![The Kurdistan flag is seen waving over a statue of Kurdish leader Mulla Mustafa Barzani, founder of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Dec. 17, 2021.](https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/iraq-kurdistan-politics-11212023-1.jpg?w=519&h=259&crop=1)
Last month, the Iraqi army clashed with Kurdish peshmerga forces, leading to multiple casualties on each side. But while ethno-sectarian violence in Iraq was historically aimed at toppling the government, this recent violence should be seen as a way to negotiate power within the political system. And it shows that the equilibrium between Baghdad and Erbil is shifting.