set of files, including armed militias, the Kurdistan Region and the Turkish dossier, remains unclear and will become evident in the coming period.