David L. Phillips is currently Director of the Program on Peace-building and Rights at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights. Phillips has worked as a senior adviser to the United Nations Secretariat and as a foreign affairs expert and senior adviser to the U.S. Department of State. For discussing the current situation in Kurdistan and the broader region, and the Iranian influence in this strategically significant region, and many other related issues, we have conducted an interview with him, and he answered our questions as the following:

• First of all, how do you characterize what happened after conducting the independence referendum in Kurdistan region in October 16?
- The dream of independence was betrayed by a Talabany faction, which was convinced by Baghdad to abandon its defense of Kirkuk. The United States also betrayed the Iraqi Kurds. US officials colluded with the Iraqi Government, knowingly surrendering the field to Iran.
• As you know right now Kurdistan region is trying to pick itself up and dust itself of, what Kurdistan should and can do in this regard?
- Iraqi Kurds overwhelmingly supported independence in the referendum of September 25. What happened on October 16 doesn’t change that. The KRG should have held the referendum one year ago, before the battle for Mosul, when it had greater leverage.
• Do you agree that since October 16, Iran has been able to cement its grip on Iraqi politics more tightly, if it is so, what are the implications of Iranian dominance over Iraq on US and the entire region’s interests?
- Baghdad has become a vassal state of Iran. Shiite militias backed by Iran used sophisticated US weapons against the Kurds in violation of US law. It is ironic that Iran asserted its authority over Iraq just as President Trump announced a get-tough policy towards Iran for its activities in the region.
• Much have been talked about another abandonment of Kurds by US, did this time Kurds were right to have deep disappointment about the US position in October 16?
- Yes, the Kurds have a right to be disappointed – but not surprised. What happened in Kirkuk is another example of the Trump administration’s incoherent and strategically flawed approach to Iraq.
• How do you envision the future of Kurdistan?
- The KRG needs to get its house in order. It should crackdown on corruption and nepotism. The international community, led by the United States, must rededicate itself to Kurdistan’s security and provide more generous direct budgetary assistance and financing for humanitarian assistance. Kurdistan’s budget deficit can also be addressed through cost cutting.
• What is your analysis of other developments in the region, especially the recent escalation of tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia?
- The recent escalation of tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran has regional implications in countries where the two countries wage proxy wars, such as Yemen, and where they compete for influence such as Lebanon.
• Iran has been characterized by the US administration as a destabilizing factor in the region, but realistically to what extent USA can substantially change Iranian behavior short of direct military confrontation?
- The US must be clear about its strategic goals. It should not allow Iran to control a corridor from Tehran to Beirut via Iraqi Kurdistan and Syria. Iran will use this corridor to deliver more missiles to Hezbollah and other terror groups committed to destroying Israel. Supporting Iraqi Kurdistan’s control of its territory is the best way to limit Iran.
• What is your expectation for the future of the region in terms of best case and worst case scenario?
- The best case: Iraqi Kurdistan declares independence and gets support from the United States and other Western countries. This won't happen tomorrow but may be more likely in the future when conditions change. Worst case: Iraq’s sectarian civil war spirals out of control, resulting in a bloodbath with huge humanitarian and strategic consequences.