This paper attempts to analyse the reasons that paved the way for the US administration to take the decision of direct military intervention and change the political regime in Iraq in 2003 and not in 1991, focusing on changing economic interest of the USA in the region which influenced that decision. There is near consensus among Iraqi political analysts that the American in
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As global oil prices soar, smugglers are exploiting the lucrative profit margin between Iraq’s subsidized fuel and black-market rates elsewhere. Smugglers move the country’s oil to and through the contested Kurdish region, exacerbating nationwide shortages and depriving the state of much-needed income. These illicit oil flows are also funding Iranian-backed militias, creating b
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Although Iraq stands to gain significant revenues from an oil windfall, urgent reforms are needed to ensure these funds benefit the people, not just the elites. After a full year of political stalemate and fierce power struggles, Iraq’s ruling elite have finally managed to form a government led by Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani. Thanks to the surge in international crude oil price
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Europe may fear an energy crisis over the coming winter, but for Iraqis an unstable power supply and frequent blackouts have been a reality during decades of war and turmoil. The Middle Eastern country is rich in oil, but endemic corruption and devastating conflict have taken a heavy toll on its infrastructure and forced most of its 42 million people to adapt. The noise o
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Petroleum and other liquids Iraq’s crude oil production (excluding condensates) averaged 4.1 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2020 and 2021, which was 600,000 b/d lower than in 2019 (Figure 2). More than 3.6 million b/d was produced under the central government in Baghdad, and about 445,000 b/d was produced at the northern fields currently operated by the KRG.15 Iraq created a
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