Israeli PM backs Kurdish Independence
By John Lee. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu (pictured) has expressed his support for Kurdish statehood, taking a position that appears to clash with the US preference to keep Iraq united. In a speech to a Tel Aviv thinktank on Sunday, Netanyahu called for the establishment of an independent Kurdistan as part of a broader […]
Video: A Divided Iraq
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Competing geopolitical interests; competing media narratives in Iraq:
What Went Wrong in Iraq: The Khedery Version
The following article was published by Reidar Visser, an historian of Iraq educated at the University of Oxford. It is reproduced here with the author’s permission. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. It’s going to be cited a lot, so it’s worth taking a closer look […]
Iraq Unrest Costs Jordan $113m/mth
By John Lee. Middle East Monitor reports that the unrest in Iraq costs Jordanian industries approximately $113 million per month. The Chairman of Jordan's Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Association, Fathi Jaghbir, said exports to Iraq have "almost stopped", adding: "The unstable situation in Iraq has damaged a large industry in Jordan. Iraq is one of […]
Inside IS’ Mosul
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. Inside IS’ Mosul: No Fuel, New Fashions and Banned Christian Water Workers It has been several weeks since Sunni Muslim extremists took over the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Locals […]
Video: Marginalisation Fuels Sunni Rebellion
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The Sunni rebellion in Iraq was years in the making. They have long felt marginalized and targeted by the Shia led government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki. Al Jazeera's Zeina Khodr reports […]
False 'Awakening' Model to deal with ISIS
By Mushreq Abbas for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. The Iraqi government may find it difficult to dissuade armed Sunni groups from fighting alongside the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) without seriously addressing Sunni concerns, including reforming the government and constitution. The […]
Women Face Escalating Risks during Iraq Crisis
With nearly one million people currently displaced throughout North and Western Iraq, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, warns that about 250,000 women and girls, including nearly 60,000 pregnant women, are in need of urgent care. While an estimated 225 women will give birth every day, approximately 1,000 pregnant women each month will encounter life-threatening […]
Wolfowitz Sees Chalabi as Viable Leader
By John Lee. Paul Wolfowitz has said that Ahmed Chalabi (pictured), the Iraqi who helped spur the U.S. invasion of his country, would be viable as its next prime minister though close ties he established with Iran pose an impediment. Speaking to Bloomberg Television, he said: “The man is a survivor ... That’s impressive. I […]
Christians Displaced Again by Iraqi Violence
By Shaida al-Ameen for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. An estimated 10,000 Christians have been displaced from the Nineveh plains to Iraqi Kurdistan during the past few days as a result of raids by the Islamic State, formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and […]
Did Shiite Fatwa save Baghdad from 'Islamic State'?
By Ali Hashem for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. A battle without a future, neither a victory nor an end can be seen in the darkness of the Iraqi tunnel, a war that adds to the collection of wars in the Middle East more […]
Video: Truck Drivers Brave Iraq Dangers
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Turkish truck drivers continue to make the voyage to Iraq despite the country's volatile state. Iraq is Turkey's second largest export market and despite the dangers, it remains an important source of trade. […]