The Independence Referendum

As Michael Gunter explains in Kurdish Nationalism and Conflict in Postcolonial IraqIraq, the desire for statehood—or at least cultural autonomycultural autonomy—by many Kurds has led to an almost continuous series of Kurdish revolts since the creation of the modern Middle EastMiddle East state systemstate system after World War IWorld War I (Gunter MM in Kurdish Nationalism and Conflict in Postcolonial Iraq. Lexingotn Books, Lanham, Boulder, New York and London 2015, p. 260). This is because according to some Kurds—especially KDPKurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) supporters, Iraqi ArabsArabs see the Kurds as second-class citizenssecond-class citizens and have never treated them as true partners.