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Iraq

A worker surveys a stack of empty oil drums as he brings another to add to it at a warehouse in Baghdad, Iraq, on Jan. 6, 2004.

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An arbitration court's ruling will give Iraq's federal government significant leverage over the Kurdistan Regional Government's future oil policy.

Baghdad Wins the Tug-of-War Over Kurdish Oil. What's Next?

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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (2nd L) and Libya's Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah (3rd L) attend an agreement-signing ceremony between Italian multinational oil and gas company Eni and the Libyan National Oil Corporation in Tripoli, Libya, on Jan. 28, 2023.

As Europe turns away from Russian energy, Italy positions itself as a natural gas conduit between the Continent and Africa.

With Energy Deals in Africa, Italy Positions Itself as Europe's Next Gas Hub

The Kawergosk oil refinery in Iraqi Kurdistan is seen at sunset. 

Military & Security

Kurdish leaders' potential inclusion in the next Iraqi government could improve Baghdad's relations with the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, but tensions over oil exports will likely still worsen.

An Opening Emerges for Cooperation Between Iraq's Federal and Kurdish Leaders

Iran

Supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gather outside the headquarters of the Iraqi government in Baghdad's Green Zone on Aug. 29, 2022. 

The episode will add greater impetus among stakeholders in Iraq, including Iran, to resolve the country's nearly year-long political crisis. But in the meantime, more militia violence and unruly protests are likely.

What to Make of the Bloody Clashes in Baghdad 

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Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab recruits walk down a street in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu following their graduation in March 2012. 

In the second part of this series, we explore al-Zawahiri's struggles to implement his ''far enemy'' strategy and whether his successor can return al Qaeda to its former prominence.

Al-Zawahiri's Legacy, Part 2: Will the al Qaeda Leader's Vision Outlive Him?

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What is the outlook regarding the intra-Shiite dispute that is preventing the formation of Iraq's new government?

Essential Geopolitics: Iraq's Government Formation Process

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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre discusses the recent drop in U.S. gas prices during her daily press briefing in Washington D.C. on Aug. 3, 2022. 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Risks stemming from the Ukraine crisis, along with developments unrelated to the war, could quickly send prices back above $100 per barrel -- if not much higher.

Global Oil Prices Ease, but for How Long?

Supporters of Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr protest the nominee for prime minister from a rival Shiite faction Aug. 3, 2022, in Baghdad's high-security Green Zone.

Dueling Shiite protests are likely to continue until a new government is formed, a process that will remain fraught.

Rivalries Among Iraq's Shiites Threaten Continued Political Paralysis, and Worse

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Iranian-made satellite carriers (left) and missiles (right) are displayed in front of the Holy Defense Museum in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 20, 2020.

The integrated air and missile defense system laid out in the proposed DEFEND Act could entice Saudi Arabia to deepen normalization with Israel.

U.S. Lawmakers Unveil a Plan to Shield Middle East Allies From Iranian Aggression

U.S.-Iran Relations

How the Russia-Ukraine war is making it difficult to secure adequate food in Iraq, and what could follow.

Essential Geopolitics: Iraq's Developing Food Crisis

On Geopolitics

Syrians wave national flags and carry a large portrait of President Bashar al Assad in the streets of Damascus on May 27, 2021.

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

Broken Contracts in the Middle East

As Arab states rekindle ties with Damascus, other regional states or actors risk seeing al Assad’s success as proof that force is a valid option to quell threats to their control. 

Syria’s Normalization Risks Continuing the Cycle of Conflict and Authoritarianism in the Middle East

The Syrian Civil War

Security

Major William Edwards discusses the memoir he wrote with Lt. Col. Bob Walters entitled “Inside Abu Ghraib, Memoirs of Two U.S. Military Intelligence Officers” about their experiences at the notorious Iraqi prison.

RANE Insights on Security With Brian Lynch: Inside Abu Ghraib

Turkey will not authorize the resumption of oil exports from northern Iraq until Baghdad agrees to discuss a pending arbitration lawsuit on Kurdish oil exports from 2018, Argus Media reported on April 11.

Turkey, Iraq: Turkey Seeks Discussions on Second Kurdish Oil Lawsuit Before Resuming Flows

Environment, Science & Technology

Iraq said it reached an agreement on a long-stalled $27 billion energy project with French energy company TotalEnergies and Qatari state-owned petroleum company QatarEnergy that should pave the way for the initial $10 billion phase of the project to move forward, Reuters reported on April 4.

Iraq: $27 Billion Mega Energy Project to Move Forward

Iraqi and Kurdish officials agreed to resume oil exports from Iraqi Kurdistan, Rudaw Media Network reported on April 4.

Iraq: Baghdad, KRG Reach Interim Agreement to Resume Oil Flows

Iraq's Cabinet passed the federal budget bill for 2023, 2024 and 2025, Rudaw Media Network reported on March 13.

Iraq: Government Passes New Budget Bill, Transfers Money to KRG

Hundreds of people gathered in Baghdad to protest a proposed election law that would increase the size of Iraq's electoral districts, the AP reported Feb. 27.

Iraq: Hundreds Gather in Baghdad to Protest Electoral Law

Iraq's Federal Supreme Court ruled that Baghdad's payment of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government's financial entitlements violated the 2021 budget law and ultimately the Iraqi constitution, Rudaw Media Network reported Jan. 25.

Iraq: Federal Supreme Court Rules on Budget Payments to KRG

"Informed civilians and military sources" claim that Turkey has withdrawn its troops from over a dozen military bases in Iraq's northern Dohuk province following a reduction in militant activity linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Turkey has labeled a terrorist organization, Rudaw Media Network reported on Jan. 24. 

Turkey, Iraq: Turkish Military Appears to Withdraw From Over a Dozen Military Bases in Northern Iraq

Iraq's Ministerial Council for the Economy held an emergency session attended by the governor of the Central Bank and representatives from several ministries focused on stabilizing the Iraqi dinar on the black market, Al Sumaria reported Dec. 28.

Iraq: Council Focuses on Stabilizing Exchange Rate

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A horse grazes in front of Kara-Kul lake in the Chon-Ak-Suu valley, 300 kilometers southeast of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

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<p>Iraq rests at the heart of the Middle East, wedged between large and small powers alike. The country is divided into three topographic zones: the riverlands of Mesopotamia, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers; the western and southern deserts, which reach into Saudi Arabia and Syria; and the highlands of Iraqi Kurdistan. The southern deserts shield Iraq from attack, while the northern highlands impede any attempt at conquest from Anatolia. But the open Syrian Desert provides a route into Iraq from Syria, especially along the Euphrates River, and the country&rsquo;s eastern frontier has few natural barriers to prevent invasion from Iran. The flat riverlands are similarly vulnerable to incursion from any power able to land an army from the Persian Gulf. Historically, foreign forces have used these routes as a means to penetrate Iraq&rsquo;s borders. In premodern times, Iraq&rsquo;s wealth came from its agricultural core, which forms the heart of the Fertile Crescent and stretches to the Persian Gulf. The country&rsquo;s 37 million people are still mostly concentrated in these farmlands today. But the discovery of oil in the north, east and south have shifted Iraq&rsquo;s economic core from the agricultural riverlands to the northern highlands and the Iranian border, bringing prosperity to cities such as Mosul, Arbil and Kirkuk. For most of its history, Iraq has been dominated by its neighbors, which have left behind unique cultural, religious and ethnic legacies. The Sunni Ottoman Turks and the Shiite Safavid Persians helped produce the country&rsquo;s modern Sunni and Shiite communities, while the sparsely inhabited western desert continues to have tribal and sectarian links to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria. Some of these groups have kept their relationships with Iraq&rsquo;s neighbors, which leverage those ties for their own strategic purposes. Meanwhile, in Iraq&rsquo;s northern highlands, the indigenous Kurds have managed to maintain a cohesive identity throughout centuries of foreign domination. This isolation occasionally gives rise to Kurdish secessionism. As the northern highlands drift further from the central government&rsquo;s control, the Sunni, Shiite, Christian and other communities of the riverlands and deserts jockey with one another for dominance of the state. Iraq&rsquo;s geographic challenge is therefore to protect its vulnerable oil fields while managing a diverse population that is susceptible to external influence.</p>

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SITUATION REPORTS

Turkey, Iraq: Turkey Seeks Discussions on Second Kurdish Oil Lawsuit Before Resuming Flows

Iraq: $27 Billion Mega Energy Project to Move Forward

Iraq: Baghdad, KRG Reach Interim Agreement to Resume Oil Flows

Iraq: Government Passes New Budget Bill, Transfers Money to KRG

Iraq: Hundreds Gather in Baghdad to Protest Electoral Law

Iraq: Federal Supreme Court Rules on Budget Payments to KRG

Turkey, Iraq: Turkish Military Appears to Withdraw From Over a Dozen Military Bases in Northern Iraq

Iraq: Council Focuses on Stabilizing Exchange Rate

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