An informal agreement governs Iraqi politics: a Shi’ite Arab holds the premiership, a Sunni Arab becomes speaker of the parliament, and a Kurd serves as president. Intra-Kurdish politics complicate the selection further. Masoud Barzani, who inherited the Kurdistan Democratic Party from his father, is a provincial leader who has long prioritized tribal and family interests to the detriment of Kurds and Iraqis. His alliance with Saddam Hussein, just eight years after the Iraqi dictator used chemical weapons against fellow Kurds, shows his willingness to promote family political interests over any ethnic constraints. Barzani may have been a collaborator and king of the jash, but his power was undisputed.
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