Category Archives: Barzani

Barzani and Oil Strategy

By Kamal Chomani: There is no state in this world as backward as Saudi Arabia in the Middle East. There is no election, no human rights, no freedom, and no freedom of speech. The thugs of MBS, Mohammed Bin Salman, the Saudi ruler, managed to cut the prominent Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi into pieces inside the…

Sardasht Osman Remembered on the Ninth Anniversary of his Murder

By Ismael Aziz: Journalists and human rights activists have been remembering Sardasht Osman, who was murdered nine years ago this month. On 5 May, the 23-year-old Kurdish freelance journalist and anti-corruption campaigner was commemorated across the Kurdistan Region and around the world. In Kurdistan’s Erbil region, there was a gathering at Sardasht Osman’s graveside in the village of…

Dear President Barzani – When Will Be the Date Of Our Independence Referendum?

By Arian Mufid: When President Barzani recently told a UK newspaper that there was going to be a referendum on the independence of Kurdistan, it left me wondering how he had calculated his proposal. For the last four years he has been telling his own people that the day of the declaration of independence is…

If I Were Massoud Barzani

By Aziz Rauf: If I were Massoud Barzani, I would have never done what I did in the past; instead I would have asked for an apology for every single mistake. If I were Massoud Barzani, I would have fired my advisers, and mercenary journalists that are surrounding me. I would have listened to a…

Time is Right to Bring the Two Kurdish Leaders, Talabani and Barzani, to the Court of Justice

Rauf Naqishbendi

By Rauf Naqishbendi: Republished:  originally published in 2011. The two Iraqi Kurdish leaders, Barzani and Talabani, have sold out Kurdistan to the Kurds’ enemies. Nowhere is this treason more conspicuous than in Kirkuk, Mosul and Khanaqeen. The American invasion of Iraq, which presented itself as a golden opportunity, is gone with the wind thanks to…

Can Democracy Exist with Barzani in Charge?

Rauf Naqishbendi

By Rauf Naqishbendi: In a course of the life of a nation under democracy, when the government encroaches on the rights of its constituents, it is the constitutional right of concerned citizens to demand that their leaders relinquish power. In a representative democracy, delegated representatives are commissioned to impeach the head of the state in…

Kurdish Politics is Locked in the Mismanagement of Masud Barzani Leadership

Mufid Abdulla

By Arian Mufid: Kurdish politics has remained stagnated since the attack by Isis on the region over a year ago. No Kurdish party is willing to own up to causing this situation. We should not really be surprised as nothing can define the political makeup of the KRG. Its current state is no better than…

Barzani’s Terrible Miscalculation

By Arian Mufid: Masud Barzani is a man on the wrong side of history; rather than embracing the wave of progress in the world with regards to democracy and civilization, in contrast he has stood against this which in effect has resulted in him standing against his own people. Two months ago, in August, Barzani’s…

Barzani’s Controversial Position

Issa Chomani

By Issa Chomani: The Kurdistan Democratic Party [KDP], led by Massoud Barzani has reached the realisation that, they alone are not the decision makers unilaterally, on crucial matters concerning the political system, economy, oil and gas files, constitution amendments, foreign affairs, etc.  Just a few days are now left until the end of Barzani’s presidency…

In the KRG: Accountable or Unaccountable President? That is the Question

By Sardar Aziz: The history of the Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament dates back to the early 1990s. It emerged after the central government’s withdrawal from the region and the emergence of a de facto Kurdish state. For most of its history the parliament has been a vehicle for ‘strong men’ to rule the region – without…

Barzani’s Washington Trip: PR Without Substance

By a Correspondent: What to make of President Massud Barzani’s visit this week to Washington? His Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) supporters want to trumpet the occasion as an example of their leader performing on the world stage, negotiating face-to-face with the US president on critical issues such as securing direct military aid for the Peshmarga…

Massoud Barzani’s Controversial Presidency

By Harem Karem and Kamal Chomani: President Barzani’s two terms in office ended in 2013, although he has managed to cling on for two more years after striking a shady deal, exploiting a loophole in the system, with his so-called strategic partner, the PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan). Barzani’s presidency was revived by Hero Ibrahim…

South of Kurdistan Needs Strong Parliamentary System, Not Presidential Rule

By Arian Mufid: In August it will be time to elect the President of Kurdistan. Back in 2013 all the parties in the Kurdistan parliament passed a vote of confidence in Masud Barzani, re-electing him as President. The issue of whether Barzani should once again be re-elected, after his term expires, is hot topic of…

Physical Assault in Kurdistan Parliament over Barzani’s Term Extension

By Sabir Hasan: Wednesday, 25 March 2015, we were all shocked as two MPs from Barzani’s KDP party physically assaulted MP Ali Hamasaleh from the Gorran Movement. As MP witnesses have described the assault it seems to have been well planned. The assaults happened soon after the two KDP MPs threatened Mr Hamasaleh that discussion about Barzani’s term…

Wedged Between Obama’s Poor Plan and Their Own Corrupt Leaders

Rauf Naqishbendi

By Rauf Naqishbendi: The Islamic caliphate has been tenaciously holding on to what they gained since their expansion mission last June. Regardless of ominous threats and hollow words from the Obama administration, it seems that caliphate is here to stay and will further expand the domain of its control. To fight the caliphate, President Obama…