How Democratic Is Kurdistan?

Washington, DC - “Kurdistan Is a Model for Iraq.” That is the title of an op-ed Masoud Barzani, 

president of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, wrote in the Wall Street Journal six years ago.

“Our difficult path to a secular, federal democracy is very much inspired by the U.S.,” he wrote.

In deed, Kurdistan has archived something that remains a dream for most Iraqis: security.

In a region plunged by turmoil, terrorism and sectarian warfare, the oil-rich Kurdish enclave has stayed largely stable and peaceful.

But some disagree with the notion that Kurdistan is a democratic model for Iraq.

They accuse the region’s leadership of being corrupt and failing to protect the rights of journalists and women, for instance.

So how democratic is Kurdistan?

To discuss this subject, Rudaw's Namo Abdulla talks to:

- Denise Natali, one of the foremost experts 

on Kurdish affairs here in Washington, DC. She has followed the Kurdish 

issue for more than two decades. Dr. Natali, who currently teaches at the National Defense University, is author of, most recently, “Kurdish Quasi-State.”

- Harold Rhode, a distinguished Middle East expert who served at the Pentagon for 28 years. He is currently with the Gatestone Institute, a New York-based foreign policy think-tank.

- Omer Taspinar, a prominent Middle East expert, at the Brookings Institution, who specializes in Turkish and Kurdish nationalism.