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Podcasts Take Two
Amid uncertainty in Iraq, Kurdistan makes move for greater independence
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Jul 16, 2014
Listen • 7:17
Amid uncertainty in Iraq, Kurdistan makes move for greater independence
This week in Iraq, lawmakers took a first step toward forming a new government by naming a new speaker of the parliament.
Iraqi Kurdish protesters deploy a giant flag of their autonomous Kurdistan region during a demonstration to claim for its independence on July 3, 2014 outside the Kurdistan parliament building in Arbil, in northern Iraq. The Kurdish leader, Massud Barzani asked its parliament to start organizing a referendum on independence.
Iraqi Kurdish protesters deploy a giant flag of their autonomous Kurdistan region during a demonstration to claim for its independence on July 3, 2014 outside the Kurdistan parliament building in Arbil, in northern Iraq. The Kurdish leader, Massud Barzani asked its parliament to start organizing a referendum on independence.
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SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images
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This week in Iraq, lawmakers took a first step toward forming a new government by naming a new speaker of the parliament.

This week in Iraq, lawmakers took a first step toward forming a new government by naming a new speaker of the parliament.

It's the latest move to maintain control in the country since Islamist militants, known as ISIS, took over sections of the country. As the struggle for political control continues, the oil-rich autonomous region of Kurdistan, in the north, is emerging as a key player. And that could have important implications for US policy in the region.

For more, we turn to reporter Hermione Gee in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region.