politics

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s new adventure in Anbar province will redefine the dynamics of the Sunni-Shiite conflict in the Middle East. As Maliki fights the Sunnis in Iraq, next door President Bashar al-Assad’s flailing regime is doing the same in Syria. Both Maliki and Assad are targeting the Sunnis as a people and...
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It is that time of the year again where we have to look back and look ahead at the same time. Looking back, 2013 had its ups and downs in Iraqi Kurdistan. Democratically, a very successful election took place, an election that had no winners or losers. It proved that Kurdistan cannot be governed...
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What happened in Kirkuk last week, where Kurdish parties failed to unite under a single banner ahead of next April’s nationwide legislative elections in Iraq, should not be called anything less than a political scandal. The failure of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to cooperate in Kirkuk belies...
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Much has been said and written about the assassination of journalist Kawa Garmiyani. But fundamentally, the killing has two aspects: First, this is a normal criminal case, which needs a response from the government and authorities. Second, the attack is on press freedom in Kurdistan. If the authorities are taking what happened seriously, the...
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The recent debacle over the Kurdish pipeline to Turkey and the argument over whether or not the Kurdistan Region’s move to begin direct oil exports was constitutional is set to intensify. Soon, we will see strong statements from Baghdad. That will be reciprocated by Erbil, with either more contracts or stronger statements. Then, the...
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On Saturday the people of Iraqi Kurdistan elevated the politics of their autonomous region into a mature process. They proved that they are no longer the predictable electorate that the political parties of Iraqi Kurdistan can rely on to maintain the status quo. But the following days and years will decide how far this...
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