Iraq marked an important milestone last week after it wrapped up its first independent bond sale worth US$1 billion. Iraqi government officials and advisors completed a weeklong roadshow that included stops in London, Boston and New York. Citi, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan and the Trade Bank of Iraq were the...
The war on corruption has been fought on many fronts, internationally and domestically, with differing degrees of success. The existing commentary on corruption in Iraq is extensive but some studies have focused on post-2003 Iraq without accounting for the roots of corruption that extend back to the Ba’athist regime....
On the 18th April 2017, during a time of uncertainty in contemporary British history, the Prime Minister Theresa May announced that a snap election would be held on June 8th, 2017. The announcement draped in the shadow of Brexit negotiations, (the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union)....
On June the 23rd 2016, the British public went to the polls to have their say on whether they wished the United Kingdom to remain part of the European Union or whether it should leave. In an outcome that shocked many observers, analysts, members of the public and politicians,...
Working in parallel with the effort to support Iraq’s armed forces to defeat Daesh, the international community recognises that it also has an important role to play in Iraq’s economic reform agenda. Only a rejuvenated and robust economy can effectively address the country’s reconstruction and governance challenges. Forging a...
After a series of contentious debates that saw parliamentary blocs withdraw from the chamber over disagreements about revenue sharing, Iraq’s Council of Representatives eventually approved the 2017 federal budget on December 7 in the presence of 189 members.
The 2017 budget reduces government spending by about 5% compared to this...
Sheikh Abdul Mehdi Al-Karbalaei
Dear Brothers, Dear Sisters,
I bring to your attention the following matters:
We applaud and praise all Iraqi heroes, our loved leaders and soldiers, in the army, the federal police, the Peshmerga forces, the legions of volunteers, and the sons of ardent tribes who are engaged in the...
Oil has often been described as part of the glue that holds Iraq together. And yet, few issues have proven more divisive to the fabric of the state since 2003 than those related to the management of the natural resource base and the distribution of the revenue accrued from...
On September 28, the U.S. Congress voted unanimously to override a decision by President Obama to veto a bill known as the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA for short. The decision marked the first time since Obama took office that Congress had successfully garnered the two-thirds...
As of the summer of 2016, Iraq is gradually winning its war against the Islamic State (IS). Major urban centres such as Ramadi and Fallujah have been liberated and the Iraqi security forces are slowly encircling Mosul, IS’ regional capital and the last major urban centre still in their...
