Analysis of rights-based politics in Iraq in light of liberal and republican approaches: Iraqi Turkmen

Despite being the third largest ethnic component of Iraq and one of the country's most historically and sociologically rooted communities, the Iraqi Turkmen have long been unable to obtain even the minimum standards of minority rights. Persistent inequalities in political representation, restrictions on cultural rights, asymmetries in access to economic opportunities, and entrenched institutional barriers have significantly weakened the Turkmen community's capacity to preserve its identity and sustain its societal position. This thesis seeks to analyze the underlying causes of these rights deprivations and their connection to state policies within the frameworks of liberal and republican minority theories. This study examines the policies pursued by the Iraqi state toward minority groups—specifically the Turkmen—through the lens of liberal and republican approaches. Owing to its multi-ethnic composition and its long history of ethnic conflict, Iraq constitutes a significant case for analyzing minority rights. The Turkmen, in their efforts to maintain their ethnic and cultural identity, confront a range of structural challenges, including political marginalization, economic disparities, and cultural discrimination. The liberal perspective conceptualizes minority–state relations on the basis of individual rights, equality, and fundamental freedoms, whereas the republican perspective emphasizes the necessity of state intervention to uphold social responsibility and the common good. Within this theoretical framework, the thesis analyzes the economic, social, and political challenges faced by Iraqi Turkmen and offers policy recommendations aimed at mitigating these issues. The findings demonstrate that Iraqi Turkmen continue to encounter structural inequalities in key areas such as access to basic rights, political representation, education, security, and cultural freedoms. Consequently, the study argues that, in order to safeguard minority rights and promote social cohesion, the Iraqi state must adopt more inclusive, egalitarian, and justice-oriented policies.