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Corruption Without Borders: How the Barzanis Enriched Themselves at Kurdistan’s Expense
For more than three decades, the Barzani family has monopolized political and economic power in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, concentrating wealth and influence while…
Blood and Protest: Iraq’s Tishreen Uprising Six Years On
On the first of October 2019, Iraq erupted. The Tishreen Revolution was not a spontaneous outburst, but the culmination of decades of anger. Citizens took…
From Paramilitary to Powerbroker: The High Cost of Legalizing the PMF in Iraq
The article was originally published in Fair Observer and is cited here for reference.
The Dangerous Cost of Truth: Elizabeth Tsurkov and Iraq’s War on Activism
https://www.ia-forum.org/Content/ViewInternal_Document.cfm?contenttype_id=1&ContentID=16102
The Growing Danger of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Iraq and the Region: A Threat to Stability and Sovereignty
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) have emerged as a crucial military force in Iraq since their formation in 2014, primarily to counter the rise of…
The Collapse of Iran’s Shia Crescent, What’s Next?
Click the following link: The Collapse of Iran’s Shia Crescent, What’s Next?
Iran’s Allies in Iraq at a Crossroads Amidst Iranian Contradictions
The Arab world is currently in the midst of a series of profound political transformations, the scale of which is altering the contours of both…
Signs of a Failed State
One of the clearest indicators of a failed state is its inability to attain political and economic independence, coupled with its failure to ensure development…
An Unwelcome Visit: How the Iranian President’s Trip to Iraq Exposed a Coalition of Oppression and Corruption
It was hardly surprising that the new Iranian president chose Iraq as his first major destination. Iraq serves as the economic lifeline for Iran’s regime,…
The Sudanese Government and Its Militias Sell Iraq’s Economy to Lebanon for the Sake of Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah
While Iraq collapses under the leadership of the regressive marja’iyya in Najaf and the corrupt clique in the so-called Coordination Framework, driven by the Iranian…
The Nujaba Movement: Iran’s Key Proxy Force in Iraq and Syria
The Nujaba Movement, a prominent Shiite terrorist militia from Iraq, has emerged as one of the region’s most influential forces due to its strong affiliations…
Iranian Militias in Iraq: Power and Influence
Iraq has become a central battleground for Iranian-backed militias, with groups like Hezbollah, Kata’ib Hezbollah, and Saraya al-Khorasani gaining considerable influence. These militias, operating within…
The Iraqi Constitution: A Fragmented Framework Built on Foreign Interests and Sectarian Division
In the wake of the collapse of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, Iraq was left in a state of total disarray. Institutions across the country,…
In My country
In my country, a man feels ashamed to openly express his love for his wife, but he boasts about his sinful past with other women.…
The Kleptocracy Unveiled: How Iraq’s Political Elite Perpetuates Corruption
In his seminal work “Science and Politics as a Vocation,” German sociologist Max Weber proposed a fundamental distinction within political life: one can either live…
the Popular Mobilization Forces
The emergence of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant foreshadowed the rise of another non-state armed group that has become deeply involved in…
The Gulf Cup Championship and The Caesar
During the recent FIFA World Cup in Qatar, French President Emmanuel Macron extended an invitation to Zinedine Zidane, the legendary French footballer, to attend the…
The Persian Broom in the Land of the Two Rivers
As time has passed, Iraq’s dreams have been ground to dust, and the spirits of its people are now little more than faded shadows, lost…
O Eid, in whatever state you have returned, O Eid
As the wheel of time turned, it ground the dreams of Iraqis into dust, fracturing what remained of weary souls who had languished for years…
Muqtada Al-Sadr … Echoes of Al-Kasa’i’s Regret
After what has been widely referred to as the “political deadlock,” Iraq’s political process finds itself once again in a dark and suffocating tunnel. A…
Shia Tug of War: Coordination Framework and Al-Sadr Bloc
A new day has begun with the rising of the sun. Its rays have been consumed by the dark night’s spirit, causing this sterile circle…
THE DANGER OF THE IRAQI ANTI-NORMALIZATION LAW
The article was originally published in The Times of Israel and is cited here for reference: Click the following link:
From Corruption to Slavery How Iraqs Blind Obedience Fuels its Tyrants
Aristotle was once asked: “Who creates tyrants?” He immediately replied, “The weakness of the oppressed.” This statement highlights a harsh truth: the persistence of injustice…
The True Face of Marja’iyyah Authority
It is historically well-established that the Shiite Marja’iyyah (religious authority) in Najaf, alongside Shiite religious parties, has been a central force in Iraq’s post-2003 devastation,…
Shadow of the devil
Ignorance, disease, and poverty are three scourges that destroy civilizations and peoples. You cannot find it together in one place and it is at its…
The Orphan’s Guardian: Muqtada al-Sadr and the Iranian Wali-Alliance Coordination
In the heart of Cairo stands the al-Dhakhira Mosque, a structure built in 516 AH by Dhakhira al-Malik Ja’far, a police officer notorious for his…
Iraq’s Endless Cycle of Violence: A Nation in Crisis
Iraq, once a land hailed for its rich history and cultural heritage, has now become a symbol of endless suffering and instability. What was once…
Achieving Peace is one of Humanity’s Highest Callings
The pursuit of peace is a noble human endeavor whose echoes are embedded in our lives. It is a mission that radiates optimism for a…
Between Ground and Star
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…
The Political Paradox of Iraq: Sadr’s “Integrity” and the Stagnation of Change
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…
The Issue of Misogyny in the Arab World
It is unfortunate and yet well-known to all those women in the Arab world face additional problems, besides the common global women’s issues. More recently,…
The Season of Planting Corruption Buds in Iraq
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…
Back to Square One: The Case of Women Rights in Contemporary Iraq
As a result of the US-led liberation of Iraq in 2003, Iraqi society was forced to confront its past and inconsistencies, and a competition began…
The Ashura Rituals Between Truth and Myth
“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…
Iraq is an Iranian Colony
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…
Religious Reference and Politician
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…
Escalating Violence Against Contemporary Feminist Wave in Iraq
It is known for many around the world the issues women are facing in the Middle East, and particularly Iraq. From personal experience, living in…
The Lie of Iraq’s Parliamentary Elections
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…
Corruption and the Religious Figures in Iraq
The past two decades has shown a transformation in the socio-political characteristics, reflected by the governmental change in Iraq. Before the 2003 war, the previously…
The Illusion of Democracy in Kurdistan: Corruption and Authoritarianism Behind the Facade of Autonomy
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…
Jurf Al-Sakhr
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…
Methods of Suppressing Voices in the Era of Militias
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…
Religion is the Opium of People
Written by Shermeen Yousif Averroes had said once that using religion is the profitable trade in societies where ignorance is widespread. Unfortunately, the Iraqi government…
The Fourth Power Becomes Politicized
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…
A Systemic Pattern of Women Killing, the Result of 2020’s Women Rights’ Violations in Iraq
The year 2020 was difficult, globally, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and its associated human and economic losses. But the conditions in Iraq are always…
The Loss of Dreams in Kurdistan, Iraq
Protest and demonstration are fundamental human rights, allowing individuals to express their opinions. As long as these actions remain peaceful, they should not be restricted…
Iraq and the Thousand Thieves
It’s a spectacle that is both tragic and farcical—the ongoing corruption and moral decay among Iraqi political parties and their Iranian-backed militias. The damage they’ve…
Alshaykh Alsaghir (little) remains little
Written by Arkan Radeef / Translated by Shermeen Yousif The most dangerous people are those who lead religious or sectarian parties without being clergy and…
Iraq in the Bubble of Religious References
Written By Arkan Radeef / Translated by Shermeen Yousif When a priestly clergyman came to Voltaire on his deathbed and asked him to confess in…
The Fool Dog of the Mullahs’ Regime
The pages of history are filled with oppressors’ attitudes and how countries and servants suffered misfortune until they believed no one could defeat them. Treachery…
Iraq and the Forty Thieves
Among the weeping jokes and what the bereaved laugh about is the corruption and immorality of the Iraqi parties and their black militia arms soaked…
The Assassination of Iraq
Written by Arkan Radeef / Translated by Shermeen Yousif Iraq has experienced the most violent wave in its history to liquidate and attack Iraqi competencies of a secular…
Dangers associated with political religiosity
According to Ibn Rushd (Averroes), trade in religions is the most profitable trade in societies where ignorance is widespread. If you want to control an…
Religious Commerce in Mesopotamia
Today in Iraq, the turbaned cleric occupies multiple seats of power. He is simultaneously the head of a political movement, the leader of a parliamentary…
Corruption Serpents in Iraqi Kurdistan
Written by Arkan Radeef / Translated by Shermeen Yousif Today, Masrour Barzani, the youthful dictator, arrives in public to announce that the regional administration owes $27 million, although…
Pulpits of Fear ………Secret Militia Prisons
Iraq transformed into mini-states and sects in the new era, consuming the state and all of its institutions, both small and large, leaving the central…
Pulpits of Fear……… Asayish (Part two)
Authoritarian governments seek to use terrorism as a means to compel the people to surrender and submit to their tyranny by spreading a defeatist spirit…
Corruption is Ravaging the Land of Iraq
Iraq was ranked 162nd out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s 2019 Anti-Corruption Index, underscoring the deep-rooted corruption in both Iraq and the Kurdistan region.…
Iraq’s Women: Trapped Between Violence and Corruption
Women are mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, and beloveds, with their own entity, rights, duties, and personality that shape society as a whole. They are the…
Iran’s Deadly Grip on Iraq: Militias, Brutality, and the Silencing of Protesters
The Iraqi government has effectively allowed militias to carry out brutal attacks on peaceful protesters, sending a clear message from Iran: it will not tolerate…
Pulpits of Fear……… Asayish (Part one)
In most Third World countries, like Iraq, the security agencies consider the sword over the necks of innocent people. These agencies have done things that…
Armed Militias Plunder Iraq’s Wealth
Written by Arkan Radeef Frédéric Bastiat once said, “When looting becomes a way of life for a group of men in society, over time, they…
The Fall of the Masks
The Iraqi government, in its Khamenei version and under the Iranian cloak, has enabled militias to kill, beat, abduct, and torture peaceful protesters in Baghdad…
Abdul Aziz — From the Shadows to Command of the PMF
Iraq has witnessed countless tragedies in many forms — wars, genocides, riots, killings, and more. Yet the real evil lies within the architects of these…
Visiting Shrines During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Dangerous Intersection of Faith and Ignorance
The COVID-19 pandemic has become one of the most significant global health crises in modern history. As the virus spread across the globe, nations implemented…
Al-Sadr at Soleimani’s Funeral Tables
Author: Arkan Radeef The evil of two-faced people becomes unified in deceit, while others manifest duplicity differently. Muqtada Al-Sadr, with protesters, declares that Iran should…
Masoud Barzani on the Path to Dictatorship
The sun does not set until a dictator goes away, and the sun of a new day does not rise until another dictator rises on…