Authors Posts by Sajad Jiyad
Sajad Jiyad
What implications will the US mid-term elections have on the Middle East?
Americans voted on 6 November in the mid-term elections which saw the continuation of a historical trend where the party in opposition gains control of the lower chamber during mid-presidency. The Democrats secured the 218 seats necessary to take control of the 435-member House...
Saudi extremism and the “uncomfortable truths” the West needs to face
On 4 February, a Saudi military spokesman, Ahmed al-Asiri, announced that the Arabian kingdom is ready to send ground troops to Syria to fight against Daesh/ISIS, should the US-led coalition decide to carry out ground operations against the terrorist group.
It is not the first...
Putin focuses on foreign policy in the Middle East
Perhaps it was the difficult economic conditions at home, or because of the unpopular decisions that risks making President Putin the man of the elite rather than the man of the people, but what was clear to see in his annual press conference on...
Planning for the 2016 budget in iraq
As the final quarter of the year approaches the Budget Office in the Finance Ministry is preparing the framework document which the final budget will be based on. There is no doubt that the budget will again have a deficit as the government continues...
A strategic vision to defeat daesh
After more than a year of the ‘caliphate’ that daesh has brought to the Middle East, the military campaign continues to progress against an enemy that has shown it is competent at both the tactical and strategic level. While an international coalition is supporting...
The Upcoming Conflict in OPEC
Since the beginning of 2015 there have been several reports that the three largest producers in OPEC, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran, would increase their exports to record levels by end of year. This has happened for both Saudi Arabia and Iraq and will...
What the 2015 Election Results Mean for the UK Government’s Policies
At 12.30pm on Friday 8 May 2015 the Conservative Party leader and current UK Prime Minister David Cameron entered Buckingham Palace to meet with Queen Elizabeth II. She asked two simple questions: ‘do you have the confidence of parliament’ and ‘do you intend to...
The Employment Crisis in Iraq
At the beginning of 2015 several demonstrations took place in Iraq protesting the lack of new civil service positions due to the austerity budget. Graduates in particular were bitterly angry that they were not provided with jobs as was expected and had been happening...
The Increasing Budget Deficit in Iraq
The fall in oil prices in the second half of 2014 came as a surprise to the Iraqi government and this led to several revisions of the budget. Several challenges were posed to the economy, given the reliance on oil, including cashflow to meet...
Analysis: Obama’s Nowruz Message
To mark the Persian New Year of Nowruz, President Obama released a video greeting to the Iranian people. “For decades, our nations have been separated by mistrust and fear,” he said. “Now it is early spring. We have a chance—a chance—to make progress that will...
