Will the Kurds be satisfied with anything other than independence? We follow one Kurd returning to Kirkuk as he attempts to find out what his countrymen will do next.

“I think the situation is really ripe for an independent Southern Kurdistan,” states Karzan Sherabayani. For the past 24 years, he’s been in exile abroad. Now, he’s returning to vote in the elections. During his visit, Karzan conducts a survey to find out what his fellow Kurds really want. Over 95% vote for a separate Kurdish state. But there’s a growing gap between what the people want and what their politicians are fighting for. Their leaders maintain that the Kurds best interest lies within a federal Iraq. “The surrounding countries and our geography don’t allow for the creation of a Kurdish state,” explains Prime Minister Omar Fatah. There are also fears that the Arabs and ethnic groups who live in Kirkuk will be isolated by any talk of independence.

Karzan Sherabayani