Archive | Politics

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

Foreign Minister Jafaari Visits Kuwait

By Simon Kent. Iraqi Foreign Minister and former PM Ibrahim al Jafaari (pictured) is on an official visit to Kuwait, and has heralded improving relations between the two countries. In a meeting with his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Sabah al Khaled, Jafaari noted increasing bilateral trade and a planned scheme where Iraq will supply gas to Kuwait. He […]

Saudi Re-Opens Iraq Embassy after 25 Years

By John Lee. Saudi Arabia has re-opened its embassy in Baghdad, 25 years after relations were broken over Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. The embassy will have an initial staff of 35 people, and a consulate is expected to open later in Erbil. Diplomatic relations were restored in 2004 after the toppling of the Saddam Hussein […]

IMF "to Agree Iraq Monitoring Program"

By John Lee. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to finalize an agreement with Iraq in the coming days for a program to monitor its economy. The fund's Middle East director, Masood Ahmed, told Reuters the program would establish a track record of effective performance from the Iraqi authorities which could lead to a […]

UK Committed to Long-Term Partnership with KRG

Senior KRG officials on Sunday discussed economic reform plans of the government and bilateral ties with Baroness Emma Nicholson, UK Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for Iraq. The meeting was chaired by Minister Falah Mustafa, and he was joined by Dr. Ali Sindi Minister of Planing, Nawroz Mawlod Minister of Municipality and Tourism, Mawlod Bawa Murad […]

Video: Iraq slums - Poverty rates on the rise

From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Violence, political instability and a struggling economy have left almost a third of Iraq's population without basic services such as water and sanitation. Al Jazeera's Imtiaz Tyab reports from Baghdad on how people […]

Why Defeating the IS won't bring Stability to 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. Iraq’s most urgent challenge is to eliminate the Islamic State (IS), but that battle will be just a prelude to myriad conflicts in liberated areas such as Sinjar and Tuz Khormato if the rival […]

PAFI Hires US Media Consultants

By John Lee. Washington DC-based communications and political advisory firm Sanitas International has reported that it has been engaged to work in the United States on behalf of Peace Ambassadors for Iraq (PAFI), and its President, Sheikh Jamal al-Dhari. In a statement made pursuant to the US’s Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), Partner Christopher Harvin […]

Iraqi Trade Minister Dismissed

By John Lee. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has sacked the Minister for Trade, Mlas Mohammed Al-Kasanzan [Abdulkarim Malas al-Kasnazani] (pictured), for failing to show up for work. A statement from the Prime Minister's office said al-Kasnazani was dismissed because of his "absence ... from his duties as Minister of Commerce [i.e. Trade] for more than […]

KRG Pres Barzani and Saudi King Salman Meet in Riyadh‏

KRG President Masoud Barzani as part of his visit to the Persian Gulf region has met with His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, the king of Saudi Arabia. King Salman and President Barzani discussed the current issues facing the region in particular and te entirety of the world in general in the hands of […]

UN Report Addresses Yazidi Property Rights

Following the ISIL offensive on Mosul, over 275,000 people from Mount Sinjar area - including a vast majority of Yazidis - were driven out of their homes. Abandoned Yazidi settlements were either systematically demolished or seized by ISIL fighters. Some 6,000 homes are thought to have been destroyed or burned down in the district of […]

US Congress Not Planning Vote to Partition Iraq

The United States has issued a statement denying that it has a plan to partition Iraq: "Recent media reports suggesting that the U.S. Congress will be voting on the partition of Iraq are simply untrue. "The U.S. government has consistently supported and remains committed to the unity of Iraq, and has regularly spoken out against […]

How Iraq just Legalized Discrimination against Minorities

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. How Iraq just legalized discrimination of minorities Amid all the suffering they are already subject to, the minorities in Iraq now have to deal with a National Identity Card Law that systematizes infringement on […]