Sixteen years have passed since Angela Merkel took over as president of the German country. Merkel hasn’t quit the German machine until the country is now uncontestedly one of the best nations in the world. During Merkel’s era, Germany became an icon dreamed of by the wretched in the far Middle East, to have a …
Iraq, a country once poised for greatness after the fall of its brutal dictatorship, finds itself once again trapped in a cycle of political failure and stagnation. As you walk through the streets of Baghdad and other cities, the eye is drawn to the cacophony of election banners, each one bearing the weight of grand …
The Political Paradox of Iraq: Sadr’s “Integrity” and the Stagnation of Change Read More »
Iraq’s streets are currently alive with the bustle of religious processions marking Arbaeen, complete with tents, tea and coffee stalls, and political slogans and images of party candidates. Yet amidst these religious observances, the everyday Iraqi citizen struggles, burdened by the disruptions these events cause. Streets in Baghdad, already notorious for traffic congestion, are further …
“People of various faiths have followed their leaders blindly, rejecting independent thought and investigation into the origins of their beliefs. This mindset was enforced, prohibiting any questioning, while perpetuating narratives that discouraged independent inquiry and condemned those who disagreed.” – Abu Bakr al-Razi. There are two types of ignorance: religious and scientific. Religious ignorance manifests …
Persian ambitions in Iraq are not new, but they do have clear historical roots. Iranian ambitions in Iraq date back to the Babylonian era, and they continued even after Islam spread to the two civilizations. This Persian state has always considered Mesopotamia to be a natural strategic extension of itself, as a result, the Safavids …
Written by Arkan Radeef In Mesopotamia, we are not free, and our democracy is nothing but a lie. All we really do is choose between one sectarian faction or another, or between killers and the corrupt. It is clear that Iraq has become a state dominated by corrupt sectarian parties and criminal militias, where murder, …
On the morning of October 7 last year, the independent journalist Sherwan Shirwani’s family woke up to a horrifying scene. A large police force stormed their home in the suburbs of Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Shirwani was chased inside the house and had a gun pressed to his head before …
Jurf Al-Sakhr is an agricultural district located 40 miles south of Baghdad in the province of Babylon. It is known for its strategic location, which looks out over the governorates of Babylon in the south and Anbar in the west, as well as Karbala, Najaf, and all the way to the Arar border crossing with …
Written by Arkan Radeef / Translated by Shermeen Yousif Repression by a certain entity is defined by the forceful persecution of a certain group or a group of people for political, religious, or ethnic reasons for the purpose of restricting and preventing the ability of this group or group from participating in political life or practicing certain religious …
Methods of Suppressing Voices in the Era of Militias Read More »
Iraq’s political authority is influenced by more than one leadership entity, one of which is the religious reference, represented by the reference of Ali Al-Sistani and all its religious institutions. The political leadership, as represented by the corrupt ruling parties, is divided between loyalty to Sistani and loyalty to Wilayat Al-Faqih. This loyalty ensures sectarian …
Written by Arkan Radeef / Translated by Shermeen Yousif The most dangerous people are those who lead religious or sectarian parties without being clergy and whose past is tainted with accusations and suspicions, including the most heinous types of murder, kidnapping, and sectarian incitement, as well as misusing public funds, corruption, violating the law, and …
The media is a means of conveying the news or the point of view or both from one party to the other, and its dangers have become overshadowed by its advantages. The media is a double-edged sword that may benefit or harm and may destroy or revive peace among people if used in the correct …