Fouad Massoum Assumes Position as President of Iraq

His Excellency, Fouad Massoum

As ISIS storms through the Iraqi countryside, and Kurdistan is building itself independent as a nation, the Iraqi parliament is continuing to run business as usual. One such item of business was to elect a new sitting president of the Iraqi government. 

The preceding president, Jalal Talabani, was Kurdish. In fact, the law is that the president of Iraq must be a Kurd, the Prime Minister a Chi3a, and the Speaker of Parliament a Sunni. This is similar to the structure in Lebanon.

Jalal Talabani, known affectionately as Uncle Jalal, has been a hero and forthcoming statesman for the Kurdish people. Long oppressed in Iraq, Talabani was the first prominent Kurd to come to power in Iraq stretching back a long time.

A period of time stretching far into the Othman Empire.

Uncle Jalal pushed for the rights of the Kurdish, in representation and involvement within Iraq. Fouad Massoum, his successor, is expected to continue to do the same. But the wind has shifted in Iraq.

When Uncle Jalal came to power in 2003, Iraq was a cohesive state involving Kurdish, Sunni and Chi3a representation mostly spawning views based against the oppression of Saddam Hussein. Kurds wanted equality in a one-state Iraq.

But today, Kurdistan is more real than ever. The country is forming in northern Iraq and currently holds control over several cities known as being Kurdish by heritage. Should Kurdish Iraqis continue to integrate with an Iraq that has long been dominated by Arab Sunni and Chi3a? Or should Kurds focus on creating their own state, one that would be fully representative of the Kurds.