Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog

I worked closely with Kurdish officials in Erbil last winter. They were seeking the military's help in enabling a state-sponsered airline (Austrian Airlines) operations at the airport. They were a pleasure to work with. The Kurdish government is all in when it comes to economic development & security. For example, instead of resorting to nepotistic management tactics, the airport officials hired a Swedish consulting team to help get the airport up to ICAO specifications. The officials fully understood that a western-based air carrier would not fly in unless the airport operations were in line with western standards of safety and efficiency. Therefore, the officials took all of our (the consulting team, Austrian Airlines reps & US military) advice without any cultural related pushback. I was also very impressed with the Kurdish Minister of the Interior. He explained one of the differences between him and his Iraqi counterpart in Baghdad. The Kurdish minister relaxes passport & visa requirements for developers while the minister in Baghdad continues with a painfully long and expensive process with obvious effect. In other wrods, the Kurds get it, Iraq doesn't. If Kurdistan ever gets the Kirkuk oil rights, you are looking at the next South Korea.