"The Sky's the Limit": Educator Bets on Kurdistan as Diaspora's Next Investment

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Kurdistan 24) - When Asaad Yousif Kalasho crosses into the Kurdistan Region, he sees something he rarely finds elsewhere in Iraq: order, safety, and a government that works. In an exclusive interview with Sangar Akrayi's Kurdistan24 Correspondent, the Iraqi-American educator, Assad Kalasho, who was born in Mosul and has been a resident of the United States for roughly 50 years, praises the role of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in treating Christians like 5-star and development in the Kurdistan Region. He has built a network of charter schools, autism centers, and healthcare facilities across the Detroit metropolitan area in Michigan. He has visited Kurdistan numerous times and each time returns with a deepening conviction that the region is ready for a transformative new chapter in its relationship with the global diaspora.

A Thriving Iraqi-American Community With Deep Roots in Kurdistan

Kalasho opened the interview by situating his perspective within the rich fabric of the Iraqi-American community in Michigan, one of the largest and most economically active Iraqi diaspora communities in the United States. "The majority of the Iraqis in Michigan are of the Chaldean descent, Christians and Assyrians. We also have a good community of Muslims, in particular Shia from the south, and a not-bad community of Kurds here in Detroit," he said. "We have a very, very good relationship. We are from the same country, and we share our culture in so many ways."

He estimated that the Iraqi-American community in Michigan, numbering between 250,000 and 300,000 people, generates approximately $20 billion a year in economic activity across businesses and professions. Among its members are hundreds of politicians, thousands of doctors, lawyers, and engineers, judges, and police officers, forming one of the most accomplished immigrant communities in the United States.

Kalasho described his own family's educational enterprise as a cornerstone of that community, having established multiple charter schools 35 years ago that his children, all PhD graduates, now run alongside autism centers and healthcare services. "The family and the kids, they all grew up, and they run the schools," he said with visible pride.

Kurdistan as a Model: Security, Development, and the Promise of Investment

Kalasho was unequivocal about his admiration for what the Kurdistan Region's government has built, consistently framing it as a model that the rest of Iraq has failed to replicate. "You can see from the roads, you can see from the traffic. If you want to really, really scale the region or a country of security and stability, look at the traffic, look at the security of that region. You see that the government is doing well, the government is doing their job," he said.

He described the developments in Duhok, Zakho, and Erbil as genuinely impressive, singling out Zakho in particular for praise. "I love Zakho. It's something that really, really, really impressed me. I think Zakho should be a province right now, not a qada or not a city." He expressed a personal desire to purchase property in Duhok, Zakho, and Erbil, saying he would readily invest in the region the way he has invested in Amman, Jordan, where his family already maintains a residence.

His investment vision for Kurdistan extends well beyond real estate. "I would love to open schools in Kurdistan. I would love to open autism centers in Kurdistan. Maybe a hospital there of very high class, very high caliber institutions. The people there are great, hardworking people."

An American Charter School Model Designed for Kurdistan's Future

At the heart of Kalasho's vision for Kurdistan is the replication of the charter school model he has developed and refined over 35 years in Michigan. He described the concept in detail, explaining that charter schools are state-authorized, government-funded institutions run as private enterprises, providing free transportation, meals, books, and instruction within a strict behavioral framework.

"We don't allow bullying, we don't allow touching, we don't allow messing around. It's more like a private yet public school funded by the government," he said. He envisions adapting this model for Kurdistan as a tuition-based institution given the different funding environment, but one that he believes families will be eager to support given the quality it would deliver.

The curriculum he has designed for Kurdistan would be genuinely multilingual and comprehensive. "We will teach Aramaic. We will definitely teach Kurdish. We will definitely teach English. We will be teaching also French, and the whole curriculum of chemistry, physics, algebra, and history, the whole nine yards," he said. "From the age of four, they have to start reading and writing, and by the time they graduate from high school, they are ready to go to any university throughout the world."

He has already submitted plans to officials in the Kurdistan Region for opening schools in Duhok, Zakho, Erbil, and potentially Sulaimani, and described the government as genuinely open to the concept. Beyond schools, Kalasho also envisions a community college or university offering vocational training in culinary arts, engineering, and dentistry, serving the large segment of the population that does not pursue traditional degree programmes.

First-Class Protection: How Kurdistan Leads the Region on Christian Rights

On the question of how the Kurdistan Regional Government treats its Christian and minority communities, Kalasho offered an assessment that was both generous and deliberately framed to reject the language of charity. "The protection of the Christians in the Kurdistan region should not be a favor. It should not be something that we have to say thank you for. No. But it is there, and it's there big time," he said. "The Kurdistan government not only protects Christians, but they really, really honestly give them 5-star and first-class treatment."

He said this experience is not confined to relationships with senior officials but is felt at the most ordinary and immediate levels of daily life. "I felt it myself, regardless of whether I am close to the government there or not. I felt it from the officers at the checkpoints. As soon as they know that you're a Christian, they trust you 100 percent, which is excellent for me and for others."

Reflecting on the historic moment of 2014, when the Kurdistan Region opened its doors to Christian and Yazidi families displaced by ISIS, Kalasho described it as the defining act of the government's commitment to minority protection. "If it wasn't for the Kurdistan government in 2014, those people would have been either killed or otherwise raped or what have you. But because of Kurdistan, we saved them, protected them, took them in. That's why they are well done, they live well."

Masrour Barzani: A Leader Who Gets Things Done

Kalasho's praise for Prime Minister Masrour Barzani was direct and personal, rooted in a relationship he described as one of mutual respect and shared vision. He praised the prime minister's decisive governing style above all else. "He gets to work, and he does things immediately. He doesn't delay things. That's what you need to serve your people. You need someone like that to serve your people and implement whatever needs to be taken care of."

Kalasho expressed admiration for KDP President Masoud Barzani as the experienced visionary anchor of the family's political legacy. "He's got the right vision. If there's any problem or any issue that needs to be clarified or has his opinion, he's got the experience; he knows what it needs. And of course, Mr. Masrour comes into the picture to implement immediately what needs to be taken care of."

In a moment of personal warmth, Kalasho shared that he had met Mr. Areen Barzani, Prime Minister Barzani's son, and came away genuinely impressed. "he is a leader already. A very, very clever individual, a very well put together he is." 

The Ankawa Park and the Power of Open Public Spaces

When asked about the recent opening of a new park in the Ankawa area of Erbil, Kalasho's enthusiasm was immediate. "I love it. I love it. We need to have more openings to society, more of those types of projects and those types of reforms to attract people, tourism, attract Iraqi descent, attract investors," he said.

He described the park as exactly the kind of signal that can change perceptions and draw the diaspora back to the region, not only as tourists but as residents who invest permanently in Kurdistan's future. "I would love to have a house in Duhok, maybe Zakho, definitely Erbil. Why not?" He estimated that with the right security environment and service infrastructure, Kurdistan could attract between 50,000 and 200,000 diaspora visitors annually, each bringing spending, connections, and investment potential.

A New Generation of Christians: Multilingual, Educated, and Ready for the World

Kalasho expressed deep optimism about the next generation of Christians growing up in the Kurdistan Region, describing them as among the most impressive young people he has encountered anywhere. "I am in so many ways shocked how educated they are and how well put together men and women they are," he said. "Each one of them speaks three, four languages. So that gives me a high comfort and appreciation that we've got a good generation coming."

He credited the Kurdistan Regional Government's investment in higher education, including the American University of Kurdistan, as a central factor in that generational success, while noting that continued expansion of university capacity remains an important goal.

The Barzani Government's Greatest Achievement: A Home for Everyone

"Having the comfort for everybody. Containing everybody together. Christians or Kurds, Arabs, Chaldeans, Assyrians, Yazidis. This is who they are. And they built a very solid ground for everybody to exercise their rights and their freedom. That is an excellent, A-plus establishment for the Barzani government," he said.

He described the Barzani family's political legacy as one rooted in generations of experience and genuine commitment. "They know exactly what it takes to run a country. They are a family of experience. They go deep in their roots, hundreds of years. And they worked hard on themselves." He acknowledged that no political family is without critics, but was clear about where he stands. "All you have to do is go to Erbil, go to Duhok, go to Zakho and find out for yourself what those people did in their region. They did well. They did well."

A Message to the Diaspora: Come Back, Invest, and Build

Kalasho closed the interview with a message directed personally at the Iraqi Christian diaspora across Europe and America, estimated at roughly one million people, encouraging them to engage with Kurdistan as residents, tourists, and investors.

"For the Christian people outside of Iraq, if you can and you are able and willing to establish yourself as a resident there, as a tourist every year, or as an investor, do that. Why? Because you've got a government that protects you," he said.

He painted a vivid picture of what Kurdistan can offer the diaspora that no other destination in the region can match. "The weather is tremendous in March, April, May and June. The scenery, the environment, the waterfalls, the mountains, the trees, the fruits, name it, you have it."

His final words were both a tribute and a challenge. "Kurdistan, all they need is establishing stability on their income and security-wise, making sure that their borders and the threat of the militia do not exist anymore. Other than that, it's beautiful. The sky's the limit."