Iraq Business News brings you the latest Iraqi politics news, keeping you up to date with the latest information and developments.
By John Lee. Iraq has fallen one place in this year’s Legatum Institute Prosperity Index, ranking in 143rd place out of the 149 countries measured. The index ranks countries according to its nine pillars of prosperity: Economic Quality, Business Environment, Governance, Personal Freedom, Social Capital, Safety and Security, Education, Health and Natural Environment. Despite Iraq’s […]
By John Lee. Iraqi President Barham Salih has told an international conference in Rome that Iraq will remove any impediments to Iraqi and foreign private sector companies, as well as international financial institutions, donor countries and sovereign wealth funds, to invest in major infrastructure projects in the country. He added that these projects may include […]
By Bijan Khajehpour for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The reimposition of US secondary sanctions has compelled Tehran to look for ways to reduce their negative impact. According to Iranian officials, one of the strategies is to increase trade […]
By Ranj Alaaldin. Iraq now has a new government in place, six months after holding elections against a backdrop of a long period of political instability and social unrest. With the new leadership of Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi and President Barham Salih—both widely touted as reformist, progressive, and Western-leaning—there are high hopes that the […]
By Ali Mamouri for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. With rising US pressure, Iran worries about losing ground in Iraq Iraqi President Barham Salih met with Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Nov. 17 in Tehran, where Khamenei underlined […]
By John Lee. The Iraqi government has said it is introducing changes to simplify visa and residency procedures for visitors, international investors and entrepreneurs from a number countries. It added that citizens of Lebanon will be able to obtain entry visas on arrival at Iraqi airports as part of a reciprocal agreement between the two […]
By Omar Sattar for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The Iraqi parliament lifted the freeze on the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) Nov. 10, over two weeks after provincial elections were scheduled to be held. Now, the fate […]
Deep inequality continues to shape the lives of children in Iraq A comprehensive survey on children’s wellbeing in Iraq released today found that conflict and inequality remain defining features of childhood. A majority of poor children are not receiving any form of government assistance. Even as the fighting has subsided, 80 per cent of all […]
By Ahmed Tabaqchali, for 1001 Iraqi Thoughts. The proposed budget law, prepared by the prior government and adopted by the current one (with some minor revisions), resembles the ongoing negotiations on completing the formation of the government. Just as the participants in these negotiations had left behind the pretence of responding to popular demands and […]
By John Lee. The Iraqi government has retaken ownership of a property in Baghdad, after it said it was unlawfully sold to "the wife of a senior official in the previous [Abadi] government". The Commission of Integrity said in a statement that "the property was sold by the official to his wife in violation to […]
By Omar al-Jaffal for Al Monitor. Any views expressed here are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq’s Governorates Reject 2019 Draft Budget Anger is escalating in Basra over the new government's stance toward this strategic city and the demands of its people. The continued marginalization of […]
By Ahmed Twaij, for Foreign Policy. Recent violent protests in the southern Iraqi city of Basra have brought to light years of suffering by Iraqis in what is known as the economic capital of Iraq due to its vast oil reserves and deep-sea port access connecting the country to the international market. Basra, a predominantly […]
