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
Founded in secularism, this strong republic faces further change. Religious groups are rising, it has joined NATO but not the EU, and has yet to resolve the Kurdish question. This is its story so far.
From the 1639 Shirin Palace Agreement to the Lausanne Treaty of 1923, Kurdish self-determination was ignored by the world's dominant powers who were looking out for their economic interests.
Signed on 24 July 1923, the treaty had profound consequences for the Middle East and beyond. On its centennial, an understanding of it rests on an appreciation of the complex factors that led to it.
If the ceasefire collapses, China has an interest in getting the two sides back to the table, but it would be a difficult task given Tehran's deep mistrust of the US and Israel.
Israel's parliament approved a draconian death penalty law last week that only applies to Palestinian prisoners, in a move that the UN says "would constitute a war crime"