I'll stick with the other explanation, the "other" Iraq is all of Iraq that is working and gaining ground, and not making headlines in the west.
In order to be a prelude to separation the Kurds would have to anticipate civil war in both Iraq and Turkey - they are not likely to be considering anything of the sort. At least not unless a decade or so of relative democracy fails to bring the rest of the region up to standards they have established during the previous decade or so.
It's kind of up to the rest of Iraq to take advantage of an established model (other than Israel) and up to turkey to avoid acting like Saddam in its own Kurdish regions.