Should we partition Iraq?

Kurdish leaders planning to establish independent state.

Summary: The Kurds have wanted an independent Kurdistan for a very long time, and as soon as the Americans leave Iraq, they're going to establish it. They're also going to claim the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, which the Sunnis want to hold on to.

It is a near certainty that there will be some form of autonomous Kurdish state. If we (the Americans) continue with our current plan, there will be a civil war over Kirkuk. This will likely spread to the Sunni-dominated provinces as well, as they don't want to be an oppressed minority in a country they used to rule.

So while we have the troops on the ground in the region, and the fighting hasn't really started yet, let's consider the reality of the situation. The nation of Iraq was established by the British after World War I, ignoring tribal boundaries. Kurds are the largest ethnic group in the world that doesn't have it's own country, and they've been subject to brutal persecution in Iraq and Turkey. They are as determined to have their own country as the Israelis, and will fight just as hard. The Sunnis will reject a democracy in which they're a minority, and the insurgency will continue unabated after they realize they've lost the latest election.

Iraq is very unlikely to be preserved as a united nation. Let's recognize this and begin negotiations to form separate countries relatively peacefully.