For those that have put Iraq out of their minds……

But this time it is political chaos which could lead to further violence……chaos has been the norm for Iraq since 2003 and now with the conflict against ISIS why would it be any different than in the past?

This takeaway provided by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW)……..

The political crisis in Iraqi Kurdistan caused by delayed Presidential elections descended into outright political violence on October 8. Regional President Masoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), has continued to hold office even though his term expired on August 19 and no elections have occurred. Other Iraqi Kurdish political parties, particularly Gorran (Change), the KDP’s main political rival, tried to contest the extension of Barzani’s term and leverage concessions in return for his continuation in office. Popular protests against the government turned violent on October 9 after multi-party talks collapsed the day before. On October 11, the KDP ordered the speaker and other members of the Kurdish parliament from Gorran to leave the regional capital of Arbil, declaring that Gorran was no longer a part of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Gunmen loyal to the KDP barred a Gorran convoy from entering Arbil. This dangerous maneuver by the KDP to solidify Barzani’s position as regional president has escalated tensions within the KRG and serious political violence may protract. Unless negotiations between the KDP and the opposition parties reaches a meaningful compromise in short order, the KRG could split or collapse as opposition leaders move their operations from the seat of government in Arbil to Suleimaniyah.

This time it is in the region of the Kurds in North east Iraq…..a once fairly stable region but that was yesterday……the Kurds, the most reliable combatant against ISIS, is in the middle of some sort of political upheaval…..

The parliament speaker and ministers are all members of the Gorran party, which the dominant Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) accuses of orchestrating violent protests that resulted in five deaths.

The unrest is the most serious the relatively peaceful region has seen in years and could undermine its effectiveness in the war against Islamic State, in which it is a key ally of the U.S.-led coalition.

The ministers of religious affairs, finance, trade, and peshmerga forces on Monday met Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani who “asked them to leave their posts”, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) spokesman Safeen Dizayee told Reuters.

Keep in mind the peshmerga forces are the forces that are fighting ISIS tooth and nail and now their leader has been bumped from the government……how will this effect the fighting capability of the pershmerga?

Also to watch is the complaint that Kurds have had that the US is backing-off on the promises of arms and supplies……

Source: The Kurdish-Islamic State Problem

There is also the fact that Turkish airstrikes in Iraq have targeted Kurdish sites and not so much those of ISIS…

There are those that are predicting a big problem brewing in the region…….

Source: The Kurdish Problem | The National Interest

All this just illustrates that problems will be an inherent part of Iraq for decades to come…..and the once victorious Kurds are not immune to the chaos….no matter how well they fight ISIS……

Most Americans show a serious lack of interest in the dealings in Iraq…..we have become insulted from the chaotic nature of the region……the media is doing the public NO favors by downplaying the situation in the Middle East…….

Just another incident that could well come back and bite the US in the ass….like so many events in the region……..lose focus……..prepare for the bite with lockjaw!