AP Photo

In the last decade, there was a popular joke among the Iraqi Kurds: A young girl, who was named “Kurdistan” by her parents out of nationalistic enthusiasm, needs to go to Turkey. At the border, she gives her passport to a Turkish policeman, who asks, “What is your name?” Feeling uneasy about uttering the “K” word in front of the Turkish authorities, the girl chooses a compromise. “My name,” says young Kurdistan, “is Northern Iraq!”