Archive | Politics

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

Iraq Agrees Monitoring Program for IMF Loan

An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission led by Christian Josz visited Amman from November 1–10, 2015 to discuss a Staff-Monitored Program (SMP) with the Iraqi authorities. At the end of the visit, Mr. Josz issued the following statement: “Iraq continues to face a number of challenges. Key among those is the ongoing armed conflict with […]

Iraqi PM Under Attack

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. Nobody On Team al-Abadi: Iraqi PM Under Attack, Can't Please Anyone, So How Can He Save the Country? Nobody in Iraqi politics appears to like Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi much […]

Why Christians Oppose Own Autonomous Region

By Mustafa Saadoun for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Why Iraqi Christians are against the establishment of their own autonomous region The secretary-general of the Assyrian Democratic Movement and member of the Iraqi parliament, Yonadam Kanna (pictured), spoke to Al-Monitor about […]

Which Form of Govt is Best for Iraqi Kurdistan?

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. From Broad-Base To Dictatorship: As Coalition Fails, Locals Ask Which Form of Government Best for Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan has gone through a number of different government formats, from coalitions […]

Ahmed Chalabi Dies, Aged 71

By John Lee. The prominent Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi has died at the age of 71. Chalabi, who played a significant role in persuading the United States and its allies to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003, died of a heart attack at his Baghdad home on Tuesday. Having previously served as Deputy Prime Minister, Chalabi […]

Parliament Curbs Prime Minister's Power

By John Lee. The Iraqi parliament voted unanimously on Monday to prevent the government from passing important reforms without its approval, according to a report from Reuters. The chamber acted after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (pictured) unilaterally enacted reforms in August that it considered to be in violation of the constitution, including his dismissal of […]

"No Houses for the Arabs" in Kurdistan

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. No Houses for the Arabs: Iraqi Kurdish Council's Controversial Ruling About Who Can, and Cannot, Buy Property Tensions between displaced Arabs in Iraqi Kurdistan and local Kurds are growing. Which […]

UK's Iraq Inquiry to be Published Next Summer

By John Lee. John Chilcot (pictured), chairman of a long-running British inquiry into the Iraq War, has said he expects to publish the report in June or July 2016. In a letter to Prime Minister David Cameron he said: "My colleagues and I estimate that we will be able to complete the text of our […]

75% of 2016 Draft Budget is for Operational Expenditure

Almost 75 percent of Iraq’s draft budget for 2016 is earmarked for operational expenditure, with 25 percent set aside for investment purposes, a lawmaker has said. He added that more than 6,500 government-sponsored projects are still on hold for a second consecutive year because of falling oil prices. The Iraqi government has already submitted the […]

Human Rights Watch - "Protesters Beaten, Abducted"

Iraqi security forces have repeatedly beaten and violently dispersed protesters during anti-corruption demonstrations since August 2015 without any apparent justification, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement on Friday: In some instances, unidentified men in civilian clothes abducted and beat demonstrators. Prosecutors have failed to respond to judicial complaints lodged by victims of these […]

Iraqi Kurdistan's Brewing Crisis

By Mahmut Bozarslan for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Demonstrations turned violent earlier this month as thousands of people protested the dire economic situation in Iraqi Kurdistan, with many demanding that Massoud Barzani (pictured) step down as regional president. Developments that brought the […]

Protests 'Cost Sulaymaniyah About $1bn'

By John Lee. The Kurdistan Region’s Syndicate of Investors [Kurdistan Investors Union] has said that recent violent protests in Sulaymaniyah have cost the province $1 billion. Spokesperson Mala Yasin Mahmoud told BasNews that many strategic projects have been cancelled and foreign investors are leaving because of the protests. “At least 15% of the foreign investments […]