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
New School Year Challenges Iraqi Families While some posit that there have been improvements in Iraq’s educational system since 2003, the country still grapples to accommodate its student population just as families struggle to cover basic school expenses. Iraq
Iraqi Kurdistan Must Ensure Minority Rights While the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has long been touted as a stable refuge in an otherwise turbulent region, there have been increasing complaints from the region’s non-Kurdish minorities of discrimination and harassment. Iraq
Iraqi Civil Society Struggles To Stay Relevant, Effective With millions of dollars of foreign aid pouring into Iraq toward civil organizations since 2003, it is time to examine how effectively this money is being used. Iraq
Kurdish Parties Build Alliance To Curb Barzani’s Power in Syria On the eve of elections in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, the Kurdish question in Turkey, Iraq, and Syria becomes even more entangled. Iraq
Iraqi Religious Tourism Declines Because of Weak Iranian Economy As the sanctions on Iran have reduced the number of Iranian tourists visiting Iraq, Baghdad should remedy the situation by diversifying its tourism sector. Iraq
Iraqi Vice President Launches Consensus Initiative Iraq’s political quagmire, exacerbated by increasing sectarian violence, may yet be overcome with the help of the vice president’s consensus initiative. Iraq
Iraq to Raise Bank Capital To Address Housing Crisis Iraq plans to increase the capital in the country’s two government banks from $23 million to about $360 million to address the growing housing crisis. Iraq
Sectarianism Dominates Mideast Media Coverage of Syria, Bahrain A close look at Middle Eastern media reveals a sectarian bias for regional audiences and a more democratic face when broadcasting in English to the West. Iraq
Iraqi Secularists Struggle To Establish Political Presence With Iraq's national culture characterized by sectarian divisions, Iraqi secularists have had difficulty gaining traction in post-2003 politics. Iraq
Iraqi Music Tinged by Violent, Turbulent Times With musical trends typically reflecting the times of any particular society, Iraqi music today is increasingly characterized by themes of war and violence. Iraq
Saudi Arabia Vies For Influence in Iraq Riyadh has reached out to tribal sheikhs in southern Iraq in what some see as a continuation of the ongoing Saudi-Iranian competition for influence in the region. Saudi Arabia
Clerics Play Crucial Role In Iraq’s Sectarian Conflict As sectarian violence continues to plague Iraq, the government must focus on bringing together Sunni and Shiite preachers to reconcile their views and calm the tension among their followers. Iraq