Iraq

Three months after international observers hailed Iraq’s parliamentary elections as a resounding success for sovereignty and civil society, the nation’s fragile democracy is suffering a withering swell of political violence.

Iyad Allawi Former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi’s bloc has won the most seats in Iraq’s parliamentary elections, which took place earlier this month on March 7th. According to a briefing by the BBC, Allawi’is coalition won two seats more than that of incumbent PM Nouri Maliki, making the race extremely tight at 89:91 seats. […]

Fellow FPA Blogger Sean Patrick Murphy recently drew my attention to an upcoming project by British-Egyptian actor Khalid Abdalla, which I thought readers of this blog would also find interesting. Murphy profiles Abdalla, who is best known for what some have to referred to as his ‘war on terror’ trilogy. In the past, Abdalla has […]

With with 89 percent of the votes counted from the March 7 election, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s coalition has edged ahead of interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.  Nuri al-Maliki’s coalition is currently leading Allawi’s bloc by about 40,000 votes.  However, Votes are still being tallied and the race is still too close to call.  […]

The parliamentary elections in Iraq are taking place today — another major step for the Iraqi people and their government.  But there have been roadblocks.  Reports of violence relating to the elections have been scattered throughout media outlets this week and last.  But Iraqis have ventured out, deciding that boycotting the elections only serves to […]

With elections to the Iraqi Parliament looming on the horizon (set for March 7, 2010), my next few posts will focus on aspects of political parties, security, terrorism and government responsibility for peacekeeping.  The more we as Americans know about the parties running, what they stand for and the chances that security can ensure a […]

The New York Times reported on January 1 that the U.S. has dismissed the criminal charges against Blackwater for opening fire on Iraqi civilians in 2007.  Many Iraqi citizens were angered by the news, with one of the men injured during the gunfight saying that the U.S. is letting criminals go free.  The Federal judge […]

This morning Iraq’s presidency council voted to delay parliamentary elections until March 7th of 2010.  The decision came after a meeting at President Jalal Talabani’s residency late Tuesday which included Talabani and two vice presidents, Adel Abdul Mahdi and Tariq al-Hashimi, along with Faraj al-Haidari, head of the IHEC.  Although the elections were previously slated […]

Because the U.S. post war reconstruction plan in Iraq has been grossly mishandled and has proven to be largely ineffectual, Iraqi artists and filmmakers have decided to take cultural reconstruction efforts into their own hands. Recently in Baghdad, Iraqi filmmakers unveiled the city’s first traveling film festival, showcased at sites where explosions have ruined cultural […]

The latest news in Iraq so far this week: Iraqis will have the opportunity to voice their opinion on how well the U.S. has adhered to its compromise on troop withdrawal.  Reuters reported yesterday that the Iraq Cabinet approved the vote and slated it for January 16, the same time as the Parliamentary vote.  If […]

On June 29, the Foreign Policy Assocation hosted U.S. State Department official, Richard J. Schmierer, for their John B. Hurford lecture in New York.  Mr. Schmierer is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State at the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and the top State Department official for Iraq policy.  So with no further ado, here’s […]

Iraqis were partying in the streets on Tuesday last week, celebrating the withdrawal of U.S. Troops from Iraqi cities.  As Newsweek reported, U.S. military operations have moved to nonurban areas and “belts” around major cities such as Baghdad, Basra and Mosul.  American troops will still be at the disposal of Iraqi security leaders, preparing to […]