Video: New Media Campaign Targets ISIL
From Al Jazeera. Any opinions expressed are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq's government has launched a media campaign to accompany its military offensive against the armed group, known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). It is seen as the most […]
Baroness Nicholson's Speech to Investment Forum
Speech given by Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, UK Trade Envoy for Iraq and Chairman of the Iraq Britain Business Council, to the ‘Investment Forum in Iraq and Kurdistan Region’, Rotana Hotel, Erbil: ‘I am indeed grateful for the privilege of addressing this eminent audience,and I thank most warmly the President of The Kurdistan Federation of […]
UN Casualty Figures for March
UN Casualty Figures for March 2014, Anbar province excluded According to casualty figures released by UNAMI, a total of 592 Iraqis were killed and another 1,234 were injured in acts of terrorism and violence in March. The number of civilians killed was 484 (including 133 civilian police), while the number of civilians injured was 1,104 […]
Money Still Flowing into Iraq
With just four weeks left to the parliamentary elections, and all the uncertainty and risk that that brings, it is interesting to note that money is still flowing into the country and oil is still flowing out. On the production and export side, the latest figures look very positive, and Lukoil has just started production […]
UNAMI Warns of Divisive Election
By John Lee. In an interview with Agence France-Presse, United Nations envoy to Iraq Nickolay Mladenov has been sharply critical of Iraqi politicians and their campaigning platforms. Mladenov has remarked that not enough Iraqi politicians are campaigning on issues of public concern, such as the supply of clean drinking water, a reliable electricity supply and reducing […]
Budget Delay Continues
By John Lee. 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. The opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Until now the struggle over the 2014 Iraqi budget […]
KBR Faces New Investigation
By John Lee. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has requested that Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) disclose volumes of internal documents relating to a confidentiality agreement staff were asked to sign which allegedly violates US law. According to The Washington Post the allegations suggest that an agreement staff were asked to sign required them […]
Call For International Archaeologists
By John Lee. Liwa’ Smaysim, the Iraqi Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, has stated that Iraq has plans to organize a major conference later this year for all local and foreign excavation teams in order to explore latest technologies in archaeological excavations. He also indicated that the ministry hopes that this gathering will be the […]
Why Two Exchange Rates?
By Mark DeWeaver. Since the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) began changing the rules for its USD auctions in 2012, Iraq has been operating a de facto dual exchange rate system. (There’s a summary of some of the CBI’s recent rule changes on pages 12-14 of this report from Sansar Capital.) For those with access […]
Did Baghdad Reject Nechirvan's Offer?
By John Lee. Reuters has reported an unnamed Iraqi government source describing what is supposedly the real reason for the delay in exporting 100,000 bpd from the Kurdish Regional Government to Turkey. As part of an interim deal , this oil was intended to be exported through the Iraqi state pipeline network. The oil represents a […]
Weekly Security Update 25 - 31 Mar 2014
By Constellis Consulting www.constellis-consulting.com As the campaign for the upcoming parliamentary elections is set to start on April 01, Iraq’s political environment was marked by inter-party competition and developments which could threaten the organisation of the votes. On 25 March, the board of the Independent Electoral Commission (IHEC) resigned to protest against political and judicial interference, after the […]
Iraqi Art Goes Global
By John Lee. Britain's South London Gallery has put on a diverse display of contemporary Iraqi art, to excellent reviews such as this one in London's Evening Standard. Events magazine Time Out also praised the exhibition. The exhibition, entitled Welcome to Iraq was first displayed last year at the Venice Biennale. Art critic Ben Luke noted how the show's […]