Some 91.83 percent of voters in Iraqi Kurdistan supported the idea of independence from Baghdad, as 3.4 million ballots were counted, the referendum commission said on Tuesday. It was earlier reported that a total of 3.4 million people voted in the referendum that was held on Monday. The commission noted that highest level of “yes” answers was recorded…
Except for the State of Israel and the Kingdom of Jordan, there isn’t one state in Western Asia that is viable inside its present borders at a 20-year horizon. All the powers with interests in the region want to kick the problem down the road, and that is why the whole world (excepting Israel) wants…
Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence vote may lead to an economic blockade from regional players and ethnic instability, analyst Hasan Abdullah told Radio Sputnik, adding that Turkey, Iran and Baghdad’s determination to thwart the Kurdish strive for sovereignty may convince Erbil to back off, while Israel’s support won’t help. The Kurdish independence referendum is likely to trigger a…
On 10 April 2003, I was driving on a road west of Kirkuk, waiting for the city to be captured by the Kurdish Peshmerga and worried that we might arrive there before the Iraqi army had withdrawn or broken up. We could see no cars from Kirkuk coming towards us, which might mean that there…
Today, Iraqi Kurds will vote in a long awaited and widely condemned separatism referendum that is being boycotting by Arabs and Turkomen. The referendum which has been condemned by all regional powers except for Israel as well as condemned by the UN, US, China and Russia, has already caused both Iran and Turkey to effectively…
The countdown to the Iraqi Kurdish referendum has begun and the battle lines are drawn. Barzani Is pushing full steam ahead, stating that he sees no other option. Baghdad has taken a legal stance, which is of no concern whatsoever for the Kurds despite their having agreed to the Iraqi constitution. President Abadi was the…
