Kurdistan is a region located between Iran, Iraq, Syria and Türkiye. The Kurds are still the largest stateless ethnicity on the planet today. This article will focus on the Iraqi part of Kurdistan, since it is the one that comes closest to the notion of state according to Weber's definition. Iraqi Kurdistan is a region characterized by many diplomatic issues due to its lack of acceptance as a state. The region was established through an autonomy agreement with the Iraqi government in 1970 after decades of disputes between the Iraqi government and the northern Kurds. The region already had a government, but it lacked many characteristics applicable to a state. Constant conflict with the Iraqi government has been ongoing since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the end of the First World War. The League of Nations, with the British leading the redefinition of borders in the Middle East, divided the Kurdish people between the four countries mentioned above. Many states in the world today are based on Max Weber's definition of the state, “monopoly on the legitimate use of violence in a given territory.” Iraqi Kurdistan possesses some of the characteristics required to be a state according to the definition, but has not been accepted as such by the international community (Oslon 672). Therefore, it can be argued that the Kurdish region has not gained international acceptance as a state due to the lack of a standing army and established territory, according to Weber's notion of the state. Kurdish patriotism persisted throughout the 20th century, but was at its peak in the last decade, thus influencing the development of the conflict in the region. Furthermore, patriotism during this period has increased compared to the historic Kurdish battle... middle of paper... ability to ensure that Iraqi Kurdistan has all the characteristics of a functional state. Works Cited Aziz, Mahir. The Kurds of Iraq: Ethnonationalism and national identity in Iraqi Kurdistan. London: Tauris Academic Studies, 2010. Print.Bacik, Gökhan. Hybrid sovereignty in the Arab Middle East: the cases of Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. Print.Oslon, Robert. “The Goat and the Butcher: Nationalism and State Formation in Kurdistan-Iraq after the Iraq War.” International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 39.4(2007): 672-676. Print.Romano, David. The Kurdish nationalist movement: opportunities, mobilization and identity. Cambridge: University of Cambridge. Print, 2006. Print.Zunes, Stephen. “A nation without a state: Inconsistency and double-dealing mark US policy towards the Kurds.” National Catholic Reporter 44.8 (2013): 19. Print.