Barzani Next-Gen Power Struggles: Areen Masrour Barzani Launches 'Kurdistan Foundation' Amid Intra-Family Rivalries for Influence

KRG caretaker PM Masrour Barzani's son, Areen, launched the "Kurdistan Foundation," a central hub consolidating all of his various ‘charity’ projects under one umbrella. Masrour Barzani has been aggressively positioning his son as part of a larger rivalry among the Barzani family to solidify their power while family patriarch Masoud Barzani is still alive.
The competition among the new generation is now between Masoud’s youngest son, Mustafa “Babo,” Areen, and Nechirvan’s son, Idris.
Areen has a massive multimillion-dollar budget from his father, which he uses to build institutions for himself and "purchase" prestige. He has utilized strategies such as attending the British Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, hosting influencers from the Gulf, Arab Iraq, and beyond, and even arranging for famous singers to perform songs that mention him by name. Areen also owns AVA Media, which covered the inauguration of Kurdistan Foundation in a manner reminiscent of how al-Shabab TV promoted Uday Saddam, employing extreme flattery through paid propagandists posing as journalists (here is an example).
In addition to his media ventures, Areen is overseeing multiple property development projects in Duhok and Erbil. One of his key strategies is acquiring land for free in some of the most expensive areas of these cities and then reselling it for millions of dollars. People close to him describe him as being surrounded by sycophants, with many of his associates being Arabs or Iraqi Christians. Sources close to the situation describe Areen as operating in a manner similar to a crown prince, commanding deference even from his father's senior associates.

Those who have met both Areen and his cousin Idris (whose mother is Masrour Barzani's sister) describe Areen as more superficial and resistant to criticism, while Idris is considered more open-minded and better at relating to ordinary people. Idris is also now primarily managing Salahaddin Holding, though Masrour Barzani’s consolidation of power has started to chip away at Nechirvan’s business empire. Masrour Barzani's business empire, through Ster Group, has grown so dominant that they effectively compel regular businesses to partner with them under a 51/49 split, with Ster Group claiming the majority stake in Erbil or Duhok operations.

We will provide further insights into this intra-Barzani rivalry in future posts, as figures such as the sons of Masoud Barzani’s brothers are also increasingly acquiring businesses, offering more detailed analysis of the ongoing power struggle.