A UAE’s list of “terrorist organizations” provokes outrage by Iraq’s Shia ruling coalition, writes Salah Nasrawi Every time Iraqi Shia armed groups are accused of abuses against Sunnis, the country’s Shia ruling elite come to their defense. They even express indignation for calling them militias and insist that they are para-military forces which function as […]
Iraq’s fishy business A mysterious Russian plane landing in Baghdad airport prompts questions of illicit oil-for-weapons deals with IS, writes Salah Nasrawi The news came first from a Jordan-based television channel owned by an Iraqi Kurdish tycoon and well known for his dubious business. A Russian cargo plane landed at Baghdad airport on 2 November […]
Rhetoric in foreign affairs Iraq’s ability to forge an effective foreign policy is once again in question, writes Salah Nasrawi For much of the last 12 years, Iraq’s diplomacy in the post-Saddam Hussein era has been busy marketing the idea that a “New Iraq” was at peace with its neighbours and harboured no intentions of […]
The failure to pass a state budget has unveiled the full extent of Iraq’s empty coffers, writesSalah Nasrawi The annual budget debate is an important tradition in parliamentary systems, a time when lawmakers discuss the government’s draft financial blueprint and the public is told about the nation’s financial status. A budgetary crisis can trigger a […]