1. Introduction [1] The purpose of this note is to shed light, and comment, on two views expressed recently in relation to the appreciation of the Iraq Dinar (IQD) in 2006-2008. Muhammad Tawfiq Alawi (henceforth M. Alawi), former minister of communications in Iraq, gave a talk on December 13, 2019 in Washington D.C. to an Iraqi audience, in which he
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A new proxy war is brewing in the Middle East, and its consequences may be bigger than those in Yemen, Libya and Syria Any reader of these columns is familiar with the landscape - an intergalactic Star Wars struggle between three blocks of regional powers, as the US retreats in disarray. The struggle for power is played out in one sandbox after another - fir
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(Reuters) - Iraq has approved contracts in a fifth bidding round for gas exploration contracts the east of the country, the government said in a statement on Thursday. The exploration deals in Diyala province are to develop fields that are expected to produce more than 750 million cubic feet of natural gas within 36 months. Iraq, OPEC's second-largest producer after Saudi
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To ensure that new protests, new sanctions, and new political leadership wind up helping rather than hindering Iraqi sovereignty, Washington must handle upcoming developments with great care. In the coming weeks, Iraq’s parliament may appoint a replacement for Prime Minister Adil Abdulmahdi. This is a very positive development, since the country’s sundry Iranian-backed milit
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By Reuters LONDON/BAGHDAD — BP has pulled out of Iraq's giant Kirkuk oilfield after its $100 million exploration contract expired with no agreement on the field's expansion, dealing a fresh blow to Iraq's hopes to increase its oil output, three sources told Reuters. The move comes as Western energy companies reassess their operations in Iraq amid political turmoil followi
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