TRAVERSE

STATELESS
landlocked and reliant on its neighbors for access to the
sea. An independent Kurdistan would have to transport
its oil by land with the cooperation of its neighbors.
And while ISIS’s advance has allowed the Kurds to
expand their territory, Kurdistan now shares a 600-
mile border with the Sunni militants—a dangerous
and permeable frontier that threatens Kurdish stability.
As a result, Iraqi Kurdistan has also become a safe
haven for Kurds fleeing ISIS and the Syrian civil war.
The hundreds of thousands of refugees are
putting a strain on Kurdish resources, and gas
shortages are now commonplace. If Iraq breaks
into pieces, the security and stability of Kurdistan
are not assured, and so far Kurdish leaders have refrained
from declaring outright independence.
While the new reality brings challenges, the disintegration
of the Iraqi state is without a doubt a
game changer for the Kurds. “The idea of a Kurdish
nation has now become an undeniable reality for
millions,” Exeter University’s Allison says. “In the
future, Kurdistan will be very difficult, if not impossible,
to eliminate from any political picture.”
TRAVERSE 29