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 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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
The role and specificity of policymakers is undoubtedly an influential factor in international relations. Statesmen are first and foremost the policymakers thus actors on the international platform. However, they work under the name and interests of the state. In this sense, the issue of the influence of think tanks...
After months of debates, campaigning and interviews, the US Presidential elections are beginning to tail off. The ostensible incumbents for their respective party’s nomination – Hillary Clinton, the Democrat frontrunner, and Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican candidate – seem to have beaten off dozens of other hopefuls and look...
