[Published here March 19, 2020]
Baghdad (AFP) – Between plummeting oil prices, political deadlock and reduced global appetite for a bail-out, Iraq is on the cusp of financial calamity that could force austerity measures and renew anti-government protests.
[Published here March 17, 2020]
Baghdad (AFP) – Adnan Zurfi, Iraq’s second premier-designate this year, is respected for focussing on public services and security but faces resistance from factions wary of his close ties with the United States.
[Published here on January 9, 2020]
Baghdad (AFP) – Arch-foes Tehran and Washington may be temporarily calling it even after Iranian missiles targeted US forces in Iraq, but analysts predict violent instability will keep blighting Baghdad.
[Published here with my colleague Sarah Benhaida December 10, 2019]
Iraqi protesters have clashed with police and torched government offices, a premier has resigned and precious blood spilt. As modern institutions collapse, an old force is making a comeback: its tribes.
[Published here on October 31, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – One protester killed. Then five. Suddenly, more than 40. As Iraq’s anti-government demonstrations turned bloody, a network of rights defenders and medics began documenting deaths to fill a gag order on casualty numbers.
[Published here on October 5, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – With secret satellites, pricey messages abroad and clandestine file transfers, young Iraqis are circumventing an internet blackout aimed at stifling several days of bloody protests in the capital and beyond.
[Published here on October 5, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – The United Nations urged Saturday an end to violence in Iraq, after five days of anti-government rallies marred by the killing of nearly 100 people, mainly protesters.
[Published here September 17, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – As fissures within a powerful paramilitary force go public for the first time and a revolving door of top politicians consults Tehran, Iraq’s fragile political balance is crumbling, analysts say, with worrying consequences for its premier.
[Published here on July 29, 2019]
BAGHDAD: Iraq’s federal authorities and the cash-strapped Kurdish regional government have relaunched talks over longstanding oil and budget disputes, but observers are skeptical they will reach a genuine diplomatic reset. Here are a few questions and answers to clarify the complex issue.
[Published here May 15, 2019]
Baghdad (AFP) – With temperatures rising on both the weather and security fronts across the region, Iraq’s freshman electricity minister is warning that politicising his country’s power sector could have ripple effects around the world.
