From Baghdad to Istanbul: How Iraqi Kurds Could End Up Under De facto Turkish Rule

21st Century Wire says…
After seven years of war in Syria, and three years of ISIS marauding through Iraq, one thing is for sure: Iraqi Kurdistan is not what it was five years ago – when its geopolitical chaperone in Washington was still militarily occupying Iraq, and with oil pegged above $100 per barrel and its capital Erbil was a booming economic powerhouse. Back then, unimpeded progress was the order of the day. Not so today.
Politically and economically, Iraqi Kurdistan is fractured, which opens the door for a number of issues yet to unfold after this week’s historic move for independence.
As writer Adam Garrie points out in this piece below, the referendum is only the first step. Afterwards, some very serious problems are likely to follow.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised heavy sanctions against parts of northern Iraq, should Kurdish secessionists go through with their threat to hold a referendum for ‘independence’ in two days time.

This post was published at 21st Century Wire on SEPTEMBER 24, 2017.