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.
A US-Israeli attack on Iran has turned into a regional war, sending Brent crude prices over $100 a barrel, and throwing shipping, inflation, and monetary policy into turmoil
The current conflict is unlikely to go global for now, but the speed at which it has spread regionally is alarming. A look at history shows the geopolitical factors that led to world wars.
Riyadh and Cairo are trying to ease the acute oil shortfall through alternative pipelines, but these are just band-aid solutions, as the world's most vital energy corridor remains closed by Iran
The rushed 2025 rollout raised questions about the government's seriousness. Since then, no meaningful record has been published, fuelling fears that it was just a show.