The smuggling industry is worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually, and few alternatives exist to earn a living in the area. Border guards are trigger-happy, and calls for change are ignored.

Engaged political participation needs voters to feel they can instil change and appoint governments capable of serving the national interest. Baghdad is some ways far from that.

As pressure mounts in the US to "do more" to deter attacks allegedly backed by Iran, Iraqi armed factions seem ever more divided.

The prime minister in Baghdad must deal with the demands of the US, Iran and armed groups at home, while trying to prioritise his own national interests. Here's a three-option plan on how he can.

Artists like Pablo Picasso, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Arthur Rimbaud and Imru' al-Qais made a long-lasting impact in their youth. Why, then, does the Arab world shun new voices?

Rhetoric and internal political manoeuvring need to be put to one side, and the prime minister must deliver tangible improvements to the everyday quality of life for millions of Iraqis.

The political elite vies for influence and wealth, while blind to its own inability to provide the basic form of government needed to keep people safe in this land of an ever-rising death toll

While some say a US presence in Iraq is vital to stability and point to continuing gaps in Iraqi security force capabilities, others say the time for any foreign military presence has passed

From Mesopotamia, credited with inventing cuneiform writing and having a thriving economy, to today's burdened Iraq, there is still an opportunity for economic reform and societal development.

The Kirkuk crisis shows the failure of the ruling political class to manage broader problems effectively and craft political settlements to secure the peaceful coexistence of Iraq's various sects.