Iraqis went to the polls yesterday in what has been variously described as "an important milestone in Iraq’s democratic transition," (Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon) and "a powerful rebuke to the violent extremists," (US Secretary of State John Kerry). Preliminary results are not expect for a couple of weeks, and as it is generally […]
By John Lee. Iraq's northern Kirkuk-Ceyhan export pipeline has been inoperable since March due to sabotage, while attempts to repair it have been curtailed due to ongoing insurgent activity. Deputy prime minister for energy Hussein al-Shahristani (pictured) explained the urgency of the situation, noting that the area was secure enough to repair the pipeline, but […]
By John Lee. Christopher Hill, director of research training and academic development at the University of Nottingham, has written an article based on his experience in university level capacity building in Iraq for academic journal The Conversation. Professor Hill points out the increased expenditure in rebuilding Iraqi universities, but posits that until more academics can be […]
By Reidar Visser. The following article was published by Reidar Visser, an historian of Iraq educated at the University of Oxford. It is reproduced here with the author’s permission. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. For the first time since the fall […]
By John Lee. Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) today announced the creation of the Middle East-North Africa Graduate Fellowship Fund underwritten by a $1 million gift from the Norwegian oil and gas company DNO International ASA. The fellowship will support qualified applicants who enroll at HKS through the Edward S. Mason Program. The internationally focused Mason […]
By John Lee. Millions of Iraqis went to cast their votes today as the country went into a state of lockdown for elections. Polling began at 7am and will close at 6pm. Previous elections in Iraq have been marred by considerable violence, while 50 were killed on Monday as Iraq's armed forces cast their votes. […]
By Constellis Consulting www.constellis-consulting.com A well-planned and extensive ISIS assault against political rallies and polling stations formed part of a predictable surge in violence as Iraq prepares to vote in the first elections since the US withdrawal. The scale of the challenge facing the ISF, as they prepare to secure the electorate who will cast their votes […]
By Harith Hasan for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. In an interview with the Lebanese Al-Manar TV channel on April 20, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki challenged his adversaries, who have been accusing him of becoming a dictator and monopolizing […]
This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. As a province, Baghdad has the biggest population and therefore gets the biggest share of representative seats in Iraq’s Parliament. And unlike in other provinces, the population is far from […]
By John Lee. CHS Middle East, a subsidiary of Comprehensive Health Services Inc, will be providing a range of medical support from life saving surgery to dental treatment for US contractors deployed to Iraq under the Foreign Military Sales program. The contractors will be providing training and technical support to the Iraqi airforce on the […]
By John Lee. Abullah Akrayi, the Kurdish representative for Iran affairs has announced plans for two pipelines to Iran, intended to exchange refined oil and natural gas from Iran for crude oil from the KRG, Anadolu Agency reports. Iranian trade envoy to Iraq Rostem Qasimi apparently signed the deal in Erbil with KRG natural resources minister Ashti […]
By John Lee Iraqis living abroad in 19 countries have cast their votes early ahead of the general election on the 30th of April, news agencies have reported. Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission has said that approximately 785,000 Iraqis were eligible to vote outside the country. Meanwhile attacks on polling stations, security forces and a […]
