Iraq and its regions: the future of the Kurdistan region of Iraq after the referendum (original) (raw)

Despite huge Iraqi, regional and international opposition, Masoud Barzani, then President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), went ahead with an independence referendum on 25 September 2017. The overwhelming vote in favour preceded a disastrous aftermath, with the KRI losing the territorial gains made during the fight against Islamic State (also known as ISIS) and Barzani announcing his resignation. Iraq imposed a blockade on international flights to and from the KRI, sent troops into Kirkuk, and withheld public salaries and oil revenues. The KRI’s internal political divisions deepened, protests around salaries and corrupt patronage networks intensified, tensions within the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) mounted and the economic crisis worsened – any chances of realising Kurdish independence now appear remote. The post-referendum crisis showed the severity of Baghdad and Erbil’s outstanding issues: territorial disputes, distribution of the federal budget and the ownership and...