Iraq/Kurdistan: Oil Hurdle Remains on Path to Kurdish Independence

Jul 12, 2015 | Robin Mills, The National
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Three recent developments across the Kurdish territories move the Kurds closer to political independence and economic autonomy. But despite these victories, the financial viability required by a Kurdish state or states is still in question. In last month’s Turkish elections, the Kurdish party secured a potentially king-making bloc in parliament. In Syria, Kurdish forces, the YPG, made dramatic gains at the expense of ISIL, capturing a key border post and advancing towards the group’s capital of Raqqa. And the Kurdish region of Iraq appears to have abandoned its revenue-sharing deal with Baghdad and is again attempting to sell oil independently.