As Iraq was facing a political deadlock after the election in which none of the contenders won a majority to dominate the political scene, the main political parties have managed to agree on new leadership to form the new government. Continue reading
I have been quoted by the Chinese outlet The Paper. Here is the article (Mandarin.)
On Saturday, August 19 Iraqis were eagerly waiting for the largest parliamentary bloc to be announced, after news leaked that a meeting between five major political groups was going to be held at Babylon Hotel in Baghdad later in the evening. This came after Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court announced the same day that it had ratified the election results upon the conclusion of the manual vote recount and sorting process. Continue reading
My colleague Hamzeh Hadad and I wrote an article for Washington Institute’s Fikra Forum about Iraq’s desperate need for leaders with vision. Please read the article here.
The current demonstrations were likely and certainly warranted. In the sweltering heat of Basra and the lack of water and electricity, it should not be expected of Basrawis and the rest of southern Iraq to remain silent.
Given that no democracy whether established or nascent is perfect, reform becomes a vital requirement for any democratic system. When it comes to Iraq however, much needs to be done considering that the last 15 years were not ideal for democracy to naturally mature.
On May 12, 2018 the Iraqi people went to cast their votes inside and outside the country. Although the election in terms of security was a success, much has happened that put the credibility of its results in question. Continue reading
