On March 17, Iraqi President Barham Salih appointed Adnan Al-Zurfi, a member of the Council of Representatives and former governor of Najaf, to be the new prime minister. This is the president’s second attempt to replace Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, who resigned in November 2019 and is currently presiding nominally over a caretaker government, though he has delegated all hi
Read MoreIn the wake of new attacks on US troops in Iraq, the administration was reassessing its strategy in Iraq. Then came the coronavirus. The number of violent attacks on US, Iraqi, and international troops and civilians by Iran-directed paramilitary groups in Iraq has escalated in the past two weeks at an alarming rate. Whether this uptick is a sign of the Iranian regime’s death
Read MoreDublin, March 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Middle East Macroeconomic Outlook to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This report presents economic, demographic, employment, infrastructure and competitiveness data for 14 countries. The research includes 2019 estimates and medium-term forecasts for the period from 2020 to 2024 for select indic
Read MoreAdnan al Zurfi has 30 days to form government Shiite groups already opposed to his appointment Previous candidate failed to win parliament's vote of confidence Dubai — Iraq's Prime Minister designate Adnan al Zurfi is hamstrung by Shiite opposition to his nomination and possible recession in OPEC's second-largest oil producer reeling from the coronavirus epidemic and t
Read MoreThe spread of coronavirus, Covid-19, globally means more populations in lock downs while slowing major economic activities, but for Iraq, it goes beyond the normally expected health and economic crises. The country’s political economy is designed in a way that any economic lose might lead to conventional conflict over resources. The pandemic dramatically decreased revenues of I
Read More