All Eyes on Baghdad’s Response to Kurdish Independence Vote

By Ceng Sagnic

Ceng Sagnic is the editor of TurkeyScope at the Moshe Dayan Center for MENA Studies.

Today, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq is holding a historic referendum on Kurdish independence. Kurds are widely expected to overwhelmingly vote Yes, a result that threatens once again to undermine the fragile Iraqi state – split between Sunni, Shiite, and Kurdish regions – and is causing consternation throughout the region. The Cipher Brief’s Fritz Lodge spoke with Ceng Sagnic, Editor of TurkeyScope at the Moshe Dayan Center for MENA studies, about what the Kurds hope to gain from this vote and how the Iraqi central government, Turkey, and Iran will react to the possibility of an independent Kurdistan.

The Cipher Brief: How exactly is the referendum being held and what do we know from polling so far?

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