The Intelligence Review | volume 1 | issue 2 |

Syria. Considering the words of Peshmerga commander Sirwan Barzani, nephew of the
current KRG President, is integral to comprehending the importance of these new
boarders to the Peshmerga. He is quoted as saying, “it was our front line, now it is our
border, and we will stay forever” (Rohan and Szlanko 2016:1).
Adding to the significant territorial gains made by the KRG, there has been a consistent flow
of statements by KRGs leaders, regarding their desire to push for independence. These calls
began in July of 2014, when KRG President Massoud Barzani signaled that the Kurdish
government would hold an independence referendum later that year. The call was motivated
by President Barzani’s belief that Iraq had been “effectively partitioned” by ISIS (Anon.
2016a:2). The plan fell flat, never gaining traction during the KRG’s military struggle against
ISIS. But it did not stop President Barzani from making a similar claim in February of 2016,
again calling for an independence referendum to be held at the end of 2016. He declared:
“the same way that Scotland, Catalonia, and Quebec [...] have the right to express their
opinions about their destiny, Kurdistan too has the right, and it is non-negotiable” (Al-
Marashi 2016:7). This call for an independence referendum also failed to materialize. This is
possibly a result of joint planning between Baghdad and Erbil to launch an operation to
retake Mosul from ISIS, which began in mid-October of last year. Shortly after that operation
was launched, the KRG Prime Minister, Nechervan Barzani, signaled that another push for
independence would be initiated after the conclusion of the operation (Anon. 2016b:2).
Some of the rhetoric coming from the KRG leadership could be attributed to the political
crisis that is taking place within the Kurdish government. The second term of President
Massoud Barzani was originally supposed to end in 2013. As a result of the 2013 election,
the Gorran party, which translates to “Movement for Change” and was founded to
challenge the two-party rule of the region, overtook the PUK as the main opposition to
the ruling KDP. This resulted in a KDP-PUK coalition in the KRG parliament, which was
designed to last for two years, until 2015. Since the end of the coalition government,
Barzani has been ruling Iraqi Kurdistan by decree. On top of that, the KDP has blocked
the opposition from entering parliament, leading to the body not convening for over a year
(Bar’el 2016:3). Further complicating the situation, protests have increased over the last
several weeks in the Sulaymaniyah province, which is politically dominated by the Gorran
Party. These protests are driven primarily by teachers and government workers who are
disgruntled because they have not been paid for several months (Bar’el 2016:3). The
internal unrest inside Iraqi Kurdistan decreases the possibility of their independence,
though it does not change the KRG’s desire to push for sovereignty at some point.
Conclusion
The Peshmerga have entrenched themselves along territorial boundaries that they have
long desired, and are willing to fight for those borders if necessary. The Barzani family,
who currently dominate the KRG’s leadership, are now three generations deep into the
Kurdish push for independence in Iraq. Recent statements made by President Barzani,
calling for independence after the expulsion of ISIS from Iraq, suggest that the Iraqi Kurds
intend to push for a referendum, or otherwise negotiate independence with Baghdad at the
earliest opportunity. Whether the increasing political unrest in Iraqi Kurdistan will stifle
the KRG’s push remains to be seen. It is likely that the KRG will push for sovereignty
shortly after the effective removal of ISIS from Iraq, though this may not be achieved
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