By Daniel L Byman, for Brookings Institution. The opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraq is facing serious unrest that is likely to force limited reforms in the political system but not wholesale change. The current Iraqi power structure, with Iranian support, will […]
By Hideki Matsunaga, for Brookings Institution. The opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Bitter experiences of reconstruction in the last two decades have made the international community hesitant to engage in robust reconstruction activities. Iraq’s reconstruction after the United States-led invasion in 2003 […]
By Ranj Alaadin, Brookings Institution. The opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. How US-Iran tensions could disrupt Iraq’s fragile peace Tensions between the United States and Iran are escalating rapidly, particularly since U.S. warships were dispatched in response to reported threats against U.S. […]
By Bruce Riedel, Brookings Institution. The opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. What Iran's Revolution meant for Iraq The collapse of the shah's government in Iran in early 1979 impacted the entire world but no country was more affected than Iraq. Saddam Hussein's […]
Do social protection programs improve life satisfaction? Evidence from Iraq An extensive literature examines the link between social protection-related public spending and objective outcomes of well-being such as income, employment, education, and health. Much less attention has been given to how government social protection policies influence individuals’ own sense of well-being, particularly in low- and […]
By Ranj Alaaldin. The June 2014 takeover of Mosul by the Islamic State group (ISIS) was described as an existential threat to the Iraqi state and the post-2003 political order. Yet, its emergence was only a symptom of a broader series of crises that had engulfed Iraq over the past decade. While militant groups dominate […]
By Ranj Alaaldin. Iraq now has a new government in place, six months after holding elections against a backdrop of a long period of political instability and social unrest. With the new leadership of Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi and President Barham Salih—both widely touted as reformist, progressive, and Western-leaning—there are high hopes that the […]
By John Lee. An Iraqi government block on internet access is reportedly costing the country $40 million per day in lost business, sales and opportunities. The estimate is from the COST tool, based on the Brookings Institution economic impact methodology for internet shutdowns, using data collected by the NetBlocks internet shutdown observatory in collaboration with […]
By John Lee. Iraq, along with India, has the most government shutdowns of the internet. According to a report from the Brookings Institution, Iraqi authorities shut down the country's internet on 22 separate occasions between 1st July 2015 and 30th June 2016, at an estimated economic cost of $209 million. Iraq was taken offline in […]
By Luay Al-Khatteeb and Harry Istepanian, of the Brookings Institution. The need to confront and drive back the forces of the Islamic State (IS, ISIS. ISIL) has pushed long-term reform efforts in Iraq far down the list of priorities. Yet pressing economic reforms – such as restructuring and rebuilding the country’s energy sector – increasingly […]
By Robert Tollast. Iraq Energy Institute Director and Brookings Fellow Luay al-Khatteeb (pictured) has written a biography piece for Haider-al Abadi for The Huffington Post. Al-Khatteeb outlines some of the huge challenges Abadi faces, but notes that from 24 years of knowing PM Abadi, the new Iraqi premier is well suited to take on the momentous […]
The Brookings Institution in Washington DC has issued a new report entitled "Unfinished Business: An American Strategy for Iraq Moving Forward". Ignoring the gratuitous use of the term 'moving forward' in the title, it's a thought-provoking read. The executive summary is shown below, and the full report can be downloaded from the Brooking Institution by […]
