
In this episode, Marianna Charountaki — British expert and lecturer in Middle Eastern politics — explains why Iraq cannot be a viable state under its current constitutional framework. And why this is not just an Iraqi issue, but a signal for the entire region.
Key points of her analysis:
● Why is Iraq’s Constitution doomed to fail?
● Why has federalism failed — and why will it never work?
● What prevents sustainable coexistence between Shia, Sunni, and Kurdish communities?
❝We cannot patch up something that was flawed from the start. We don’t need an amendment — we need a full rewrite.❞ — Charountaki
If Iraq is the laboratory of the Middle East, then the entire model of ‘post-invasion statehood’ is destined to collapse.
In the second part of the interview, Charountaki challenges the myth of a unified ‘Kurdish question’:
❝We are not talking about a single ‘Kurdish question’. We are talking about four completely distinct realities.❞
▪ In Iraq — Kurds have constitutional recognition and de facto statehood.
▪ In Syria — the Rojava project exists, but lacks international recognition.
▪ In Turkey — the Kurdish issue is treated as a national security threat and suppressed.
▪ In Iran — the situation is mixed, with deep political and social marginalization.
No single international actor — not the US, not the EU, not Israel — can formulate a unified “Kurdish policy.”
Each case is its own conflict, its own history, its own future.
Confederation, not federation — this is the conclusion Charountaki leads us to.
Not only for Iraq. But for Syria. And perhaps for the entire Middle East.