The independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan: the position of Egypt and the coverage in Egyptian online media

Abstract

ABSTRACT On 25 September 2017, the Kurdistan Regional Government held an independence referendum, which the government of Iraq and the international community rejected. Ample research is dedicated to various aspects of the referendum, including the policy of the US, Turkey, and Iran. Meanwhile, the positions and perceptions of the Arab states—governments and societies—have largely remained in shadow. This study aims to uncover how the Egyptian online media addressed and framed the event and explain the policy of Egypt towards the issue. The main findings of the research are the following: there is a perception in the Egyptian online media that the referendum was encouraged or orchestrated by foreign actors, particularly the US, with an objective to reshape the regional map and weaken the Arab states. They think that if the Kurdish region were to secede from Iraq, it would have terrible consequences for the Arab countries, and Israel would have been the winner. The government of Egypt viewed the referendum issue primarily through the lens of security challenges. From Egypt’s perspective, the power vacuum in the region could potentially be exploited by terrorist and radical organizations, posing more significant and imminent threats to the country itself.