Iraq’s Political Paralysis Deconstructed

This week’s episode examines the Zaidi government’s controversial decision to devalue the Iraqi dinar, exploring the fiscal pressures behind the move, who bears responsibility for the crisis, and why the public was caught off guard. We discuss Iraq’s mounting debt burden, new det ...  Show more

In a rare departure from Iraq’s chronic budget delays, the draft 2027 Federal Budget Law has been prepared ahead of the statutory timetable and referred to cabinet for approval.In this episode, we examine how the government managed to prepare the budget ahead of schedule and whet ...  Show more

August 2022. Political tensions in Iraq boil over, and peaceful demonstrations outside the country’s parliament turn violent. The sounds of gun and rocket fire return to Baghdad, and 30 people are killed. The violence ends when populist leader Muqtada al-Sadr tells his followers ...  Show more

This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Dr. Haider al-Abadi, an Iraqi politician who served as prime minister from 2014 to 2018, while the country was battling the Islamic State Group (ISG). They talk about his decision making as prime minister, the Iraqi government's response to the ...  Show more

Today we speak to Kurdish politcal analyst Ariz Kader about the rising levels of internal chaos taking place in Northern Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region. It involves the government in Baghdad, Turkey, Iran, and Kurdish rebel group the PKK. Discounted internet privacy services ...  Show more

Philip Collins steps in for Tim Montgomerie and is joined by Suzy Jagger, Phil Webster and Patrick Kidd.Suzy JaggerThis month's surprise - and to date, devastatingly successful - assault by Isis on Northern Iraq has led to a new cat's cradle of shifting internAtional alliances. T ...  Show more