Baghdad (AFP) - Iraq's parliament on Thursday elected veteran Kurdish politician Fuad Masum as federal president, a move that paves the way for the much-delayed formation of a new government.

The New York Times -  May 1, 2006 | By JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR. and LESLIE H. GELB

A decade ago, Bosnia was torn apart by ethnic cleansing and facing its demise as a single country. After much hesitation, the United States stepped in decisively with the Dayton Accords, which kept the country whole by, paradoxically, dividing it into ethnic federations, even allowing Muslims, Croats and Serbs to retain separate armies. With the help of American and other forces, Bosnians have lived a decade in relative peace and are now slowly strengthening their common central government, including disbanding those separate armies last year.

The New York Times - Published at November 25, 2003 - Op-Ed Contributor | By LESLIE H. GELB

President Bush's new strategy of transferring power quickly to Iraqis, and his critics' alternatives, share a fundamental flaw: all commit the United States to a unified Iraq, artificially and fatefully made whole from three distinct ethnic and sectarian communities. That has been possible in the past only by the application of overwhelming and brutal force.

National Geographic | By Avi Asher-Schapiro

Their centuries-old dream of statehood is coming closer amid the chaos of war.

As Sunni fighters led by the jihadist group ISIS have pressed forward, capturing the Iraqi cities of Mosul, Tikrit, and Ramadi and encircling Baghdad, Iraq's Kurds have taken advantage of the chaos by expanding their territory and pushing for greater autonomy.

Washingtonpost.com | By Ali Khedery

To understand why Iraq is imploding, you must understand Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki — and why the United States has supported him since 2006.

Bbc.com

The president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan Region has told the BBC he intends to hold a referendum on independence within months.

Rudaw.net | By Alexander Whitcomb

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani told US diplomats in 2007 that Shiite and Sunni factions would never reconcile, according to a confidential cable made available by WikiLeaks. 

Cnbc.com

As the Obama administration considers cooperation with Iran in Iraq, it needs a clear understanding of Iran's intentions. Iran and Iraq are historic rivals. Tehran will only help Iraq if it serves Iran's core national interests.

Cnn.com | By Mick Krever

Iraqi Kurdish President Massoud Barzani gave his strongest-ever indication on Monday that his region would seek formal independence from the rest of Iraq.