Iraq 's borders were mapped out by the Arab and Arab colonial powers during Sykes-Picot . Faisal Al Yafai writes that the borders -- though contentious and flawed -- have broadly held . But that is what is needed now . Plans for an Arab caliphate or dividing the United Arab Republic into statelets are not realistic , he says . Seeking to change them now is a recipe for a generation of war , Faisal Al Yafai writes .
Iraq 's borders were mapped out by the Arab and Arab colonial powers during Sykes-Picot . Faisal Al Yafai writes that the borders -- though contentious and flawed -- have broadly held . Plans for an Arab caliphate or dividing the United Arab Republic into statelets are not realistic , he says . Seeking to change them now is a recipe for a generation of war , Faisal Al Yafai writes .