ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Day by day, oil revenues are widening the differences between Erbil and Baghdad, witnessed in construction, security, services and human capacity development. Instead of geographical borders, it is the Kurdistan Region’s development that sets it apart from the rest of Iraq.
When you enter Iraqi Kurdistan from the eastern border with Iran, you go through the town of Penjwin, whose 13 natural resources include gold, iron, uranium and magnesium, all waiting to be developed. The area is also home to a kind of granite that is internationally very highly prized, and comparable to Italian granite.
In the European part of Istanbul, when I visited Emre Ulker, one of the senior officers of the Bugun Media Network, I was told that no government or political party in Turkey, not even the most patriotic ones, can disregard the importance of the Kurdish oil pipeline to Turkey.
For years, weapons and ammunition were imported through the eastern and western borders of Kurdistan, which ignited the civil war. Now, over the same border, out goes Kurdish oil and in come giant international companies. Oil has played a huge role in politics: it has transformed the gates used to import weapons into gates importing development.
Until the end of February 2014, the Iraqi government produced 3.5 million barrels of oil. From that, 2.5 million barrels are exported. Around 9 percent of Iraq’s income comes from oil revenues.
Since 2003, year-by-year, Iraq’s budget has increased dramatically. In 2003, the Iraqi budget was $6.1 billion, while the estimated 2014 Iraqi budget is $150 billion. The increase has greatly contributed to the development of the Kurdistan Region in the main fields that are directly related to peoples’ lives. Iraq is still considered a poor country, while the Kurdistan Region is listed among the developed areas.
Compared to the areas under control of the Iraqi government, the Kurdistan Region has benefited most from natural resources. Figures show that increases in Iraqi oil production lead to greater development of the Kurdistan Region, but not other parts of Iraq. This has caused a huge difference in the two areas in terms of development, governance and -- more importantly -- security and stability.
If the Iraqi government continues to export oil at its current rate for the next 10 years, and continues to pay the budget of the Kurdistan Region, the border point between Iraq and Kurdistan will no longer be a geographical frontier. A bold border, encompassing a strong economy, development and human capacity development, will differentiate Kurdistan from the rest of Iraq. A border that cannot be balanced by any government.
Until 1991, the Baath regime destroyed five districts, 26 sub-districts and 2,545 villages in the province of Sulaimani. As a result of the destruction, 114,625 buildings, 682 schools and 165 hospitals were leveled to the ground. After the 1991 uprising, reconstruction of the province began. Until 2010, 16 districts, 45 sub-districts, 73 municipalities and 2,236 villages were either constructed or reconstructed. That means, compared to before 1991, from 1991 to 2010, there has been an increase of 11 districts, 41 sub-districts, 64 municipalities and 2,218 villages and 567 neighborhoods. Also, the number of families has increased by 215,941.
Figures show that the Kurdistan Region has been more successful than Iraq in controlling poverty, too. In Kurdistan, only 3.8 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, while for the rest of Iraq the figure is 30 percent.
Employment is no different. Kurdistan Region: 7.7 percent. Iraq: 11 percent.
In per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Kurdistan’s $7,654 outshines Iraq’s $4,485.
More children attend elementary school in Kurdistan: 95.8 percent, versus 90.4 percent for Iraq. According to statistics of Iraq’s central institute of statistics, 71.2 percent of students in Kurdistan finish middle school, while only 48.6 percent do so in Iraq.
In gender equality, Kurdistan again beats Iraq: From the age of 10 to 14, 55.8 percent of girls in Kurdistan feel they are treated as equally as their brothers, but the rate for Iraq is 49.3 percent.
Infant mortality per 1,000 live births before reaching one year of age is 28 infants in Kurdistan, but 32 for the rest of Iraq. Infant mortality before age five is 32 per 1,000 in Kurdistan, but 37 per 1,000 in Iraq.
One of the Baath policies was to minimize the number of industries in the Kurdish regions as much as possible. Until 1991, only 6 percent of Iraq’s industrial factories were located in Kurdistan. This number increased to 41 percent by 2013.
There are 546 large factories in Iraq. However, due to lack of security and stability, only 294 factories actually operate. That means 54.6 percent of the factories have stopped operation. In Kurdistan, however, in addition to new factories opening, some old ones are also being renovated.
The above figures indicate that the Kurdistan Region, through effective use of oil revenues, has witnessed tremendous development, compared to the rest of Iraq. If the Kurdistan Regional Government controls the export of Kurdish oil, in 10 years most of Iraq’s industrial needs will be able to be fulfilled by Kurdistan.
