[Published here January 24, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – Iraqi lawmakers on Thursday approved the government’s 2019 budget, which at $111.8 billion is one of the largest ever for the oil-rich country.
Iraq
In Iraq, political wrangling spawns debate over US troops | AFP
[Co-written with AFP’s Salam Faraj; published here January 22, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – From the halls of parliament to the lightning-fast rumour mills of social media, pro-Iran factions are demanding US troops withdraw from Iraq in a challenge to the country’s fragile government.
The group chat catching fleeing ISIS fighters | Popular Front
I was a guest on Jake Hanrahan’s podcast Popular Front last week to discuss low-tech ways that non-government forces are catching Islamic State group fighters on the run from their collapsed ‘caliphate’ in Syria and Iraq. Listen to the episode here:
US energy chief in Baghdad as sanctions waiver runs out | AFP
[Published here December 11, 2018]
Baghdad (AFP) – US Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Tuesday Iraq should partner with American companies to become energy independent, as Baghdad’s waiver from US sanctions on Iran nears its expiry.
Iraq seeks power revamp to head off sanctions, protests | AFP
[Published here November 28, 2018]
Iraq’s broken electricity sector is planning a long-awaited overhaul to both meet US pressure to halt Iranian power imports and head off summertime protests over chronic cuts.
To reclaim Baghdad, Iraqi artists grapple with its ghosts | AFP
[Published here on November 24, 2018]
Dressed in a multi-coloured beanie and grey sneakers, Zaid Saad had just finished setting up his contemporary art exhibit on Baghdad’s sandy riverbank when police showed up.
Iraq gets US sanctions break to keep the lights on | AFP
[Written with my colleague Ammar Karim and published here on November 8, 2018]
Iraq has won an exemption allowing it to buy Iranian electricity despite US sanctions, as the country plagued by chronic power shortages walks a tightrope between rivals Washington and Tehran.
With US measures imposed Monday taking aim at Iran’s banking and energy industries, there were concerns Iraq — which heavily relies on its eastern neighbour for electricity and consumer goods — would be caught in the crossfire.
