AUTONOMY OF IRAQI KURDISTAN IN A HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS: AN ANALYTICAL STUDY OF THE IRANIAN NEWSPAPER KAYHAN REPORTS IN 1963

Abstract

Following the overthrow of the Iraqi monarchy in July 1958 and the establishment of the Republic, Iraq experienced significant internal political transformations. Among the most prominent developments was the Kurdish movement’s demand for autonomy and the right to self-determination. Although Kurdish efforts to achieve autonomy had already begun within the framework of the Iraqi state, these efforts gained substantial momentum after 1958. Under the leadership of Mullah Mustafa Barzani and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the Kurds intensified their struggle for autonomy, and this movement continued until 1963.

This study analyzes the issue of Iraqi Kurdistan’s autonomy through reports and news, which being published in the Iranian newspaper Kayhan. By tracking the reactions that the newspaper observed regarding Kurdish demand. It examines the reactions of the Iraqi central government as well as the reaction of number of regional and international countries such as: Egypt and the Soviet Union, to Kurdish demands. The study addresses the political and military conflict that took place between the Kurdish movement and the central Iraqi government during that period.

This study focuses on news reports published in Kayhan during May, June, and July 1963, using a descriptive-analytical approach. Data were collected from multiple sources, with primary emphasis on the Kayhan newspaper’s reports and content relevant to Kurdish autonomy