Abstract

The paper analyses the peculiar form of federalism introduced in Iraq by the Constitution of 2005 and the relationship between the Central Government of Baghdad and the autonomous Region of the Republic, the Kurdish Region of Iraq. The independence of the Kurds goes back to the early '90s and it was recognised by the Constitution of 2005: today political and juridical discussion focuses on the question if Iraq could be considered a federal State or a confederation between two sovereign entities. The sale of oil and natural gas (which Kurdistan Region is rich of) is still an unsolved dispute between the two governments and the failed unilateral referendum for the Kurdish independence in 2017 has clearly showed how far the federalism is from being consolidated in the region. Topics of the paper are the nature of the federalism, its problems and its possible development.