Kurdistan in America

Welcome to 'The Kurdistan in America' podcast, the official podcast of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Representation in the United States. In this second episode of season five, hosted by Delovan Barwari, we are honored to have a very special guest, Mr. Falah Mustafa.

Mr. Falah Mustafa, Special Assistant for Foreign Affairs to the President of Kurdistan Region, His Excellency Nechirvan Barzani, delves into the recent visit of the Kurdistan Region Presidency delegation to Washington DC. From navigating the complexities of Erbil-Baghdad relations to discussing potential US intervention to mitigate disputes, this conversation offers invaluable insights into Kurdistan's geopolitical dynamics.

Moreover, Mr. Mustafa shares personal reflections on his birthplace and memorable experiences visiting Washington DC, providing a unique blend of personal narrative and diplomatic analysis.

Join us on 'The Kurdistan in America' for engaging dialogue, expert analysis, and a deeper understanding of US-Kurdistan relations, along with valuable insights about the political situation in Iraq, Kurdistan, and the broader region.

Welcome to 'The Kurdistan in America' podcast, the official podcast of the KRG Representation in Washington DC, hosted by Delovan Barwari. In the Season Five kickoff episode, we are honored to welcome Dr. Yerevan Saeed, the Mustafa Barzani Scholar in Residence at American University and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute.

In this episode, Dr. Saeed shares his academic journey, including his impressive accomplishment of earning a PhD in Peace and Conflict Resolution from George Mason University. We'll also explore his role as the Mustafa Barzani Scholar in Residence.

We delve into Dr. Saeed's recent thought-provoking article in The Hill, titled 'America must stop treating the Kurds like temporary allies.' Our conversation goes deep into topics such as Iran's ballistic attack on Erbil, the U.S. response to these attacks, and the broader implications of America’s approach to Kurdish relations, all of which are highlighted in his article. Dr. Saeed also reflects on his hometown and his experience as a four-time refugee.

Join us for this enlightening discussion on Kurdish-American relations and the pressing geopolitical challenges of our time. Tune in now!

Welcome to a new episode of the 'Kurdistan in America' podcast, marking our twelfth and final episode of Season Four. We are honored to feature Ms. Bonnie Carroll, the president and founder of the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), a non-governmental organization dedicated to supporting families affected by military losses.

As we approach the new year, we'd like to take a moment to extend our warm wishes to our audience for a joyous holiday season and a New Year filled with hope and positivity.

Ms. Carroll, the surviving spouse of Brigadier General Tom Carroll, also served in the military, retiring as a Major in the US Air Force Reserve.

In her earlier civilian career, she served three Presidents in senior policy positions in Washington, D.C., lobbied on Defense and Aerospace issues, and was posted in Baghdad, Iraq from '03 to '04 during Operation Iraqi Freedom as an Advisor to the Ministry of Communications.

Her experiences in Iraq inspired a global network offering hope and healing to all those grieving a military loss. The connections she forged among widows and mothers of the Peshmerga and Iraqi Army laid the foundation for TAPS' research on supporting the enduring legacies of service and sacrifice—the families left behind.

Ms. Carroll was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama, the highest civilian recognition in the United States, in 2015.

In this episode, Ms. Carroll shares her experiences in the U.S. military, her time in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, the inspiration behind establishing TAPS International, and her perspectives on the Kurdish people.

Join us on this enlightening journey as she shares her remarkable life story. 

Welcome to a new episode of the 'Kurdistan in America' podcast, marking our eleventh episode of Season Four. We are honored to feature retired Brigadier General Ernest C. Audino, a renowned strategic military leader and a seasoned expert in national security and foreign policy.

General Audino serves as the District Director for U.S. Congressman Michael Waltz and as a Senior Military Fellow at the Gold Institute for International Strategy. He is the only U.S. general officer to have served a full year as a combat advisor embedded inside a Kurdish Peshmerga brigade in Iraq and is authoring a book about this experience, emphasizing the Kurdish resilience and quest for freedom.

With a Bachelor of Science from West Point, two master's degrees, and a Juris Doctor, General Audino retired from the Army in 2011. 

In this episode, he discusses his motivations in Middle Eastern and Kurdish military affairs, the impact of the Israel-Gaza conflict on Kurdistan, U.S. deterrence in the region, and his perspectives on Kurdish Peshmerga forces. He also recommends policies for U.S. support of the Peshmerga and KRG.

Join us on this enlightening journey as General Audino shares his experience and knowledge, guiding us through the complex geopolitical landscape of the Middle East, with a focus on Kurdistan and Iraq.

Welcome to another insightful episode of the "Kurdistan in America" podcast, our tenth episode of Season Four. We are privileged to have Dr. Michael Knights, a renowned Middle East expert from The Washington Institute, join us.

Dr. Knights is the Jill and Jay Bernstein Fellow at The Washington Institute, specializing in the military and security affairs of Iraq, Iran, and the Gulf states. He also co-founded the Militia Spotlight platform, offering in-depth analysis of the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.

He earned his PhD from the Department of War Studies at King's College London.

In this episode, Dr. Knights discussed the challenges facing Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. He offered his take on the potential role Washington can play in addressing the disputes between Erbil and Baghdad. Additionally, he shared his personal perspectives on the Kurdish people and stressed the importance of Kurdish unity.

Join us on this enlightening journey as Dr. Michael Knights shares his comprehensive knowledge, guiding us through the ever-evolving geopolitical landscape of the Middle East.

Welcome to another engaging episode of the Kurdistan in America podcast: our ninth episode of Season Four. We're honored to host a seasoned guest, Myles B. Caggins III.

Myles, a retired U.S. Army colonel, has transitioned into a crucial role as the spokesperson for The Association of the Petroleum Industry of Kurdistan, known as APIKUR. His shift from a military realm to a pivotal voice in Kurdistan's oil sector is truly remarkable.

In this episode, we discuss the impactful halt in Kurdistan’s oil exports via the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline, following the International Chamber of Commerce ruling earlier this year. Myles explains its adverse impacts on both the Kurdistan Region's economy and the international oil firms operating in Kurdistan, while also shedding light on the broader geopolitical repercussions.

We delve further into discussing the essential steps required to mitigate these challenges, emphasizing Washington's potential role in fostering a conducive environment towards resolution.

Representing APIKUR, Myles extends a message of strategic resilience to the people of Kurdistan, illuminating hope during such economic challenges.

Join us, as Myles shares practical steps to help Kurdistan’s oil sector find stability in a challenging global setting.

Welcome to the eighth episode of Season Four of the Kurdistan in America podcast. We are delighted to have Dr. Nahro Zagros, the Editor-in-Chief of Kurdistan Chronicle, as our distinguished guest.

Dr. Zagros, previously the Vice President of Soran University, currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the Gold Institute for International Strategy in Washington, D.C. Beyond his academic achievements, he shares his insights on politics and culture through various local and international media platforms.

In this episode, our central focus revolves around Kurdistan Chronicle, journalism, and the crucial topic of press freedom in the Kurdistan Region. Moreover, Dr. Zagros also delves into the historical context of the Kurdish question in Iraq and the present-day dynamics in the relationship between Erbil and Baghdad.

Join us for an enlightening and engaging conversation as we explore the realms of journalism, democracy, and Kurdish politics.

Welcome to the seventh episode of Season Four of the Kurdistan in America podcast. We are honored to have Minister Safeen Muhsin Dizayee, Kurdistan Region's top diplomat and head of the Department of Foreign Relations, as our special guest.

With an impressive track record, Minister Dizayee previously served as the Chief of Staff to the former KRG Prime Minister, as well as the Spokesperson and Head of the Department of Media and Information, and the Minister of Education. He also held important positions in the Kurdistan Democratic Party, including as its Representative in Turkey and as its head of foreign relations.

In this episode, our focus centers on Minister Dizayee's current visit to Washington, where he shares insights into Washington’s policy towards Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, as well as his assessment of the state of affairs between Erbil and Baghdad. 

Minister Dizayee also discusses the challenges confronting Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and offers his formula for attaining a more stable Iraq and fostering a stronger Kurdistan Region. He also sheds light on the Department of Foreign Relations’ future plans.

Join us for an engaging conversation exploring diplomacy and governance with Minister Safeen Dizayee.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the Kurdistan Regional Government Representative to the United States, as its guest in episode 6 of season four.

Ms Abdul Rahman was appointed the KRG envoy to the United States in 2015 and is about to embark on a new chapter of her career in public service by taking on the role of advisor to Prime Minister Masrour Barzani for foreign affairs and climate change.

In this interview, Ms Abdul Rahman recounts her childhood in Kurdistan, Baghdad and Iran before moving to the UK as a refugee. She describes her successful career as a journalist in the UK and Japan, working for the Financial Times among other newspapers, and her transition to a career in diplomacy, first in London and then Washington.

The KRG envoy’s father, Sami Abdul Rahman, was a veteran of the Kurdish freedom movement and played a critical leadership role in the Kurdish and Iraqi opposition to Saddam Hussein’s regime. He was killed alongside his elder son Salah and more than 100 others in a twin suicide bombing in 2004.

Our conversation covers Representative Abdul Rahman’s personal journey, her reflections on some of her achievements in the past eight years in Washington and what drives her passion for public service.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is proud to present an interview with two special and distinguished guests, a father and son, in the fifth episode of Season Four. We are honored to have Ariel Sabar, an acclaimed author, and Professor Yona Sabar, the central figure of Ariel’s book, ‘My Father's Paradise.’

In this episode, we hope to deepen our understanding of the history of the Jews in Kurdistan and explore the vibrant diversity and cultural heritage of Kurdistan, with its various ethnic and religious components.

Our conversation with Ariel Sabar covers a wide range of topics, offering insights into the motivation behind writing ‘My Father's Paradise’ and Ariel's personal journey that compelled him to undertake this extraordinary project.

Professor Yona Sabar, Ariel's father, shares his heartfelt memories from Kurdistan and discusses his lifelong dedication to the preservation of the Aramaic language and Kurdish-Jewish heritage through his academic contributions. With over 80 scholarly articles and numerous books to his name, including ‘The Folk Literature of the Kurdistani Jews’ and ‘A Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dictionary’, Professor Yona Sabar's expertise hard to match.

Ariel Sabar is not only an accomplished author but also an award-winning journalist. ‘My Father's Paradise: A Son's Search for his Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq’ was awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography. His latest book, ‘Veritas: A Harvard Professor, a Con Man, and the Gospel of Jesus's Wife’, garnered critical acclaim as a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best True Crime Book of the year and the Investigative Reporters and Editors Book Award. Smithsonian Magazine also recognized it as one of the best books of the year.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is proud to present an interview with  two distinguished guests in the fourth episode of Season Four. We are honored to have on our show Minister Mohammad Shukri, Chairman of the Kurdistan Board of Investment, and Ms. Carez Dargallay, Head of the Board’s Foreign Direct Investment Unit. 

Through our discussion, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of Kurdistan’s economic potential and the efforts being made to attract investment to the region, including from the United States.

In this episode, we delve into Kurdistan’s economic prospects and the openings available to foreign investors. Dr. Mohammad Shukri shares his insights on the Board of Investment's objectives and how they align with Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s economic reform strategy, the Board’s efforts to attract foreign investment and the Kurdistan Regional Government’s priority sectors. 

Ms. Dargallay joins us to discuss how her unit promotes foreign investment in Kurdistan and offers her advice to international companies considering investing in the region. 

Join us for this informative episode as we explore the economic landscape of Kurdistan and the Board of Investment's role in driving economic growth and development.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Lieutenant Colonel Eric Howard as our guest in the third episode of Season Four. 

In this special episode, we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the liberation of Iraq. March 20th, 2003 marked the beginning of the Second Gulf War. For the Kurdish people and the vast majority of Iraqis, it was a moment of hope as they looked to the future with optimism. 

As the former commander of Advanced Operations Base 040 in the Erbil sector, Lt. Col. Howard has extensive experience in the Kurdistan Region, both during Operation Provide Comfort in 1994 and battlefield experience in the Kurdistan Region fighting alongside the Peshmerga forces against the Iraqi Army in 2003.

He shares his unique perspective on the successes and failures of the liberation of Iraq, his experiences fighting alongside the Peshmerga forces, and his personal views on the Kurdish people and the current state of US-Kurdistan relations.

Join us as we delve into the complexities of one of the most consequential events of the 21st century and gain a deep understanding of Lt. Col. Howard's viewpoint as an American special forces commander.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Nashville Mayor John Cooper as our guest in the second episode of Season Four. 

Nashville is often referred to as Little Kurdistan for its large and vibrant Kurdish community. 

Mr. Cooper was elected Mayor of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County in 2019, having previously served as an At-Large Member of Metro Council from 2015. He holds a bachelor's degree from Harvard University and a master's degree in business from Vanderbilt University. 

Mr. Cooper shared his experiences as the Mayor of Nashville, giving insights into his leadership style, vision for the city, and the opportunities this growing city is enjoying. As a supporter of the Kurdish community in the capital of Tennessee, Mayor Cooper discussed the Erbil-Nashville sister city initiative and how it could help build a stronger community as well as bilateral relations. He also shared his views on the Kurds and their contribution to the cultural life and food scene in Nashville.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Ms. Jennifer Gavito as our guest in the first episode of Season Four.

Ms. Gavito is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran, Iraq, and Public Diplomacy at the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. She previously served as the Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs at the US Embassy in London. She has spent most of her Foreign Service career working in and on the Middle East.

The discussion is centered on her role at the Department of State, Erbil-Baghdad relations, the political and security situation in Kurdistan and the rest of Iraq, security issues in the broader region, as well as her personal story and view of the Kurdistan Region.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Mr. Martin Manna as our guest in the twelfth episode of Season Three.

Mr. Martin Manna is the President of the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce and Chaldean Community Foundation. The Chaldean Chamber of Commerce represents the estimated 25,000 Chaldean-owned businesses in Michigan. The Chaldean Community Foundation provides social services to more than 40,000 New Americans annually. 

Mr. Manna shares his personal story and family's experience migrating to the United States and sheds light on the situation of the Christian community, Chaldeans, Syriacs, and Assyrians, in the Kurdistan Region and the Nineveh Plains, as well as the accomplishments of the Chaldean community in Michigan. 

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Mr. Jonathan Lord as its guest in the eleventh episode of Season Three.
 
Mr. Lord is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security.  He previously served as the Iraq country director in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy as well as a political-military analyst in the Department of Defense.

He holds an M.A. in security studies from Georgetown University and a B.A. in international studies from Vassar College.

The discussion is about the new government in Baghdad, Erbil-Baghdad relations, the Sinjar agreement, the role and future of the United States in Iraq, and security issues impacting Kurdistan, Iraq, and the broader region. 

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Dr. Marianna Charountaki as its guest in the tenth episode of Season Three.
 
Dr. Charountaki is an expert on U.S. Foreign Policy toward Kurds. She is currently a Research Fellow at Soran University in the Kurdistan Region and a Senior Lecturer in International Politics at the University of Lincoln. She is a BRISMES trustee and convenor of the BISA Foreign Policy Working Group. Previously, she was the Director of the Kurdistan International Studies Unit from 2016 to 2019 at the University of Leicester. 

Dr. Charountaki's research lies at the intersection of International Relations theories, foreign policy analysis, and area studies, emphasizing the Middle Eastern region.

The discussion is about the U.S. Foreign Policy towards the Kurds, both past and present, as well as her experience and views of Kurdistan.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Dr. Lori Mason as its guest in the ninth episode of Season Three.

Dr. Lori Mason is a Senior Technical Expert for IREX, a global development and education organization. She has over twenty years of experience leading a wide range of education programming, with nearly a decade in the Kurdistan Region. 

Dr. Mason has designed programs to improve the overall relevance of higher education, institutionalizing changes within the current system and providing high-level guidance and support to the KRG's Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in broad-level change. She has also helped facilitate collaboration between the U.S. government, KRG's Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and U.S. university partners.   

The discussion is about IREX's programs in the Kurdistan Region, the education reform initiative by the KRG, her personal life story, and her experience in Kurdistan.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Ms. Xeyal Qertel as its guest in the eighth episode of Season Three.

Ms. Qertel is the President and Founder of the New York Kurdish Cultural Center. She founded the organization in 2017 to provide a safe space for diaspora Kurds in New York to reclaim and celebrate their cinema, poetry, literature, and music—and to introduce non-Kurds to Kurdish culture and art. She directs the annual New York Kurdish Film and Cultural Festival and is also an educator and human rights activist with a special interest in women's rights. 

The discussion is about her family's background, her experience migrating to the US, the upcoming Kurdish film festival in New York, which is scheduled for October, and the Kurdish language courses and the book club her organization offers.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Mr. Hadi Pir as its guest in the seventh episode of Season Three.

This special episode comes just one week before the 8th anniversary of the genocide committed by ISIS, or Daesh, against the Yazidis in 2014.  

On August 3, 2014, members of the terrorist organization Daesh, also known as ISIS, unleashed a savage attack against Yazidis in the Sinjar district, massacring 5,000 Yazidi men and abducting about 7,000 Yazidi women and girls; close to 3,000 are still in captivity, and their fate is unknown.  

Over 400,000 Yazidis were displaced from their homes, and close to 220,000 remain displaced today, living mainly in IDP camps across the Kurdistan Region; thousands more have taken refuge in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia.

Mr. Hadi Pir is the Vice-President and Co-Founder of Yazda, an international NGO supporting the Yazidi survivors of genocide. He is also a doctoral student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 

The discussion is centered on the Yazidi culture, the genocide committed by ISIS, and the current situation with the Yazidi community, especially the displaced people from the Sinjar region. 

The Kurdistan Regional Government Representation in the United States extends its condolences to all the victims of genocide and wishes them success in seeking justice, accountability, and upholding their culture and faith.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Brigadier General Hazhar Ismail as our guest in the sixth episode of Season Three.

General Hazhar Ismael is a Senior Advisor at the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs. He followed in his father's footsteps by joining the peshmerga forces three decades ago. He helped establish the Freedom Battalion, the first Iraqi battalion created after the liberation of Iraq in 2003. He is also a co-founder and member of the Management Board of the Peshmerga Reform Program. He  served as the KRG's representative for security and defense issues in the US-Iraq strategic dialogue.

The discussion focuses on the ongoing Peshmerga reform program, the state of coordination and collaboration between the Iraqi Army and Peshmerga forces especially in the disputed areas, the US-Iraq strategic dialogue, and his experience in the Peshmerga forces. 

General Hazhar Ismail obtained a bachelor's degree from the Zakho Military College in 1995 and a master's degree from the Joint Staff College in Baghdad in 2006, and graduated from the US Army War College in 2013. He is married and is the father of three sons and a daughter.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Dr. Adhid Miri as our guest in the fifth episode of Season Three.

Dr. Miri is the Director of Projects at the Chaldean Community Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce in Michigan. He has had leadership roles across various programs, including the resettlement and integration of refugees. 

Dr. Miri shares his experience living in Iraq and migrating to the United States and sheds light on the situation of the Christian community, Chaldeans, Syriacs, and Assyrians, in the Kurdistan Region and the Nineveh Plains, as well as the accomplishments of the diaspora community in the United States.  

He holds a Ph.D. degree from Brunel University, England, and a Post-Doctoral fellowship from King’s College London.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Ms. Dilman Yasin and Ms. Wan Rashid, Kurdish-American activists from the Kurdish diaspora in Nashville, as its guests this month.

Dilman was born in Kuremay, a village outside of Duhok City, and came to America with her family at the age of five. She is currently a Performance Manager in the Nashville Mayor's office and the Director of Community Outreach for Kurdish Professionals, a non-profit organization assisting Kurds. She obtained a Master of Science in Healthcare Informatics. 

The second guest, Wan, is originally from Amedia, a district in Duhok province. She came to the US with her family when she was less than a year old. She is the Executive Director of Effendi Foundation, a non-profit organization that assists Nashville's refugee and immigrant community. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in public policy and public administration at the American University.

The discussion focuses on their experience migrating to America with their families, the challenges of integrating into a new society, and the activities and achievements of the Kurdish diaspora in Nashville.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Ms. Ashti Waissi as its guest this month.

Ms. Waissi is Legislative Assistant at the Canadian Parliament and a former staff assistant to the Co-Founder of the Parliamentary Friends of the Kurds Group, Mr. Tom Kmiec, MP for Calgary Shepard. She has a dual degree in Political Science and Sociology.  

Ms. Waissi's family is from Iranian Kurdistan, but she was born in a refugee camp in Iraq. She tells us her experience living in the camp and the challenges of integrating into Canadian society. She also shares some new and surprising information on the Kurdish diaspora in Canada.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Congressman Jim Langevin as its guest this month.

Congressman Langevin has been Representing Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District since 2001. He is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Homeland Security.

He shares his history of service in Congress and the potentially devastating experience that inspired him to run for office. He also expresses his views on the US-Kurdistan relationship as well as the security situation in Kurdistan, Iraq, and the wider region.

This is a special podcast message from the Kurdistan Regional Government Representation in the United States.

Several members of Congress introduced a bipartisan resolution, Concurrent Resolution 32, to the House of Representatives Commemorating the 30th anniversary of Operation Provide Comfort and Kurdish-American partnership. The resolution was also introduced to the US Senate by Senator Van Hollen and Senator Marco Rubio.

As of today, 25 members of the House have co-sponsored the resolution. But a few more co-sponsors are needed for it to be marked up and passed.

We encourage Kurdish-Americans to send a message to their members of Congress to support the resolution by mail or by signing the following online petition: Concurrent Resolution 32 

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Mr. Sarhang Hamasaeed as our guest in the first episode of Season Three.

Mr. Hamasaeed is the director of Middle East Programs at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington, DC. He is also a regular lecturer at the Foreign Service Institute on ISIS and challenges to governance in Iraq.

The USIP is an American nonpartisan, independent institute founded by Congress and is tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. 

Mr. Hamasaeed shares his experience migrating from Kurdistan Region to the United States and sheds light on what he witnessed in his most recent visit to Kurdistan. He also provides an in-depth assessment of the political situation in the Kurdistan Region and the rest of Iraq, including the security situation in Nineveh Plains and the Sinjar region.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have General James Jones as our guest in this special edition.

General Jones was the 32nd Commandant of the US Marine Corps, the Supreme Allied Commander for the European Command, and National Security Advisor to President Barrack Obama. He was also one of the original commanders of Operation Provide Comfort, the military-humanitarian operation that saved countless lives in Kurdistan in 1991.

General Jones shares with us his experience and insights into Operation Provide Comfort and explains why it was geo-strategically vital for the United States and not just for the people of Kurdistan. He gives his views on the US military partnership with the Peshmerga forces and lends his support for the concurrent resolution in the US Congress (H.Con.Res.32) commemorating the 30th anniversary of Operation Provide Comfort. He also speaks about his decades of service in the US military, explaining how it ultimately led him to become President Obama’s National Security Adviser.

The KRG Representation calls on the Kurdish-American community to reach out to their members of Congress to ask them to support the resolution in both the House and the Senate.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Ms. Karen Young as its guest this month.

Ms. Young is a senior fellow and founding director of the Program on Economics and Energy at the Washington DC-based think tank, the Middle East Institute. Previously, she was a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, focusing on the political economy of the Middle East and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

She shares her experience about her recent visit to the Kurdistan Region to participate in the American University of Kurdistan's Middle East Peace and Security Forum, provides her take on the KRG's economic reforms and energy sector, and discusses her role at the Middle East Institute.

The Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Senator Chris Van Hollen as its guest in this special bonus edition.

Senator Van Hollen, who has a long record of public service in the US Congress, has co-sponsored S.Con.Res.16 with Senator Marco Rubio. The bipartisan resolution commemorates the anniversary of Operation Provide Comfort, the humanitarian-military mission that averted catastrophe after hundreds of thousands of Kurds fled Saddam Hussein's forces in 1991. The US, Britain, and France launched the operation that saved countless lives. 

The KRG Representation calls on the Kurdish-American community to reach out to their members of Congress to ask them to support the resolution in both the House and the Senate.

Senator Van Hollen's history of championing the Kurds goes back to 1988 when he and a colleague, Peter Galbraith, were on the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. They visited the Iraqi-Turkish border and interviewed Kurds who had fled chemical bombardment in Iraq. They wrote a damning report that, for the first time, shone a light on the Anfal genocide. The Maryland Senator describes the Kurds today as 'fighters for justice.'

This month, the Kurdistan in America podcast is going north to Canada and is pleased to have the Honorable Tom Kmiec MP as its guest. Mr. Kmiec is serving his third term as a Member of the Canadian Parliament for Calgary Shepard. He is also the co-founder of the Canadian Parliamentary Friends of the Kurds.

Mr. Kmiec shares his insights on Canada's involvement in the Kurdistan Region and potential areas to expand bilateral relations. He also sheds light on his impressive knowledge of the Kurds and his encounters with the growing Kurdish community across Canada.

Born in Poland and raised as a refugee in Quebec, Mr. Kmiec sees parallels between his family's background in Eastern Europe and the experience of many Kurds who are forced to flee their homeland for political reasons.

This month, the Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Dr. Matthew Zais as its guest. Matt is the former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of International Affairs at the US Department of Energy. Currently, he serves as the Vice President of Government Relations at HKN Energy, which has invested in Kurdistan’s oil sector. Matt also served as Iraq Director at the Trump White House National Security Council for two years and the US military for over two decades as a career US Army officer. 

Matt shares his insight on the Kurdistan Region’s oil and gas industry as a former US government official and now working in the private sector. He also sheds light on his encounters in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region while serving in the US Army.

This month, the Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Colonel David Williams as its guest. Colonel Williams is the former Director of the Counter-ISIS Coalition's Kurdistan Coordination Center, part of the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve. He was stationed in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, for one year. 

He shares with us his experience working alongside the Kurdish security forces and his involvement in the Peshmerga unification efforts, including his views of and encounters with the people of Kurdistan while serving as the Director for the Counter-ISIS Coalition's KCC. He also sheds light on the Coalition's efforts for assisting the establishment of joint brigades of Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army in filling the security gaps in the disputed areas to fight ISIS.

This month, the Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to host Mr. Rob Waller as our guest. Mr. Waller was the US Consul General in Erbil for one year from July 2020 and has just completed his assignment in Kurdistan.

He has previously served as a career member of the Senior Foreign Service of the United States in several capacities, including the Director of the Office of Iraq Affairs and as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iraq and Iran at the State Department. 

Mr. Waller discusses his key objectives and achievements as the US Consul General in Erbil and the challenges that he experienced during his tenure. He also shares his views on Erbil-Baghdad relations, the conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the Sinjar Agreement, and his personal experience in the Kurdistan Region and thoughts about the people of Kurdistan.

This month, the Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to host Ms. Nadine Maenza as our guest. Ms. Maenza currently serves as the Chair of the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent, bipartisan U.S. federal government commission created by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act that monitors the universal right to freedom of religion or belief abroad. 

Ms. Maenza discusses USCIRF's key recommendations on Iraq, the Iraq chapter of USCIRF's 2021 Annual Report, as well as her views on the Sinjar Agreement, the situation in Nineveh Plains, Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, and the ongoing conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). She also talks about her experience visiting the Kurdistan Region and personal views on the people of Kurdistan.

This month, the Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Colonel Myles Caggins as its guest. Colonel Caggins currently serves as the Director of the Public Affairs for the U.S. Army’s III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas, and was the former Spokesperson for the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve: The international military intervention against ISIS. 

He shares with us his upbringing, lifelong professional experience in the U.S. Army, including his views of and encounters with the people of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Rojava (North-East Syria) while serving as the Spokesperson for the Anti-ISIS Coalition and since his return to the United States. He also talks about his hopes of visiting Kurdistan in the future in a personal capacity.

This month, the Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Dr. David Pollock as its guest. Dr. Pollock is the Bernstein Fellow and Director of the Fikra Forum at The Washington Institute. He sheds light on his experience working as a regional expert on the Secretary of State’s Policy Planning Staff during Operation Provide Comfort, his visit to Baghdad at the height of the conflict in December 2006, and his first visit to the Kurdistan Region. Additionally, Dr. Pollock shares his insight on the evolution of the US Kurdish policy throughout the years and across administrations, including the current one under President Biden. He also gives his views on the US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue and the situation in Sinjar. 

This month, the Kurdistan in America podcast is honored to have Sherri Kraham Talabany as its guest. When Mrs. Kraham Talabany first heard about Kurdistan as an American university student, little did she realize that her life would be inexorably tied to the people of that land. Ms. Kraham went on to work for the US government, which included working on Kurdistan and Iraq, and she married Qubad Talabani, who is today the KRG's, Deputy Prime Minister. She now lives in Kurdistan, where she heads SEED, the NGO that she founded to help victims of violence and trafficking, including the Yezidis and other minorities. 

This episode features a discussion with David Tafuri, the President of the United States Kurdistan Business Council (USKBC), an advisor to the Kurdistan Regional Government Representation in the United States, and a political commentator on Fox News. Mr. Tafuri sheds light on the mission of the USKBC and the organization’s activities in the Kurdistan Region, his experience working for UNHCR in Turkey and later for the US Embassy in Iraq in 2006 and 2007. He also offers his take on the KRG’s economic reform initiative and how it can attract more US investors to Kurdistan.

This episode of the Kurdistan in America features a discussion with two distinguished guests from the American University of Kurdistan (AUK): Dr. Honar Issa, the Secretary of the Board of Trustees, and Dr. Randall Rhodes, the President of the American University of Kurdistan. As a pioneer at the university, Dr. Honar discusses the university's mission and vision, its challenges during the establishment phase, the current state of the education system in Kurdistan, and offers reform recommendations. Additionally, Dr. Rhodes shares his short-term and long-term goals as the university president, discusses the grant awarded by the United States government, and gives his opinion on how the Kurdistani diaspora can help the university specifically and developing Kurdistan in general. Today, the AUK has partnerships with seven universities in the United States and is seeking accreditation with the New England Commission of Higher Education. 

With ISIS only a few miles away, you'd think that the last thing an American NGO would want to do is start considering restoring a tomb in Iraq of a prophet from the Old Testament. But that's exactly what ARCH International did in 2014 when it began to look at the tomb of Prophet Nahom in Al Qosh. 

In this episode of the Kurdistan in America Podcast, Delovan Barwari, from the KRG Representation in the United States, speaks to Sophia Schultz from ARCH International and Katherine Vecchi and Julie Fether, two recent graduates of Johns Hopkins University. The nonprofit organization and the university came together around this cultural heritage site. The KRG was the first major sponsor of this fascinating multi-year project that succeeded against all the odds as ISIS was still in Mosul around the time the nonprofit first assessed the site. In the time of the ongoing pandemic, Katherine Vecchi and Julie Fether looked into ways of making the site accessible and exciting for visitors online and learned much about Kurdistan along the way.

The Kurdistan In America podcast welcomes Kathy Keary from the Mines Advisory Group, known as MAG, which has been working in Kurdistan Region in Iraq since 1992. Ms. Keary says that  Kurdistan Region alone would be in the top five most contaminated countries in the world affected by landmines and unexploded ordnance, while Iraq as a whole is in the top three. Find out in this interview what MAG is doing to empower local communities in Kurdistan, Sinjar, and across Iraq to clear their farms, villages, and towns from these deadly devices.

In this episode of the Kurdistan in America podcast, our guest is Sam Brownback, the US Ambassador-At-Large for International Religious Freedom. Listen to Ambassador Brownback assess the progress that has been made in promoting religious freedom around the world, why he sees Kurdistan as a model of coexistence, and what faith means to him personally.

In this episode of the Kurdistan in America podcast, we interview Yadgar Merani, the founder and CEO of Lezzoo, an on-demand delivery service that has expanded to delivering groceries, cleaning and other services. Listen to Yadgar tell the story of the Kurdistan Region’s most exciting start-up, the only start-up in Kurdistan and Iraq to be supported by YCombinator, and his hopes for youth entrepreneurs in Kurdistan and Iraq.

This episode features an interview with Dr. Shahla Gli, a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute. Dr. Shahla obtained her masters and Ph.D. in International Affairs at Tufts University. The discussion is about the US-Iraq Strategic Dialogue, Erbil-Baghdad Relations, and the fate of Sinjar and Nineveh Plains. 

This episode features an interview with Steve Lutes Steve is the Vice President of Middle East Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He is the Executive Director of the U.S.-Egypt Business Council, the U.S.-Iraq Business Initiative, the U.S.-GCC Business Initiative. 

Steve discusses the activities of the US Chamber of Commerce and the US-Iraq Business Council and shares his experience in the Kurdistan Region and the rest of Iraq.

This episode features an interview with Robert Ford, the former US Ambassador to Algeria and Syria, and former deputy Ambassador to Iraq from 2008 to 2010. Ambassador Ford discusses his experience in Iraq and shares his views about developments in the region.

Music is "Bo Kurdistan" by Zakaria - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE3bid6Td_g

Interview with Hoshang Mohammed, Director of KRG's Joint Crisis Coordination Center about the humanitarian crisis in Kurdistan and his first encounters with Americans.
Music is Zakaria's "Bo Kurdistan".

Interview with Zack Bazzi, the Regional Director for the Middle East and Central Asia with Spirit of America. We talk about Spirit of America's support for the Peshmerga during COVID-19, the ongoing humanitarian crisis, and Zack's first arrival in Kurdistan as a Sergeant in the US Army.

Music is "Bo Kurdistan" by Zakaria - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE3bid6Td_g

Interview with Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Joey Hood. We talk about the relationship between Kurdistan and the United States, his family connection to Operation Provide Comfort in the 1990s, and his dream of seeing leben Erbil in America's supermarkets. 

Music is "Bo Kurdistan" by Zakaria - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE3bid6Td_g

Episode 1 - February 12, 2020

A short summary of the latest news from Kurdistan, followed by an interview with Heba El Kayal, curator of the Middle East Institute's art exhibition "Speaking Across Mountains: Kurdish Artists in Dialogue", on display at MEI until February 20.

Kurdistan in America is the official podcast of the Kurdistan Regional Government Representation in the United States. For more information, visit us.gov.krd, or on Twitter @KRG_USA.

The music in this podcast is Zakaria's "Bo Kurdistan" - https://youtu.be/cE3bid6Td_g