Iraq has been buffeted by ill-winds over the past 40 years. Wars, sanctions, terrorism and domestic conflict have threatened its stability and the well-being of its citizens. But by far the most serious long-term threat the country faces is from the potential economic impact and environmental devastation of climate change. According to the UN Environment Programme, Iraq is t
Read MoreBaghdad, May 27, 2021 – Oil price volatility and COVID-19 have increased Iraq’s economic woes and deepened existing economic and social fragilities. With global oil markets trends turning positive, the outlook for Iraq is set to improve. The new edition of the Iraq Economic Monitor for Spring 2021 titled “Seizing the Opportunity for Reforms and Managing Volatility” expects t
Read MoreEconomic integration in the Levant — in the form of a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) that eliminates tariffs, lowers investment and nontariff barriers, and waives visa requirements — could increase the average gross domestic product of the Levant nations by 3–7 percent. This economic expansion would likely create at least 0.7 million to 1.7 million additional new jobs
Read MoreIraqi diaspora mobilization and the future development of Iraq – authored by Dr. Oula Kadhum, explores Iraqi diaspora mobilization before and after the 2003 invasion and fall of the regime of Saddam Hussein. It looks at the ways members of the diaspora sought to help in the rebuilding of their country of origin, at both the elite and grassroots levels, as well as investigating
Read MoreWhy stability in the country is critical for all of the Middle East As it is beginning, the Biden administration has an opportunity to refocus US attention in the Middle East, and in one key country in particular—Iraq. But this region is not the only critical policy focus for the United States. Given the critical role that Iraq’s stability plays in the security of the wider
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