TOGETHER WE CAN HELP VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES, FAMILIES AND CHILDREN IN NEED

Enabling Peace in Iraq Center

ISHM 225: OCTOBER 3 – OCTOBER 10, 2019

Key Takeaways: Government Crackdown Kills At Least 110, Injures Thousands; Prime Minister Offers Reform And Aid Packages To Contain Crisis; Parliament To Suspend Provincial Councils; Two New Ministers Confirmed In Cabinet Reshuffle – Anti-government protests in central and southern Iraq, which started on October 1, escalated through October 8, amid an intense security crackdown. The use of excessive force by government forces, including live bullets, left at least 110 protesters dead and 6,000 injured. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for an end to violence and blamed the crisis on the failure of the political class and previous governments to enact political and economic reforms. Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi launched a series of aid and reform packages in an attempt to contain widespread protests and assuage public discontent. These included housing initiatives, new welfare programs (including stipends fro students and the unemployed), small business programs, agricultural land redistribution, and more government

EPIC UPDATES

Reflecting on 2018, Gearing up for 2019

As we prepare to welcome the new year, we thought we would take the time to reflect on the progress Iraq has made over the past year and our work to support Iraq’s recovery. In Ramadi, Mosul, Sinjar, and other areas recovering from war, four million Iraqis have returned to their homes as families begin the hard work of rebuilding their lives. At the same time, another two million Iraqis remain displaced, unable to return to their homes and ancestral lands due to the scale of destruction, the presence of explosive remnants of war, and the fear of armed militias

CHECKING IRANIAN POWER IN IRAQ

Originally published on War on the Rocks – October 3, 2019 Iraq faces a threat of Iranian subversion that is, to a large extent, a function of a deepening geopolitical rift in which Iran stands on one side and the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia are on the other. To protect its own interests and avoid falling prey to Iran’s apparent desire to become the regional hegemon and assimilate Middle Eastern capitals into its sphere of influence, Iraqi leaders would be wise to chart these waters carefully. They need to defend and strengthen institutions at home, check the rogue

Iraq’s Assyrian Christians’ struggle to secure political rights

Interview with Yacoob Yaco, the deputy secretary general of the Assyrian Democratic Movement. This is the first of a series of interviews we had with representatives of various minority communities in Ninewa that will be published in the following weeks. In July, EPIC traveled to Iraq and visited Erbil and Ninewa provinces as part of our work on Safe Return, a USAID project designed to enable the safe and sustainable return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their homes in Ninewa. While in Erbil, we had the pleasure of meeting with Mr. Yacoob Yaco, the Deputy Secretary General of the

Summer is Here

As the mercury surges in Mesopotamia, so does the risk for a new showdown between angry protesters demanding better conditions and a government struggling to provide for them but is shackled by a legacy of corruption and incompetent, fiefdom-like institutions. Many parts of southern Iraq, especially Basra, witnessed widespread protests last summer. Those highlighted multiple popular demands, on top of which were jobs, basic services—especially adequate electricity and clean water—and putting an end to endemic corruption across government institutions. The episode wasn’t without violence. Several offices of prominent parties and militias were torched, and so was Iran’s consulate in

Iraq Matters Podcast

#37: The Iran-Iraq War and Its Enduring Impact on the Region

Podcast (iraqmatters): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 59:28 — 54.4MB)

Subscribe: Android | Google Podcasts | RSS

This week marks the 39th anniversary of Iraq’s invasion of Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan Province, starting the Iran-Iraq War. On this episode of IRAQ MATTERS, we talk with Joel Wing of “Musings on Iraq” and EPIC’s very own Omar Al-Nidawi about that war and its lasting consequences on the Middle East today.

Iraq Matters Podcast

#36: Basra’s Water Crisis

Podcast (iraqmatters): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:18 — 48.2MB)

Subscribe: Android | Google Podcasts | RSS

Protests have become a seasonal phenomenon in Basra province, southern Iraq. To date, Baghdad’s change of regime has made little difference for Basra’s 4.5 million mostly Shia Muslim residents who are frustrated with government corruption and shortages of electricity, clean water, and employment opportunities.

Iraq Matters Podcast

#35: Mosul’s Recovery: A Dream Deferred

Podcast (iraqmatters): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 49:33 — 72.2MB)

Subscribe: Android | Google Podcasts | RSS

On this edition of IRAQ MATTERS, Rasha Al-Aqeedi, a native of Mosul and an acclaimed Iraq analyst, discusses Mosul’s 3 years under ISIS, ongoing challenges to the city’s security and recovery, the role of young people and civil society in the fight against intolerance, and Ninewa’s central importance for enabling peace in Iraq.