I met Wladimir on a hot August evening in 2010, at Costa Rica Cafe, in Kurdistan, Iraq. At the time, I was researching and working on behalf of my own organization and a separate agency to improve the quality of public healthcare in Kurdistan. Wladimir's interest in learning about the Kurdish people and region, piqued my own interest in him and his work. 
I have kept in close touch with Wladimir over the years, and following up with his writing has helped me stay connected to a part of the world I still consider home. I have learned about Wladimir in a different light through this interview, and I feel privileged to be given, and to give others, an inside look into what being a journalist in the crossfire entails.
M: Give me a snapshot of what your career in journalism, and your focus on the Kurds, has entailed.
W: I wrote a thesis comparing Kurds and Armenians, for my history class in secondary school. After, I joined a Kurdish news website called Halwest.nl and later, with a group of students, we created the Kurdish news website Azady.nl, which was active from 2005-2011. I did a lot of blogging in English and continued to write articles on the Kurds for several websites. As a result of my work on the Kurds, I got banned from Turkey in 2007. I decided to travel to Iraqi Kurdistan on an internship for Rudaw in 2009, and eventually I stopped writing for Azady.nl. I finished two MA degrees; one in Conflict Studies (Utrecht University, the Netherlands) and one in Kurdish studies (Exeter university, the United Kingdom). I continued writing for Rudaw as a columnist and writing articles also for the US-based think-tank Jamestown Foundation. I continued living in Kurdistan on and off. Before Rudaw launched their TV-station in 2013, I started freelancing for international media and didn’t write for Rudaw anymore. I started writing as a columnist for Al Monitor in March 2013 until August 2014. After that, I wrote for many news websites and think-tanks, occasionally reporting for CNN and Dutch TV from Syria; I wrote think-tank reports, such as one Carnegie report on Peshmerga forces in December of 2016. In 2014, I finished my studies and I moved to Kurdistan again in May 2014. When ISIS took Mosul, I went to Syria one week before and traveled through Mosul to go to Syria. Since then, I have been covering the war against ISIS and I am now also finishing a book on my five months of field research in Rojava (northern Syria), co-authored with Harriet Allsop (see more here).
M: What piqued your interest in the Middle East and the Kurdish people? 
W: I focus on Kurdish affairs in the Middle East and since the Kurds are living in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey, I also follow the national politics in those countries. This interest was sparked when I did my history project; I loved the openness of the Kurdish people towards Western people. Unlike other people in the region, the Kurds have no hostility towards the West, although the West often did not support any form of Kurdish autonomy or independence and is often blamed for not giving the Kurds a country after World War I. I don’t believe in a reporting style that covers large areas or general regions, such as the Middle East, and I'd rather specialize in one subject. It’s impossible to be an expert on the Middle East or to call yourself a journalist who specializes in the Middle East. The region is just too big to cover. However, since the media is retreating from foreign reporting and many foreign news bureaus are closing down as a result of financial pressures, you see less and less reporters focusing on a particular country or subject. There are exceptions though, such as Dutch journalist Thomas Erdbrink, who only focuses on Iran, and is doing excellent work. I prefer to remain a freelance reporter and analyst, rather than covering a wide-range of subjects I know very little about. Also, I think its important to be on the ground on the frontline, rather than covering the region while living in the West. I think its difficult to cover a subject without living in the region you are covering. This comes often at a personal sacrifice, such as not being able to build a stable (family) life or relationship.
M: How has the personal sacrifice evolved or changed as you've gotten older? In retrospect, has it been worth that sacrifice? Do you feel prompted to slow down any time soon, so that you may settle down, so-to-speak, and lead a somewhat 'normal' life? 
W: There is no chance to slow down, unless I change my job. I have invested myself so much in journalism and reporting on the Kurds, that I don't want to leave Kurdistan. I don't think I can go back to Europe and have a normal life there. So I should settle down here in Kurdistan, or radically change my lifestyle. I have considered working for a think tank in Washington DC, but all of my family is in the Netherlands. So I would still be living far away from family. Sometimes I think I could slow down a bit after the war against ISIS is over, but there will always be problems to report on.
M: At what point in time did you begin traveling into the region, and what stood out to you in this time?
W: When I was young, I was traveling to Turkey a lot with my mother. But I have not visited the Kurdish areas much, apart from a very short trip to Elazig and Malatya. However, after I was banned from Turkey in 2007, I decided to come to Iraqi Kurdistan. After the Syrian Kurds took control of most of their areas around 2012, I started to also travel the Syrian Kurdish areas. I have never traveled to Iran before, but I did also visit other countries in the Middle East for conferences or vacation, but not for reporting.
M: Most people reading this will be puzzled at the thought of a vacation in this region. Can you describe what a vacation trip is like in this region? 
W: Well, there are countries like Lebanon that are not like the rest of the region. The war is next door in Syria, and there are a lot of refugees from Syria, but at the same time, there is a nightlife in Lebanon, and swimming pools, and nice bars & restaurants. So, its a good vacation spot. But I think Lebanon is different from most the Middle East. I would love to visit Iran for a vacation, since it has a lot of historical places and, of course, good people.
M: How many times have you visited Kurdistan?
W: I basically live in Kurdistan region of Iraq now, I cannot recount how many years I have been here. Probably over 5-6 years, and I also spend a lot of time in the Kurdish areas of Syria, known as Rojava.
M: Which region have you spent the majority of your time and why has that region in particular warranted your attention? 
W: I really love Syrian Kurds, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to visit those areas due to the political problems between the Kurdish parties (KDP-PKK), and its nearly impossible to stay there for long. I think it would be difficult to cover Kurds in Iran from inside Iran, and I am banned from Turkey. So most of my time is spent in Iraqi Kurdistan, and most Kurdish parties have organizations or institutions in Iraqi Kurdistan anyway.
M: Why have you decided against visiting any of those regions?
I don’t think the Iranian government would appreciate any reporting on the Kurdish areas of Iran, and I got banned from Turkey.
M: Why wouldn't Iran appreciate your reporting on the Kurdish areas of Iran? 
W: What I have heard so far, is that Iran doesn't allow Western reporters to report outside of Tehran, aside from having a government minder. I doubt Iran wants any more light shed on the situation for the Kurds in Iran; they are facing a difficult life, and very bad economic conditions. Iran doesn't allow the Kurds in Iran to have any political parties, or any form of autonomy. This, while the Kurdish republic of Mahabad was established in Iranian Kurdistan. And while some people suggest the Kurds in Iran feel more Iranian, this doesn't mean they wouldn't like to have more autonomy and decision making over their own affairs. Otherwise, there would not be that many Iranian Kurdish parties like PAK, PDK-I, PDK, Komala, Xebat, and others.
M: Were any of your previous notions about the region disproved once you visited? What surprised you? Well, when I came to Iraqi Kurdistan, I was basically a kid. I had to adapt to the local culture, which is often conservative to the local Dutch liberal culture. However, I slowly learned to understand the culture and I can speak Kurdish relatively well. I was surprised by the difference in cultures of the Kurds in Syria from the Kurds in Iraq. From the first time I visited Syrian Kurdistan, I noticed the Kurds there are much less tribal and religious than in Iraq. The Kurds in Iran are also very different from those in Iraq. When I was still writing about Kurds while living in the Netherlands, I didn’t know these distinctions; I was more used to the ideas I got from Kurds living in the Diaspora or West, who have much more romantic, and sometimes idealistic ideas about Kurdistan. Often they don’t know so much about what is going on the ground. The reality on the ground is much more different, than what the Kurds in Europe told me about. I could see the first signs of that by meeting with several Kurds in Europe, before I visited in 2009. In 2009, Iraqi Kurdistan was much less developed that what it is now in 2017. Sadly, however, the political tensions between the parties are increasing.
M: When I first met you in Erbil in the summer of 2010, we met at a cafe, in the evening. I recall it not being very hard to pick you out of a crowd. What are the advantages and disadvantages of standing out in a crowd in a fairly controversial region?   
W: Well, there are certain advantages to be a foreigner, especially in Iraqi Kurdistan, since you are treated very well, and everybody loves you if you speak Kurdish. But now, more and more foreigners are coming. This changes the perception of foreigners, and not always in a good way. In Syrian Kurdistan, as a foreigner, everyone loves you; at the same time, you are a target for kidnapping for ISIS, or in some cases the Syrian government, which tried to kidnap journalists and even captured one young Western journalist. A lot of Syrian Kurdish cities are safe, but some where the areas are more mixed or dominated by Arabs are much more dangerous. I don’t think there are a lot of risks living in Iraqi Kurdistan, unless you go as a foreigner to non-Kurdish areas, such as Mosul, where there is fighting between the Iraqi government and ISIS. I also lived in Kirkuk for two or three months in 2011, and it worked against me to be a foreigner, since there were a lot of kidnappings. Arab tribal leaders, such as Ismail Hadidi, told me it was better for me to leave Kirkuk.
M: How do you respond to that when you're basically told to get out?
W: The locals know when it gets dangerous, so it's better to listen to them when it gets too dangerous mostly because of threats from Jihadists. I had a similar situation in Rojava. This tribal leader knew the security situation quite well, and there was a lot of kidnapping at the time. Even the US army and diplomats in Kirkuk at that time were surprised a young Dutch student was doing research on his own in Kirkuk without security. However, when you stay with a tribe, they provide you with security. Also, as I mentioned before, I was banned from Turkey, and in that case, I was put on a plane, and deported.
M: In your opinion, what are the biggest misconceptions of the Kurdish region? 
W: Due to Western media generalization and romanticization, there is this belief that there are female fighters everywhere in Kurdistan (most of them are in Syrian Kurdistan); the reality is that there is still a lot of room for improvement on gender relates issues, due to ongoing tribal customs related to honour (especially in Iraqi Kurdistan). Also, there are reporters coming to Kurdistan who think that since they know Arabic, they will understand Kurds. This is not the case. The Kurds in Syria are also very different from those in Iraq. The Syrian Kurds are not that tribal, and its not just because of the PYD that there are more women rights among Kurds in Syria - this is also a cultural issue. Sometimes the Western media treats the Kurds as one, but often they are very divided by region, culture, and parties (which is also the result of the Kurds not having their own nation, and as a result, the parties are either focused on Iran, Iraq, Syria, or Turkey). But at the same time, this diversity is one of the beauties of Kurdish culture. The Kurds are often criticized for human rights abuses by certain organizations, but relatively speaking, their abuses are quite minor compared to the abuses of countries like Turkey, Iran, Syria. The media has a habit of focusing just on the war against ISIS, and forgets about everything else.
M: What do you wish the media focused more on? 
W: The reporting on Syria, especially, has been bad. Sometimes, the media depicts the Syrian conflict as a conflict between a dictatorship and the good, moderate rebels. We have seen this during the regime siege on rebel-held areas in Aleppo. But if you look for instance to the latest UN report on human rights violations, you'll notice that all of the groups have violated human rights, including the Kurds. Often when Jihadists or rebels massacred or displaced Kurds, there was not much attention placed on it. But when the Kurds were accused of displacement of Arabs, there was a lot of media coverage. This is also due to regional countries that want to undermine the Kurds, such as Turkey. Also, the rebels are not all moderate, they are mostly Islamist, and the rebels have also cooperated with Jihadists. Many Western journalists that were kidnapped and sold to Jihadists and beheaded, were sold by so-called moderate rebel groups; but we don't see a lot of reporting about the human rights abuses by rebels. When I was in Manbij, the Syrian opposition was calling on the US-coalition to stop airstrikes to 'save civilians', but when Turkish jets and the army killed civilians during the al-Bab operation, no one said anything. The organization 'Raqqa is being slaughtered silently' is used a lot by Western journalists as a source, but it's not always reliable. One of their members was happy when Kobani was being taken by ISIS and called it Ayn al Islam, exactly the same name ISIS used for the town. None of the Arabs in Manbij or the region calls it Ayn al Islam, often calling it by its official name Ayn al Arab (the Kurdish name is Kobani). This Raqqa activist group is very sectarian and anti-Kurdish, but its being promoted as an anti-ISIS group, although the group often has a similar sectarian discourse as ISIS towards the Kurds. But since they are 'moderates' according to Western journalists, they can say anything they want. They also don't say anything about civilian casualties as a result of Turkish air strikes, but they are very critical about Western coalition air strikes if they support Kurds. This is the double standard. Also in Rojava, Iraq, Syria, and also in Iraqi Kurdistan, a lot of reporting is focused on the war and the fight against ISIS. Often, governance problems, corruption, and other things are ignored by the Western press. Meanwhile, the problem of why ISIS was created was more political, rather than security-related. If we ignore the political problems, ISIS will return again once defeated, in one form or another. That’s why the Iraqi Kurds want a local governing body in Mosul ready, before the city is liberated from ISIS.
M: From your extensive study of the Kurdish history, people, culture, and land, what have you deduced thus far? 
W: That the Kurds are one of the most pro-Western nations in the Middle East and often victim of the nation-state or sovereignty-focused policies of the West, and they are seen as a factor of instability, although this is not their fault. According to human rights principles, all people have the right to self-determination; in reality, state sovereignty and the imperial borders overrule this. The West often talk about human rights, but it's often self-interest and the idea of stability, that overrules self-determinaton. Only when states weaken to internal instability or foreign intervention like in Syria and Iraq, will the Kurds have a chance of some form of autonomy recognized by the West. However, in Turkey and Iran, this is not the case. Also the Mahabad republic in Iran was only able to exit due to intervention in Iran by the USSR and the UK. When Russia ended its support for the Kurds in Iran, the Kurdistan republic was overrun by the Iranian army and its charismatic leader, Qazi Mohammed, was hanged.
M: Then what is the case in Turkey and Iran? 
W: Basically the Kurds have been oppressed by Iran and Turkey and have almost no rights, especially after the military coup. A lot of Kurdish towns in Turkey have been destroyed in the fighting between the PKK and Turkish security forces, and many civilians were killed, but almost no one talks about human rights violations by Turkey because Turkey is a NATO-ally, , or because Turkey restrict Western journalists from reporting on the Kurds, and have deported many journalists. That's why the Kurds in Turkey were often ignored. But when the Kurds in Iraq or Syria do something, it gets a lot of attention and organizations were even calling to stop arming the Kurds in Iraq. Although Turkey is a NATO-ally and does much worse than the Kurds in Iraq and Syria. Kurds are being accused of ethnic cleansing, although they are the main victim of this. One of the main reason the Kurds in Turkey have no rights, is the West needs Turkey for business and that alliance was also useful in the past, against the Soviet Union. The West needs Turkey for its geostrategic importance, and as a regional power. There is no focus on the situation of Kurds in Iran since free reporting there is not possible. Moreover, Iran crushed the Kurdish parties after the Islamic revolution and killed most of the Kurdish leadership. Although the Kurds at that time were willing to negotiate for autonomy with the newly established Iranian government after the revolution in 1979.  Many people don’t know that the Kurds in Iran also had control over large Kurdish areas for short periods in the past and aspire to have autonomy within Iran.
M: The Kurdish people ultimately aim for independence. Can you share some of your thoughts on that? [Do you believe they are ready for such independence? If so, why? If no, why not?] 
W: Well, several Kurdish parties either fought for independence or autonomy, but in every country the conditions are very different. I don’t think every Kurdish party is striving for Kurdish independence. For instance the PKK says its against a nation-state, but in favour of self-autonomy. There are so many obstacles for Kurdish independence; i.e. the fact that the Kurds are landlocked, divided over four countries, existing internal divisions between Kurdish parties, economic crises, party politics, corruption, tribalism, lack of non-partisan institutions, etc. Nevertheless, the Kurds in Iraq and Syria have shown that they can govern themselves, despite many challenges. I don’t think there will be any form of Kurdish independence any time soon, even in Iraq, where Kurds have the best chance. This could change though because of the new Trump administration, and if the Kurds could negotiation a soft separation with Baghdad, or some form of confederal status within Iraq. In the end, Turkey and Iran play a big role in preventing this - but also, Western states, who always prefer the status quo due to economic interests and realpolitik.
M: How has your thorough experiences of a people, culture, and political structure shifted your perspective on our global state?
W: I think I already described some of that before: that states prefer sovereignty and stability over self-determination.
M: What has been the most disappointing aspect of your trade? 
W: The lack of stability and possibilities of building a stable life. Moreover, it's difficult to stay economically independent with the financial pressures the media industry is facing as a freelancer.
M: What keeps you going?
W: My love for writing (especially about the Kurdish subject).
M: Every journalist has a few scenes, or sometimes just one, that sticks with them throughout their career. Could you describe one of these scenes? 
W: At this point not so much. This last two years has just been completely crazy with the war against ISIS and me covering so much dangerous subjects. I know many people that have lost their lives. I have seen some horrid scenes, but I prefer not to talk about those scenes, like for instance in Manbij, where I saw civilians that were killed by ISIS mines and snipers, while the Western media just talked about coalition strikes that allegedly killed civilians and which was used by ISIS and the Syrian opposition as propaganda.
M: My sincere apologies, let's move on. Although another sobering matter, I wanted to touch on the Kurdish journalist who was killed last month in her coverage of the battle for Mosul. Can you describe your reception of the news and what you believe it means for journalists, and more specifically, female journalists, in the region?  
W: Personally, after that happened, I decided not to go to Mosul. It's not worth it. But there is a possibility that I will change my mind and go. Mosul is one of the most dangerous media environments for journalists, and I was shocked Shifa Gardi was killed. In the male-dominated environment of Kurdistan, it's especially difficult for female local journalists to work since they suffer from a lot of sexual harassment. Shifa was very brave. She was more a TV anchor, rather than a frontline reporter. I guess she wanted to cover from the frontline, rather than sitting in the studio. Sadly, she was not the only local journalist or foreign journalist that was killed or wounded. But in the end, if you are covering a war, anything can happen. Friends also told me not to go to Syria or Mosul, because they think I will end up dead. Often journalists are willing to sacrifice a lot to report on these conflicts.
M: Let's get personal...What do you do when you're not reporting? In the Netherlands? In Kurdistan? 
W: Well, I am busy with news 24 hours a day, but I do enjoy a lot traditional Kurdish dancing, Kurdish clothes, and Middle Eastern parties (Iranian, Arabic, ...doesn’t matter). I used to have many more hobbies before I began reporting, like playing drums. I love binge-watching series on Netflix when I don’t feel good, and need a distraction. I don’t do participate in a lot of sports, although I should. I also read books from time to time, but don’t have a lot of time for it.
M: What are some of your favorite areas to visit? 
W: Rojava, Lebanon, Iranian restaurants. I haven’t had many vacations recently. I mean there are a lot of nice restaurants in Kurdistan (Iranian, Syrian, etc). And in Lebanon, I have had a good time.  Even in Kobani, there is a nice restaurant where you can get drinks and good food. 
M: What stands out about Rojava? 
W: In Rojava, obviously I was not on vacation. Rojava is interesting because the future of Rojava is not known yet, and basically in Syria there is a proxy war between several countries. It seems everyone is involved in Syria and Rojava. For instance, in Manbij, you have Russian and US soldiers now trying to prevent Turkish attacks on SDF-held Manbij. Also, most Western countries are involved in the US-led coalition against ISIS, so they are also involved in Rojava and Syria. Rojava is a very interesting place because there are a lot of political ethnic groups living there. While Iraqi Kurdistan is predominantly Kurdish, in northern Syria (Rojava), it's much more mixed. This is probably also one of the reasons the PYD opted for a multi-ethnic model, 'a northern Syria federation', rather than a Kurdistan region of Syria.
M: If you weren't focusing on Kurdistan, what other region would you focus on? I don’t focus on other regions. I love South American culture and I would like to visit there. But in terms of journalism, I only focus on the Kurds.
M: Have you read any books that, in your opinion, accurately portray the region?
W:  There is a good book written about Mullah Mustafa Barzani by Masoud Barzani, Kurds in the Shadow of History, a book by Quil Lawrence about Kurdistan, and a good book by Jordi Tejel about Syrian Kurds, although it's pretty dated. Also, there is a good book written by Aliza Marcus on the PKK and another book about the Kurds in Turkey by Frederike Geerdink.There are not many up-to-date books on Kurds. There is a lot of excellent work done by Western academics on Kurds, such as Martin van Bruinessen (but he doesn’t write so much anymore). But a problem with the academic work is that it's often not read much. Also, there are a lot of good think-tank reports like from the ICG.
M: Have you read any books that do the opposite?
W: There is this book of Stephen Mansfield, which I haven’t read, but just reading what he is saying and reading the cover, shows me a much too optimistic picture of the Kurds. There was also a book by a Dutch journalist about Kirkuk, which depicted Kurds as Nazis and suggested that Kirkuk should not join Kurdistan. I think its not up to Western journalists to decide if Kirkuk should belong to Kurdistan or not, but by the local people of Kirkuk.
M: What is your favorite dish? 
W: Ghormeh sabzi. But I like Sushi, Indian food, Mexican food, some Dutch food. A lot of things. I don’t really have a specific taste.
M: What is the biggest challenge your career has created for you on a personal level? How do you overcome that?
W: I don’t think I can ever overcome the lack of stability of this profession, unless I change my career, or become an armchair analyst.
M: What is your ultimate goal? 
W: When I was young, I wanted to be the best expert or most informed journalist on the Kurds. I am not sure if I can objectively judge if I achieved that or not.
M: Describe your last 24 hours for me:
W: I woke up, had a lunch at a Japanese restaurant with an analyst I was hosting in Kurdistan, started writing news articles and parts of a book chapter, was interviewed by a Kurdish TV-channel (Rudaw) to talk about how foreigners celebrate Newroz, so I went to the bazaar and was interviewed by Rudaw. After the Bazaar, I made some nice pictures in Kurdish clothes, posted it over social media and read some news, went home, had some food, drinks, dinner with friends and guests, watched bit TV, socialized, preparing for Newroz celebrations/logistics for tomorrow, answering some questions of journalists, and writing down the answers for this interview before going to bed.
M: Who is the most influential person you've had the pleasure of interviewing?
W: I enjoy interviewing local and civilian people, I don’t care so much about influential people. I only interview influencers because it's necessary to get information about certain subjects from them. Of course, I would like to interview the Kurdish leadership or influential U.S. officials, but often normal civilians have better ideas that transcend. I also enjoy interviewing military commanders. 
M What are you currently reading? 
W: I finished a book by Aris Roussinos on conflict reporting, which was very good and bought two other books: one on Yezidis and another by Colonel Joel Rayburn , but I haven’t had time to read it. The book of Aris is very good, and reminds me of my own life and experiences.
M: Do you feel disconnected from your own community in the Netherlands as a result of your career? 
W: I have been hanging around a lot with Kurds since 2004 or 2005, so at some point I feel completely disconnected from Dutch society and don’t have many Dutch friends. Also, many Dutch people find me weird for my interests, and don’t understand what I am doing in a semi- or active conflict zone. I noticed that when I was last in Holland for two months, writing a book on Syrian Kurds. I feel more connected to the Kurdish community, but at the same time I am still Dutch, loving Dutch cheese and food, and I am still very ‘liberal’, and not  religious in any sense.
M: Thank you, Wladimir. 
To keep up with Wladimir,  you may follow him on Twitter and his Facebook page.
Please send your questions, comments, and feedback to mina@minameman.com.
-Mina Meman

https://www.minameman.com/confluence/2017/3/27