Iraq

While Trump's rhetoric doesn't always match his actions, there are more signs than not that the US will draw down its forces in the region, leaving room for other actors to step in

Trump is unlikely to join an Israeli foray into Iraq, but he may decide to withhold the $250mn annual military assistance to Baghdad as a way to pressure the government to rein in its militias

Screened at the Red Sea International Film Festival, the latest film by Iraqi director Oday Rasheed is the story of a child who refuses to grow up

In an interview with Al Majalla, the fund's director says he is working to increase private sector investment while trying to lay the groundwork for a more educated population

As the flames of conflict spread, Iraqis—much like the Palestinians and Lebanese before them—could find themselves ensnared in a struggle they neither instigated nor can control

Its central location has made it a crucial hub. Today, Iraq not only trafficks drugs but produces them, and 60% of its citizens are now users. Unemployment and corruption have fuelled the problem.

Once part of the elite, the fortunes of the country's 'third nationality' have fallen. Politically sidelined for supporting Turkey, Iraq's Turkmen have had enough and are now starting to leave.

On Monday, three rockets were fired at the Victoria military base in Baghdad hosting US troops. A day earlier, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed a drone attack on the Israeli port city of Eilat.

Erbil voted to go it alone in 2017, but that was when it controlled its own oil to sell through Turkey. Today, it does neither. With no partners on the horizon, it is left seeking central handouts.

Amid attempts to bring Tehran and Baghdad closer to the KDP, relations shift and sway as involved players look for their interests. Add Turkey into the mix, and things get even more complicated.