From Henley & Partners. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Japan has been knocked off the top spot on the Henley Passport Index for the first time in five years and bumped into 3rd place, according to the latest ranking, which is […]
From Amwaj Media. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Deep Dive: Iraqi cardinal loses state recognition amid escalating intra-Christian confrontation Iraq's president has revoked state recognition of Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako as Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church. The measure, which has […]
By John Lee. The US has reportedly barred 14 Iraqi banks from conducting dollar transactions, as part of a crackdown on illegal transfers of dollars to Iran and other sanctioned countries. According to the Wall Street Journal, the banks include Al Mustashar Islamic Bank, Erbil Bank, World Islamic Bank, Zain Iraq Islamic Bank and Al […]
By John Lee. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani visited Syria on Sunday, meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. In the first such visit by an Iraqi prime minister in at least 12 years, Sudani said his aim was to, "discuss cooperation in all fields, and to strengthen the relationship, which we believe […]
By Firas Elias for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Hakan Fidan and the New Turkish Diplomacy in Iraq As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan (pictured) will have to navigate urgent changes and new […]
By Amnesty International. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq: Draft laws threaten rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly The Iraqi government has re-introduced two draft laws to the Parliament which, if passed, would severely curtail the rights to freedom […]
KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani has appointed Treefa Aziz as the new KRG Representative to the United States. Ms Aziz was most recently Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister and previously worked for over 25 years in the United States in various capacities in the public and private sector. She was also the KDP Representative […]
By John Lee. The British Embassy in Baghdad has announced funding for projects to promote and protect human rights in Iraq. Under the Magna Carta Fund, the UK will make £70,000 ($92,000) available to projects that include action-oriented ideas which will bring about concrete outcomes. According to a statement from the Embassy: "In particular, we […]
By John Lee. A senior UN official has said that support for the country's efforts to reintegrate displaced people is critical to preventing extremism and boosting recovery. Asako Okai, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Assistant Secretary-General and Crisis Bureau Director, added that, "UNDP is unwaveringly committed to supporting Iraq." Full statement from UNDP: One million […]
From Amwaj Media. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Inside story: Why Iran's allies in Iraq are adopting pragmatism towards the US When Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) recently marked the ninth anniversary of their establishment, most observers expected the force to hold […]
By Marina Ottaway, for The Wilson Center. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq: The Demise of Federalism Federalism in Iraq is being dismantled. Kurdistan exercised some autonomy, but after its failed independence bid, Baghdad began clawing back its privileges. Centralization may […]
From Tasnim, under Creative Commons licence. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The interior ministers of Iran and Iraq made arrangements to strengthen security along the common border. Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi and his Iraqi counterpart Abdul Amir al-Shammari held a […]
