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    Iraq’s place in Canada’s Middle East Strategy

    By Ali Ziad al Ali, researcher specialising in international and strategic affairs. At the beginning of 2016, Canada announced, in the words of its Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, a strategy called the "Middle East Strategy", which focused on ways of enhancing Canadian interests in the region, in general, and in...

    The Hidden Threats to Iraq’s National Security

    By Ali Ziad al-Ali, researcher specialising in international and strategic affairs. In general, arbitrary or unsystematic threats to national security are a direct menace to the intrinsic values and underpinnings of any society. Iraq’s national security faces an unprecedented number of visible threats that form a direct menace to the...

    The Role Of Resources, Economics And Energy In The Increasingly Fierce Rivalry Between Iran And Saudi Arabia

    Summary Neoliberal thinking provides a broad-spectrum interpretation of the role of resources in regional rivalries, and issues such as identity, energy and water resources are considered legitimate reasons for rivalry in international politics. Strategists argue that in the years following the Cold War, there was good reason for new regional...

    A New Hope: Iraq Oil’s Way Forward

    1. Introduction This report primarily concentrates on the oil sector in ‘federal’ Iraq, i.e. that outside the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). It can be read in conjunction with my earlier study for the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES) of the petroleum industry in the KRI. The defeat of ISIS...

    Restoring the Iraqi Healthcare Sector

    Once viewed as having one of the most robust healthcare systems across the Middle East, the Iraqi healthcare system has experienced a steady decline since the late-1980s as a result of conflicts and the resultant economic troubles that have gripped the country. The biggest blows to the system came...

    Moscow’s Flexible Alliances in the Middle East

    Russia has been seeking a more robust relationship with Iraq since the so-called Arab Spring started in 2011, eager to build on the remnants of what was once a strong Soviet-Iraqi alliance during the Cold War. The Kremlin’s appetite for courting Iraq has been driven by security considerations, shrewd...

    Iraq and Japan – A Common Strategic Vision

    By Ali Ziad al Ali, Researcher Specialising in International and Strategic Affairs Iraq’s geopolitical position represents a strategic imperative and a reality which compels the superpowers to maintain relations with it. Japan recognised the importance of this vital position in terms of energy and geopolitics. Iraq represents a strategic opportunity...

    Combating Corruption … Using Data Extraction Techniques in e-Government

    The term "Big Data" is a broad definition that covers all data relating to institutions and individuals. Data extraction is one way of accessing information. Data extraction techniques reveal the information behind the data and how to interpret it. In other words, it is defined as a process used to...

    Incentivising the private sector to develop domestic tourism in Iraq

      Domestic tourism - historically - is the primary form of tourism that persists to this today and represents the bulk of global tourism activity. Economists at the World Tourism Organisation estimate that domestic tourism at the global level represents two-thirds of total tourism. Domestic or local tourism is a tourist...

    ‘Functioning Federalism’ in Iraq: A Critical Perspective

      Iraq has struggled with the concept of federalism ever since it was enshrined in the 2005 Constitution. It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss how the authors of the Constitution envisioned a federal Iraq, or to put it more accurately, how competing visions led to the...