Revitalizing Iraq's ports, airways in the shadow of IS

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Transport Minister Baqir Jabr al-Zubeidi elaborates on his ministry’s commitment to overcoming the budget deficit amid the country’s troubled security situation.

Iraq

Yazidi candidate hopes for historic first in Turkish election

If the pro-Kurdish HDP passes the 10% threshold in the general elections on June 7, Feleknas Uca will be the first Yazidi member of the Turkish parliament.

Iraq

Iraqis need to build state, not just defeat IS

Iraqis cannot liberate their country from the Islamic State unless they are able to create a unified state representing all interests.

Iraq

Iraq's Sunni fighting force still months away

Baghdad is still debating the national guard plan that would seek to integrate Sunnis into the battle against the Islamic State.

Iraq

Turkish military puts brakes on Syrian intervention

While a Turkish military operation against Syria is unlikely, Mosul is another story.

Legacy: Gulf

Saudi shake-up underscores stakes in Yemen

Saudi credibility on the line in Yemen; al-Qaeda’s “free rein” in Yemen; Iraq seeks balance, distance from Saudi-Iranian rivalry; Iran’s Reformists still waiting for Rouhani to deliver; Syrian government intensifies attacks on rebel-held areas of Aleppo.

Saudi Arabia

Anbar’s displaced Sunnis not safe from sectarianism

The wars in Iraq and the policies adopted after 2003 imposed new sectarian borders on the citizens, which are difficult to overcome in times of humanitarian crises.

Iraq

Iraqi Kurds struggle to avoid regional conflicts

Iraqi Kurds have performed a balancing act to remain largely impartial in the conflicts swirling around them.

Iraq

Ancient market at heart of modern Baghdad

The Iraqi capital's ancient and well-preserved Shorja market has long been a meeting point for Iraqis and a barometer of the political and economic situation in the country.

Iraq

Tribal divisions deepen Anbar battle controversy

The Islamic State will continue to move freely in Anbar province until Iraqi political parties agree on a joint force composed of the army and the Popular Mobilization Units, to lead the battles for the liberation of Anbar.

Iraq

Saudi Arabia’s Islamist-liberal divide

The Saudi regime needs to tend to internal divisions in the kingdom and scale back its interventionism in the region to improve its prospects for long-term stability.

Legacy: Gulf

Defense bill recognizes Iraq's Kurdish, Sunni militias as a 'country'

The draft House bill carves out 25% of anti-Islamic State funding for the peshmerga and Sunni tribes.

Iraq