Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran strikes tankers, US bases as Gulf conflict escalates Lebanon, Israel hold talks in Rome; Iraqi PM Zaidi to meet Trump; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis On first foreign trip, Iraqi PM Zaidi woos Trump but Iran casts long shadow Iraq's new prime minister is in Washington promising business deals and closer ties with the United States, but convincing the Trump administration he can rein in Iran-backed militias may prove his toughest challenge. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Analysis Can a UAE-backed Syria-Iraq corridor become Gulf's next trade route? On June 26, Emirati and Syrian officials discussed plans for a logistics corridor connecting Syrian ports to Gulf markets via Iraq. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Qatar says no direct Iran-US talks in Doha Saudi FM visits Beijing; Iraq’s premier expands anti-corruption crackdown; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis Iraqi PM’s anti-corruption drive comes as US pressure mounts on Iran-backed militias By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Iraqi Literacy Drive A Response to Extremism An Iraqi youth group has organized a reading event in Baghdad to promote a literary culture and fight extremism. Iraq
Rouhani’s Moderation Welcomed By Sistani, Iraqi Clerics in Najaf After shunning the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad administration, Ayatollah Ali Sistani granted Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif a meeting, which has been distorted by Iran’s hard-line Arabic media. Iraq
Economists divided over deletion of zeros on Iraqi dinar While the Central Bank of Iraq has been considering deleting three zeros from the currency for several years, economists remained divided over how markets would be affected. Iraq
Iraqi Sunni Leader Accused Of Inciting Violence Against Shiites Revered by Anbar youth as a protector of their rights, Iraqi Sunni leader Ahmad al-Alwani has recently taken heat for allegedly inciting Sunnis to kill Shiites. Iraq
PUK Falls to Third Place In Iraqi Kurdistan Elections The preliminary electoral results in Iraqi Kurdistan show the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) to be the biggest winner, with the new Movement for Change coming in second. Iraq
Iraq's Failed 'Democracy' Disheartens Activists Amid violence and rampant corruption, many Iraqi youth are frustrated with the slow pace of democratic change in the country. Iraq
Young Iraqis Vent Frustrations On Facebook In light of Iraq’s tightly controlled media and an increasingly dangerous security situation, many of the country’s youth have turned to Facebook to organize protests and voice dissent. Iraq
English Learning Lags in Iraq English is the most daunting and frequently failed subject in Iraq’s end-of-school exams, indicating a need to update teaching methodologies and focus on it earlier. Iraq
Daily Suicide Bombings Keep Iraqis in State of Shock As daily bombings and killings in Iraq have risked becoming regarded as mundane and normal, attention has shifted to the Iraqi government’s apparent lack of recognition of the human cost its country’s unstable security situation entails. Iraq
Iraq's Sunni-Shiite Killings: When It’s Based on a Name In a time when something as simple as your name or accent can condemn you to death, many Iraqis, particularly the youth, are distancing themselves from divisive sectarian identities. Iraq
Tracing Syrian Conflict Back to Iraq’s Civil War The relationship between Iraq and Syria has always been close, yet contradictory, with some arguing that the economic and political results of the Iraqi civil war led to the outbreak of Syria’s current conflict. Iraq