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COLLEGE PARK, Md., Aug. 25 - University of
Maryland constitutional expert and consultant to
Iraqi Kurdish leaders, Karol Soltan, is available
for interview. Soltan recently returned from Iraq
where he served as part of a team that helped
develop a proposed constitution for Kurdish
representatives to take to the negotiating table. He
also advised them during the talks. Soltan continues
to monitor Iraq's constitutional process from the
United States.
Soltan Says:
"It's not like Philadelphia. They're not 13
relatively homogeneous states at little risk of
fighting a civil war. They're trying to prevent an
early-stage civil war from exploding. They've spent
a lot of time trying to settle borders and generally
diminish the potential for violent conflict. In
effect, they're working out key provisions of a
peace treaty. Constitution-making is much more
difficult."
"I entered Iraq from the north and the first thing
that struck me was the flag. It was the flag of
Kurdistan at the border. There wasn't an Iraqi flag
in sight. It felt like Kurdistan not Iraq. The Kurds
have had de facto independence for a decade, and
that's a real constraint on negotiators."
"In its current form, the proposed constitution
looks decentralized enough to diminish the chance of
a large-scale civil war in the short run, though in
general things don't look good. Some legislative and
enforcement provisions that might have helped
long-term stability were dropped. Any effort to
create a more centralized government will only make
things worse."
CONTACT Soltan directly (Thursday Aug. 25 through
Sunday Aug. 28) at 617- 876-2924. Or call Neil
Tickner, 301-405-4622 (office), 301-257-0073
(after-hours).
BIOGRAPHY
KAROL SOLTAN -
associate professor of government and politics,
University of Maryland
EXPERTISE:
constitutional issues in fragile and failing states;
Iraqi constitution; nation building; bargaining and
game theory
CREDENTIALS:
Advised Kurdistan government in negotiations on
Iraqi constitution (July/August 2005); helped guide
development of East Timor constitution (2000) as
deputy director of the Office of Political,
Constitutional and Electoral Affairs for the UN
Transitional Administration in East Timor; worked on
Polish state government reform (1991-1994) at the
National School of Public Administration, Warsaw;
advised USAID on aid programs for fragile and failed
states; books include A New Constitutionalism and
The Constitution of Good Societies.
www.ascribe.org
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