BAGHDAD — Eighteen years after the U.S. invasion that deposed Saddam Hussein, Iraq offers a long, painful story about the limits of American power. But Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi will visit the White House this month to urge President Biden to keep trying — by maintaining a U.S. military commitment to a country that straddles the fault lines of the Middle East. Kadhim
Read MorePolitically sanctioned corruption and barriers to reform in Iraq. By Toby Dodge and Dr Renad Mansour
Politically sanctioned corruption and barriers to reform in Iraq. By Toby Dodge and Dr Renad Mansour This paper explores the pernicious effects of politically sanctioned corruption on governance in Iraq. This type of corruption is more consequential for the coherence of the state, and for its everyday functioning, than petty or personal corruption. It is the key barrier to r
Read MoreThe public sector in Iraq accounts for the majority of employment in the oil-rich country. Plummeting oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in economic crisis and an ever increasing budget deficit. Where there is crisis however, there is opportunity: will 2021 bring a much needed reform of the public sector in Iraq? When the Iraq anti-government protests erupted
Read MoreWith the approach of Iraq’s next parliamentary elections in October 2021, pro-reform candidates are facing troubling obstacles as they prepare to compete against the country’s establishment parties, which include armed militias that have dominated Iraq’s parliament since 2018. To ensure a fair electoral playing field, reformers are asking the international community to quickly
Read MorePrepared by Professor Ali A. Allawi Presentation to the US-Europe-Iraq Track II Dialogue Convened by the Atlantic Council and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and supported by DT Institute March 2-4, 2020 in Berlin I Introduction The Theoretical Framework The nexus of administrative structures, organisations, laws, customs, and ideas are at the heart of economic transaction
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