“Through education, Kurdistan is on the right track to have a skilled public that can lead and build the country into a successful nation in the future.”
On a first visit to Erbil a tourist will likely be surprised by the malls and mansions. The skyline climbs, as minarets compete with new high-rises reaching into the sky. Downtown, around the qalat, an area around the giant tel at the center of the city, the traditional bazar is newly redone with fresh brick. Across the street are simple tables with umbrellas over them in the open air.
Further south, about two blocks, is Downtown Erbil, a new two-billion-dollar shopping center project began in 2006 that boasts a beautiful open air design with glass ceilings. Sometimes called the “Women’s Bazar” because the statues of prominent female Kurdish figures and martyrs line the entrance, each with a small plaque telling their story, it is truly a sight to behold.
They have malls, so what? Malls are a great indicator of economic progress. Supermarkets contain essential items, bazars sell necessities with a few extravagancies, but just think about how many times someone must to go to a mall. Rarely must one go, rather they go for the experience; whether to browse, socialize, or just get out of the house.
In Majidi Mall a hungry shopper can pick between American chains such as Pizza Hut, Hardees, or KFC, among others. This is in between browsing name brand clothing stores such as Adidas, Levis, and Versace. Other non-clothing retailers include Lego, Swarovski, and iCenter, an authorized Apple reseller. Not only are malls where people spend their money, but also a source of service industry employment providing jobs.
In addition to the new malls, new real estate developments are popping up all over the city. In Italian City, a gated master-planned upscale area in the western part of town, there are streets and streets of modern homes with parks and green spaces that cater to Kurd and expat alike.
A bit north of Italian City is Dream City, where the mansions are, including a replica of the White House. Some may consider some of the mansions as a bit gaudy, but they are an indicator of a certain degree of wealth in Iraqi Kurdistan — as well as a willingness to spend.
In addition to the houses in Italian City and Dream City, there are the high rises that have come to dominate the skyline. One of the new additions, Naza Tower, is scheduled to be completed in 2018 and will climb to 902 feet and boast 65 floors of mixed use (mall, office, and residential) space. The growth has provided steady jobs as the new developments have to be built, plumbing needs to be installed, and wires need to be put in place for electric and telephones, and the like.
Even with the threat of the Islamic State, Erbil continued to attract foreign direct investment, netting a total of $5.5 billion in 2013 and hosting 2,724 foreign companies in that same year. Foreign investment is not just being made in cash, but in providing the Kurdish people with development capabilities, as European and American teams have been helping Kurds diversify their crops and improve agricultural processes and production.
Additionally, Kurdish gains from when they pushed back the Islamic State put new oilfields under Kurdish control, most notably around Kirkuk and in the Nineveh Plains north of Erbil. Additional energy resources can put Kurdistan not just in a situation to sustain itself, but to have some economic power by export. However, Kurdistan will have to be diplomatic in its birth and infancy, as it is land locked and its new neighbors do not look to Kurdish independence with optimism. Even with all the oil in the world, if there is no way to export it to market, then it is useless.
Any country, but especially a new country, must be economically viable. For that new country to last it must have a populace that can sustain it into the future. A major component of which is education. Not only are Kurds looking to educate their youth in reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also with the aim to chart a new course in Middle Eastern civic life.
One such example is the American International School – Kurdistan, for kindergarten through middle school, it has a campus in Erbil and will soon open campuses in Sulaymaniyah and Dohuk. The curriculum is delivered in English and part of their mission is “introducing and spreading American values,” to include freedom of speech, diversity, and tolerance.
Graduates of the American International School – Kurdistan would have an easy time matriculating into one of Kurdistan’s international universities. The University of Kurdistan – Hewler (Erbil) also uses English as the primary medium of communication and awards both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
The American University of Kurdistan, located in Dohuk, awards degrees from their College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, College of Engineering and Architecture, and College of International Studies, as well as hosts an English Language Institute which prepares incoming students to learn in English. The University of Kurdistan – Hewler and the American University of Kurdistan are just two of 25 colleges and universities that serve Iraqi Kurdistan’s residents.
Iraqi Kurdistan has the economic resources to sustain itself and not be reliant on foreign aid or a large degree of outside assistance. In the years since the fall of Saddam Hussein, it has been a magnet for foreign investment and experienced economic growth and an accompanying building boom. Unlike the rest of Iraq, Kurdistan did not suffer a brain drain that accompanied the instability of the post-invasion years — it can sustain itself with its human capital.
Through education, Kurdistan is on the right track to have a skilled public that can lead and build the country into a successful nation in the future.
