Iraq’s Political Paralysis Deconstructed

The wave of high-profile anti-corruption arrests has sent shockwaves through Iraq. But how far are Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi and the judiciary prepared to take this campaign, and what could it mean for the country's political order?In this episode, we examine the political sign ...  Show more

In this episode, the hosts analyze Iraq's accelerating anti-corruption campaign under Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi. The discussion covers the high-profile arrests of senior officials in the ministries of Oil and Electricity, the wave of senior personnel changes sweeping the heart ...  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