Archive | Politics

Iraq Business News brings you the latest Iraqi politics news, keeping you up to date with the latest information and developments.

Iraq "Cannot Stop Trading with Iran"

Iraq’s new Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Alhakim highlighted the importance of bilateral relations with Iran and said the Arab country cannot cut off its trade ties with the Islamic Republic due to the US sanctions. Alhakim pointed to Washington’s economic sanctions against Tehran and said, the value of annual trade between Iran and Iraq amount […]

Prime Minister names his 8 New Ministers

Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi has reportedly named his final eight ministers, completing his cabinet after weeks of delay. According to information received by Rudaw, the appointments are as follows: Dara Nuradin – Ministry of Justice Falih Fayadh – Ministry of Interior Faysal Jarba – Ministry of Defense Qusay Abdulwahab Suheil – Ministry of Higher Education […]

How the Barzanis are looking to Consolidate Power

By Al Monitor staff. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Intel: How the Barzanis are looking to consolidate power in Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan’s dominant clan announced today that it was nominating Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani to succeed his uncle Massoud […]

Putin may visit Baghdad amid growing Russian-Iraqi Contacts

By Ruslan Mamedov for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.  Putin eyes visit to Baghdad amid growing Russian-Iraqi contacts Lately, official Russian-Iraqi contacts have been intensifying noticeably. On Nov. 23, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iraqi President Barham Salih met behind […]

Former Trade Minister sentenced for Corruption

By John Lee. A former Minister for Trade and two former State Directors of the Ministry have been sentenced in absentia to seven years in prison for corruption. A statement from Iraq's Commission of Integrity said the three committed offenses in two contracts between the State Company for Trading Grain and a company supplying basmati […]

Sectarianism, Governance, and Iraq’s Future

By Ranj Alaaldin. The June 2014 takeover of Mosul by the Islamic State group (ISIS) was described as an existential threat to the Iraqi state and the post-2003 political order. Yet, its emergence was only a symptom of a broader series of crises that had engulfed Iraq over the past decade. While militant groups dominate […]

Iraq Falls Again in Prosperity Index

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 […]

Iraq to remove Impediments to Infrastructure Investment

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 […]

Iran-Iraq Relations in light of US Sanctions

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 […]

Can Iraq’s new Leadership Win (and Keep) the Peace?

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 […]

Iran Worries about Losing Ground in Iraq

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 […]