Reshaping Iraq After the Defeat of the Islamic State
Iraq’s anti-ISIS war is quickly drawing to an end. ISIS fighters are routed and Iraqi sovereignty over territories, held by the Islamic State from June…
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Why the Kurds Are Paying for Trump’s Gift to Iran
Najmaldin Karim, the governor of the Kirkuk governorate, was at his official residence on October 16 when American special forces showed up. They warned him…
Iraq Is Not Iran’s Puppet
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Iraq is, once again, deeply embroiled in crisis. For three years, the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdish region fought together…
In shadowy covert wars, Iran takes centre stage
In the shadowy world of covert proxy wars, Iran is taking centre stage, both as a target and a player. A series of incidents involving…
America Never Understood Iraq
Days after the Kurdish Region of Iraq held a controversial independence referendum, Baghdad sent army and militia units to attack Kurdish positions in and around…
Iraqi militia commander brushes off US call to disband
BAGHDAD – With the Islamic State group driven from nearly all of Iraq, U.S. officials have suggested that the thousands of mainly Shiite paramilitary fighters…
Iraq orders truce with Kurds to allow peaceful deployment at border crossings
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered a 24-hour suspension to military operations against Kurdish forces in northern Iraq, to allow for the…
Turkey’s paradox in Iraq: Weaker because of a weakened Kurdistan
The sight was vivid proof of how quickly and dramatically the sands of Middle East politics can shift: the smiling faces of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip…
Renewed Saudi-Iraq ties ‘to rival Iran’s influence’
A recent warming of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iraq could signal a move away from Iran’s influence over Baghdad, analysts say, but with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arriving on…
The U.S. is on a collision course with Iran in the Middle East
BEIRUT — President Trump’s assertive new strategy toward Iran is already colliding with the reality of Tehran’s vastly expanded influence in the Middle East as a result of…