Iraqi Kurds have never made a secret of their longing for full-fledged statehood and there were indications – as recently as last week – that some regional actors might support such an eventuality. Still, the announcement (or „threat”) by the president of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Massoud Barzani, to hold a referendum on independence has elicited a mixed reaction – even among Kurds themselves.

Has Barzani misread the signals from neighbouring countries, or misunderstood US warnings to set aside those aspirations? Has he decided to override them and capitalise on an opportunity that many Kurds feel may never come again? Or is this a case of showmanship – a way to raise the stakes and gain leverage for his demands of a new Baghdad government?

During a visit to Erbil last week, US Secretary of State John Kerry asked the Kurdish authorities to support Iraqi unity and Baghdad’s fight against the „existential threat” posed by an al-Qaeda offshoot now known as the Islamic State.

Falah Mustafa, de facto foreign minister for the KRG, is not worried about the US. „I believe that in today’s world, it is the people who have the decision and the Kurdish people have suffered a great deal as a result of distorted policies,”  he told Al Jazeera over the phone from the US. „The time has come for the Kurdish people to determine their own future. We are not the reason behind the breakup of Iraq, or the problems it faces today.”

Source: aljazeera.com