Key Take-Away: The political crisis in Iraqi Kurdistan caused by delayed Presidential elections descended into outright political violence on October 8. Regional President Masoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), has continued to hold office even though his term expired on August 19 and no elections have occurred. Other Iraqi Kurdish political parties,
Read MoreOne of the country's most strategic provinces is up for grabs, but Baghdad and the KRG are too politically and economically broken to reach out and help. Iraq's Kirkuk province has long been identified as a fulcrum for political and ethnic tensions, with the potential to make or break national reconciliation efforts between Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen. With each passing week, Kir
Read MoreBruce Stanley and Laurel Calkins Sep 22, 2015 10:58 pm ET The U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans dismissed an attempt by the Kurdistan Regional Government to overturn a judge’s earlier decision against its planned sale of oil to an unidentified buyer in the U.S. The KRG’s eventual sale of the disputed cargo in Israel made the appeal moot, the court said in a ruling. The cas
Read MoreErbil-Baghdad oil relations swing between deal, no deal ERBIL, Iraq — Encouraged by more international interest in purchasing its oil, coupled with the apparent failure of the federal Iraqi government to provide agreed-upon budget handouts, the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has embarked on a new policy of unilateral independent oil sales. Since the b
Read More$7.3 billion on KRG fuel imports could have been saved with affordable gas Editor's Note: Luay al-Khatteeb discusses the relationship between Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Baghdad in an interview with Harem Karem of theThe Kurdistan Tribune. Harem Karem: How do you see the future of the current deal between Baghdad and Erbil? We are handing over the agreed oil
Read More