Iraq, or more poignantly Kurdistan, is back in the news after a prominent Iraqi Kurdish leader insisted on the Kurds’ right to self-determination, an issue that has roiled the region’s politics for the past … well, forever it seems. –JCL

Al-Jazeera English:

A prominent Iraqi Kurdish leader has called for the right to self-determination for his region, the AFP news agency says.

Massoud Barzani’s remarks on Saturday came as Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq’s prime minister-designate, is attempting to form a cabinet, in which Barzani’s bloc is expected to obtain several ministerial posts.

Speaking at a congress of his Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Barzani said “the issue of self-determination”, which he considered “a right”, would be presented to those attending the conference “to be studied and discussed”.

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