In a room at the old Mosul Museum, a young Moslawi singer closes his eyes in a moment of rapture. Singing next to the museum’s modernist 1974 incarnation still being restored after ISIS’s pillage of it treasures, his voice lifts the hearts of listeners.
Iraq has refrained from taking a firm position on the war and political opinion on Russia’s conduct is divided along partisan and factional lines. The imposition of sanctions against Russia has complicated its energy investments in Iraq and prospective arms purchases from Moscow and could have a long-lasting adverse impact on the Iraqi economy.
In two months, Lebanon is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections in the midst of a continuing economic meltdown and total failure of governance. The outcome of the vote is likely to be disappointing for anyone expecting to elect new leaders capable of reforming Lebanon.
وستجد الحكومة الجديدة في جلستها الأولى على مكتبها عددًا من الملفات الشائكة ، تتفاوت في درجة أهميتها وخطورتها وإلحاحها. ستكون المهمة الأولى للحكومة هي ترتيب أولوياتها.
In its first session the new Iraqi government will find on its desk a number of thorny files, which vary in their degree of importance, danger, and urgency. Its first task will be to prioritize them. How it chooses to do so will be shaped by several sets of factors, including intrinsic internal ones, as well as regional and international developments. Its priorities when it comes to the security, economic, and service files will play an important role in determining if the government will be able to remain in office and complete its constitutional term.
Charles Lister and Mick Mulroy discuss the dramatic Feb. 3rd U.S. special operations raid that killed ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the group’s late January attack on the al-Sina prison, and ISIS’s broader trajectory in both Syria and Iraq.
Jordan has the lowest rate of women’s economic participation of any country not at war. According to the ILO, the kingdom’s female labor force participation rate is below 15%, while that of men is about 60%. This is lower than rates of female labor force participation in neighboring Lebanon (23%), Saudi Arabia (22%), and the West Bank and Gaza (18%). As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on, the government of Jordan should take the opportunity to expand the accessibility of remote work and corresponding opportunities for Jordanian women who aim to play a role in their nation’s economy.
Lebanon is currently at a crossroads as the government faces the daunting tasks of rebuilding the economy, restoring public trust, and clearing the way for free and fair parliamentary elections in May of 2022. The country finds itself spiraling downward — an agreement with the IMF is yet to be realized, poverty and emigration are increasing, and there are growing threats to stability due to a failing economy and widespread corruption. Given this critical situation, it is worthwhile to review U.S. interests in Lebanon’s survival and consider key recommendations for U.S. policy to help Lebanon avoid complete collapse and help the Lebanese people move toward economic recovery, political legitimacy, and a more capable, transparent, and sovereign state.
On Dec. 23, Jordanian Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply Yousef Shamali and Russia’s Ambassador to Jordan Gleb Desyatnikov attended a ceremony to finalize a bilateral cooperation agreement on science, culture, and education. This agreement highlights Jordan’s delicate foreign policy balancing act. The government, led by King Abdullah II, will continue to work with a diverse group of countries, even those with tense relations with the West, to bolster its security and economic opportunities. Mitigating security threats and increasing business opportunities is key to political stability and the continuation of the king’s rule amid Jordan’s persistent socio-economic problems. However, the king will need to be careful not to undermine his closest allies by working with their adversaries.
Intense fighting between the SDF and ISIS continued for the fifth day in Syria’s northeastern city of al-Hasakeh on Monday, following ISIS’s biggest attack in Syria and Iraq in three years. In the evening of Jan. 20, as many as 200 ISIS militants, many wearing suicide belts, launched a coordinated multi-axis assault on al-Sina Prison, shortly after detonating two car bombs parked along the exterior walls of its northern wing. In the chaos that ensued, SDF vehicles were seized and used to break through secure walls, clearing the way for hundreds of ISIS detainees to escape.
In Iraqi folklore, Saturday is both an ominous and auspicious day. Iraqis say it is Awwad —“repetitive” — and hence they prefer to postpone taking important decisions to other days of the week. For many Iraqis this week, the news of Dr. Sinan al-Shabibi’s unfortunate passing on Saturday, Jan. 8 could not have come on a worse day. While the loss of one of Iraq’s last firmly independent voices, a respected economist and former central bank governor and someone who genuinely sought the country’s economic transformation, was ominous, in time the day may also become auspicious if his memory and legacy help to inspire a new generation of Iraqis to realize his aspirations for the country.
On Nov. 22, the Dubai Expo hosted an event where the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, and Israel signed a cooperation agreement that would broker an exchange of renewable energy and water between Jordan and Israel. The signing of the agreement between the respective minsters of the three countries took place in the presence of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed and U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry, who played a role in getting the deal done.
في 9 ديسمبر/كانون الأول، قال الجنرال الأمريكي المسؤول عن التحالف الدولي المناهض لتنظيم الدولة الإسلامية في العراق إن المهمة القتالية الأمريكية قد انتهت وأن القوات الأمريكية لن تقدم سوى المشورة والتدريب والمساعدة والاستخبارات لشركائها العراقيين. لن يغير التحول في الأدوار حجم القوة الأمريكية الصغيرة في العراق كثيرًا، لكن الجنرال فرانك ماكنزي، قائد القوات الأمريكية في الشرق الأوسط، قال في 9 ديسمبر/كانون الأول إن تواجد الناتو في مهمة المساعدة يجب أن يزيد.
Read MEI’s weekly briefing featuring expert analysis of key regional developments for the week ahead.
أحدثت انتخابات 10 أكتوبر/تشرين الأول 2021 ثلاث تحولات استراتيجية رئيسية في العملية السياسية العراقية، والتي على الرغم من أنها لم تسفر بعد عن تغييرات جوهرية في عملية تشكيل الحكومة الحالية، إلا أنها تتمتع بإمكانية هائلة لإحداث المزيد من التغييرات الجوهرية في المستقبل. أولاً، تعرضت الفصائل الموالية لإيران عبر القوائم والأحزاب السياسية العراقية، سواء داخل الكتل الكردية أو السنية أو الشيعية، لخسارة ثقيلة. ثانيًا، فازت الأحزاب التي انبثقت عن الاحتجاجات الشعبية في أكتوبر/تشرين الأول 2019، “امتداد وإشراقات كانون”، بتسعة مقاعد وستة مقاعد على التوالي في منافستها الانتخابية الأولى.