Massoud Barzani was born on August 16, 1946, in Mahabad, Iran, during the short-lived Republic of Mahabad (1946), a Soviet satellite state where his father, Mustafa Barzani, commanded the Kurdish military forces as a key nationalist leader. Mustafa Barzani dedicated over 60 years to the Kurdish struggle for autonomy, achieving brief success in 1946. Massoud worked alongside his brother Idris Barzani before assuming leadership of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in 1979 upon his father's death. He served as President of the Kurdistan Region from 2005 to 2017 and emerged as a prominent figure in Kurdish politics and the international arena, earning recognition as a runner-up for TIME's Person of the Year in 2014. His tenure has been marked by efforts to advance Kurdish interests amid complex regional dynamics, including as a partner and rival in the anti-Saddam opposition.