WHAT INVASION MEANT FOR THE KURDS: The Iraqi Kurds were supposed to be liberated by Saddam's removal. Instead, they face corrupt regional parties and a hostile central state.

The article focuses on the aftermath of Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons attack on the Kurdish population in Halabja and the subsequent hope for Kurdish autonomy following the Gulf War. Topics include the destruction and oppression faced by the Kurds, the establishment and early success of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and the internal conflict that emerged within the Kurdish region despite initial gains in autonomy.