From its inception, the Iraqi state has had to contend with the Kurdish question, which has impacted all aspects of its life-economic, social, and political-as well as its international relations. For their part, the Kurds of Iraq have formed a nationalist movement whose achievements have far surpassed those of similar movements in other Kurdish communities. The author explores the mechanisms of the relationship between the Kurds of Iraq and the Iraqi state from the beginning of Ba'athist rule to the present day. She draws on a wealth of material to meticulously trace the emergence of Kurdish national identity in Iraq. She examines in detail the socio-economic, political, and ideological transformations that Iraqi Kurdish society has undergone over nearly five decades, focusing on the twin processes of nation-building and state-building. It also examines the characteristics of the Kurdish movement in Iraq that distinguish it from Kurdish communities in other parts of the region. This narrative of the complex transformations of the Kurdish destiny not only reveals the reality of the political complexities in Iraq today, but also demonstrates the influence of the Kurds on the geostrategic map of the entire Middle East region.