The origins of this mafia class can be traced back to the power vacuum the US invasion of Iraq created in 2003. 20 years later, its influence is pervasive and its presence aggravating.
Al Majalla gathers the thoughts of writers and artists on the strange silence in the country's cultural discourse on climate change – with the country one of the most directly affected in the world.
Riyadh significantly contributed to Iraq's move to openness via soft economic intervention. Hesham Alghannam's personal account of a trip to Baghdad shows what this means for Iraq and the region.
The human cost and development disasters caused by the August invasion in 1990 remain after Kuwait became hooked on high public spending to recover. Financial and economic reform is needed.
As Gulf states continue to draw inspiration from Kuwait's political system, adopting that which works and avoiding what doesn't, Kuwait can learn from its neighbours' assertiveness and development
Yet another "insult" to Muslims in Sweden by an Iraqi refugee has proven the tipping point for already tense relations with the Scandinavian nation, complicating diplomacy and politics abroad
An Israeli-Russian researcher's reported abduction in central Baghdad in March has drawn international attention but unsolved kidnappings have long plagued Iraq
Both Tehran and Washington have powerful incentives to resolve the conflict through negotiations, but actors on all sides have reasons to derail these efforts
Beijing has been expanding its base in Djibouti, the tiny state that sits opposite Yemen across the Bab al-Mandab Strait. With numerous other states also in play, this is a region to watch
From machines that develop human emotions to societies governed by artificial intelligence, Arab novelists explore the promises and perils of a radically transformed future