[Published here December 23, 2020]
Iraqis on Wednesday were outraged, heartbroken but not surprised to hear US President Donald Trump had pardoned for four Blackwater contractors convicted of killing Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007.
Continue reading[Published here December 17, 2020]
A year of economic agony for pandemic-hit and oil-reliant Iraq is drawing to a close, but a draft 2021 budget involving a hefty currency devaluation could bring more pain for citizens.
Continue readingI joined friend and ecumenical lawyer Harry Hagopian for a discussion on Iraq’s weathervanes — the under-represented communities whose subjugation to injustice can tell us more about society as a whole than we think.
Give it a listen, and apologies in advance for Iraq’s unreliable internet as we were recording:
[Published here November 13, 2020]
Shredded tarp flutters from the metal frames of what were once thousands of tent homes. After five years hosting displaced Iraqis, the vast camp was emptied in under 48 hours.
Continue readingI had the privilege of moderating a discussion hosted by the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy on food security in Lebanon, where a currency crisis and the port blast have made imported foods harder to access than ever.
You can find the full discussion here.
[Produced with AFP bureau chief Sarah Benhaida and published here on September 29, 2020]
Back in October 2019, unprecedented protests demanded the fall of Iraq’s ruling class. One year on, with a new government in place and nearly 600 protesters killed, almost nothing has changed.
Continue reading[Produced with my colleague Shwan Mohammad in Sulaimaniyah and published here on October 1, 2020]
Turkey and Iran are increasingly adopting “game-changing” drones as their weapon of choice against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, prompting fears for the safety of civilians and stoking geopolitical tensions.
Continue reading[Published here on September 11, 2020]
A trove of Saddam-era files secretly returned to Iraq has pried open the country’s painful past, prompting hopes some may learn the fate of long-lost relatives along with fears of new bloodshed.
Continue reading[Published here August 7, 2020]
Precious wheat spilled out of disembowelled silos, mixing with soot, debris and cement: Beirut’s port blast has gutted Lebanon’s largest grain storage and sparked public panic over bread shortages.
[Produced with my colleague Dylan Collins in Tripoli, Lebanon, and published here on July 21, 2020]
Browse through Arabic-language social media pages and you could walk away thinking COVID-19 is an American hoax, isn’t deadly and can be swiftly cured with a garlic clove.
