The Iraqi Government's choice of Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani as the country's new president comes as a great surprise to me, as well as many people around the world. The Kurds, who suffered greatly under Saddam Hussein, now are the major force in the Iraqi government's coalition. This could be a potential sign that the Kurds will be granted more sovereignty, as well as even a state. Of course I am quite optimistic at this point, but I think this is a step in the right direction. They will most certainly gain more rights and influence in Iraq, where they comprise most of the population in the North. This could be very significant for the Middle East, as I argue that this issue of the Kurds in Turkey, Iran and Northern Iraq will affect the future of the geography of the middle east more significantly than any other conflict, namely the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Many scholars have pointed out that after a country's government is overthrown, if elections are held too soon, a more radical group takes over. This was the case in Egypt and Saudi Arabia and I believe we could also be witnessing this in Iraq.
