politics

The saga over the appointment of Masrour Barzani as national security advisor and Dr. Khasraw Gul-Muhammad as his deputy is a clear indication of the unhealthy relationship that exists between the ruling parties and the opposition. It is also an indication of the lack of institutionalized thinking and behavior of authorities in the region....
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In football, when there is a coordinated attack to score a goal, the defenders try to take the ball. If they can’t gain possession, they kick the ball off the field to give themselves time to reorganize and better defend their goal. Dr. Ibrahim Jaafari’s paper to reform the government, in lieu of attempts...
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The Kurds today are going through a dilemma. On one hand, some of them are gathering signatures to topple Maliki. On the other, they are talking about the unity of the Kurdish house. The message they are sending is quite contradictory, and is linked to what they want for the future. If the aim...
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The latest crisis between Erbil and Baghdad has been the longest and so far in Prime Minister Nuri Maliki’s favor. Since President Massoud Barzani’s Newroz speech, many events have taken place and almost all of them played into Maliki’s hands. Given the fact that relations between Erbil and Baghdad have always been about a...
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While the views have differed over the involvement of others in the conflict between Baghdad and Arbil and the new turn of events in the Iraqi crisis by the involvement of Muqtada al-Sadr; the events have certainly tipped the political balance strongly in his favour and has made him the de facto person to...
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The prime minister’s suggestion for setting up a higher council for relations with Baghdad is an important step in the direction of institutionalizing relations with the center. But it needs to be handled very carefully, as it runs the risk of becoming yet another committee that travels to Baghdad, holds meetings with the various...
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