According to a report by Kurdpress, Dunya Bashul, an expert on Kurdish affairs, describes the case of Khurshid Herki—a leader of a Kurdish tribe in the Kurdistan Region—as a telling example of the structural challenges facing the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. She argues that this case demonstrates how power dynamics in the region remain driven more by political parties and tribal networks than by legal institutions.

She notes that when the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) decided to detain Khurshid Herki, the move was orchestrated by a political party rather than the regional government. In Bashul’s view, this illustrates that the Kurdistan Region is effectively divided into two distinct spheres of power—dominated respectively by the KDP and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)—and that the rule of law is not applied uniformly across these two zones.

According to this analyst, the armed clashes between forces loyal to Khurshid Herki and those of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) rapidly escalated into a tribal conflict; ultimately, the dispute was resolved not through the judicial system, but rather through agreements reached between influential figures and tribal elders. He views this pattern as an indication of the weakness of the rule of law in the region.

Bashul identifies the rivalry over control of the Khabat power plant—and the allocation of associated job opportunities among the tribes—as a root cause of some of these disputes. In his view, the practice of hiring personnel based on tribal affiliations rather than professional qualifications exemplifies the influence of traditional structures on the management of the region's economic institutions.

He also points to the forced relocation of certain villages—including Lajan—viewing it as an indication of how internal conflicts impact the lives of citizens. At the same time, Bashul rejects narratives that characterize the Herki tribe as a monolith beholden to foreign interests, emphasizing instead that the tribe is dispersed across Iraq, Iran, and Turkey, with members holding diverse political views.

In this analyst's view, while a young, educated generation—well-versed in modern governance standards—strives to reform the Region’s administrative structures, partisan and tribal networks continue to impede the establishment of meritocracy and institutional reform.

Ultimately, Bashol concludes that the persistence of this structure over the past 35 years has prevented the Kurdistan Region from leveraging its significant assets—including vast oil and gas reserves, Western support, and the U.S. security umbrella—to establish a modern governance system grounded in the rule of law. In his view, as long as tribal and partisan ties dominate official institutions, the Kurdistan Region will face serious challenges in its development and in maintaining its political and strategic standing.