Their success in Iraq's recent elections has less to do with genuine public support and more to do with vote buying through the massive wealth they've accrued through power
A revised electoral law and the fragmentation of civil groups contributed to an election result that saw no clear parliamentary majority and the return of established parties
Iraqi sculptor's epic wall-mounted installations evoke the destruction of Aleppo and Mosul, displayed in Beirut in the shadow of ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Baghdad wants good relations with Washington, but its ties with Tehran run deep. Under increased pressure, it may have to pick a side once and for all.
A pressure campaign by Washington to curb Tehran's influence over Baghdad seems to be yielding results, but any moves to disarm Iran-allied militias could stoke serious violence
Washington's long-term strategy to unshackle Iraq from Iranian influence is yielding results. Having pulled a potent mix of financial and military levers, the militias have been eerily quiet of late.
It is no easy task to write about a wound that has yet to heal. In Nasiriyah and the Reed Hut, published by Al-Masar Publishing House, Ahmed Abdul Sattar reopens this wound
The US could be secretly negotiating with elements in the government to take charge. The alternative is state and popular resistance, which sets the stage for more military action and insurgency.
Venezuela's vice president is known for having a diplomatic style that is confrontational in tone but cautious in substance, and pursuing a strategy that marries public defiance with quiet pragmatism
In an interview with Al Majalla, the senior US diplomat says that while the US may no longer play the role of world policeman, it is not isolationist either
If anywhere encapsulates the Syrian capital in recent decades, it is this enigmatic and iconic public space, which has seen more than its fair share of changes