"It’s no longer about belief in the Greater Middle East. It’s already unfolding."

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A state built on a fundamental flaw: why Iraq’s Constitution doesn’t work.

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.