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    Opinion articles

    Iraq and the Three Nations

    Hussein Darwish al-Adly, a Researcher and Academic. “Iraq is the epicentre of three nations (the Arab, Iranian and Turkish). Its cohesion implies the unity of the three Middle East nations, while its disintegration certainly means the redrawing of the entire region’s geopolitics. Iraq’s division is forbidden and surviving as a...

    Higher education in Iraq and the need for major transformation

    By Ahmad Alja’fari, Researcher and Academic, Educational Administration and Policy - University of Buffalo - America When analysing the vocational paths of higher education in South Korea, America, Germany, Singapore, Japan, Britain, and Australia, it soon becomes clear that these countries were receptive to a philosophy that provided them with...

    An Assessment of Electricity Sector Reforms in Iraq

    The Iraqi government has begun to privatize the electricity sector amid much skepticism. The issue of privatization has quickly become controversial one among political factions, especially after the vocal opposition of five southern provinces, namely Dhi Qar, Muthanna, Wasit, Diwaniyah, and Najaf. Privatization is driven by well-established reasons, such...

    Iraq narrows deficit with $1 billion bond sale

    Iraq marked an important milestone last week after it wrapped up its first independent bond sale worth US$1 billion. Iraqi government officials and advisors completed a weeklong roadshow that included stops in London, Boston and New York. Citi, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan and the Trade Bank of Iraq were the...

    Towards A Framework for Tackling Corruption in Iraq

    The war on corruption has been fought on many fronts, internationally and domestically, with differing degrees of success. The existing commentary on corruption in Iraq is extensive but some studies have focused on post-2003 Iraq without accounting for the roots of corruption that extend back to the Ba’athist regime....

    Transparency International: a case study for assessing corruption in Iraq

    Working in parallel with the effort to support Iraq’s armed forces to defeat Daesh, the international community recognises that it also has an important role to play in Iraq’s economic reform agenda. Only a rejuvenated and robust economy can effectively address the country’s reconstruction and governance challenges. Forging a...

    Iraq’s 2017 Federal Budget: Key features and trends

    After a series of contentious debates that saw parliamentary blocs withdraw from the chamber over disagreements about revenue sharing, Iraq’s Council of Representatives eventually approved the 2017 federal budget on December 7 in the presence of 189 members. The 2017 budget reduces government spending by about 5% compared to this...

    Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act: Implications for U.S.-Saudi ties

      On September 28, the U.S. Congress voted unanimously to override a decision by President Obama to veto a bill known as the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA for short. The decision marked the first time since Obama took office that Congress had successfully garnered the two-thirds...

    Polls and Policy – examining the US Presidential Election

    On November 8th, US Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will hope more than a year on the campaign trail – full of speeches, fundraisers, and presidential debates – will be enough to secure the top political seat in the country. Much has been made of their respective...

    Has Democratization in Iraq Failed?

    The common consensus amongst political scientists on democratization is that it is a long process with an unpredictable timeline for each individual case study. However, with regards to the democratization of Iraq, there is a commonly held belief that it has failed within the span of a decade and...