In the aftermath of the first Gulf war in 1991, a new political entity emerged in the north of Iraq: the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). This autonomous region, granted with a no-fly zone and thanks to a US cover succeeded in building a quasi-State in the 2000s. The delimitation of this new political entity is raising questions regarding its relationship with Baghdad. Among them, the question of the border/boundaries between KRG and Baghdad stands at the crossroad of identity and political issues. The line that separates the Kurdish regional Government (KRG) from Baghdad central government is known as the “green line”. It designates the withdrawal line of the Baathist Iraqi Army in 1991. What does this line mean now that the baathist regime - led by Saddam Hussein - has disappeared? How did local actors behave towards this official border delineation after the 2005 Constitution that recognized this line as the southern limit of an autonomous KRG? Why has the article related to the disputed territories along this line not been implemented? What is the role played by hydrocarbon resources - existing in several regions among the disputed territories - in identity politics for KRG? In order to articulate the two dimensions of space and identity at stake in this case study, I will rely on the notion of “borderland” developed in border studies as a means to expand the scope of analysis conveyed by border issues. This notion will help to conceptualize the disputed territories as regions where actions and strategies as well as perceptions of local and regional actors need to be highlighted. Thanks to a fieldwork research and data gathering I will underline the bordering process - articulating Kurdish populated areas and energy soil resources – as a key aspect of KRG’s sovereignty shaping process.