Away from the limelight, violence continues to rage in southern Iraq in the form of tribal clashes, pro-government militia infighting and criminal violence. This violence often affects unarmed bystanders and makes life in Basra, which is already challenging due to government neglect, lack of services and rife unemployment, even more precarious. Although most residents of southern Iraq are Shia, Iraq's current political elite, which claims to represent the Shia community, has failed to address the needs of the south.
In 2014, the Iraqi Yazidi community, a small ethno-religious minority residing mostly in the area of Sinjar, a mountainous region in Ninewa, northwestern Iraq, was subjected to a campaign of massacres, mass kidnappings and enslavement of women, boys and girls at the hands of ISIS. Between 2,000-5,000 Yazidis lost… Read more
Iraq is seeking to fund post-ISIS reconstruction through private-sector growth and foreign direct investment, but structural challenges and regional geopolitical competition could derail this effort...
The most powerful groups within the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) existed long before ISIS seized Mosul in June 2014, and will continue to build influence in the future now that operations to liberate the city have concluded. … Read more
Iraq’s southern oil capital could be the country’s richest city, but over a decade of corruption, demographic shift, and insecurity has handicapped its development. … Read more
As he prepares for graduate study, our departing program assistant reflects on his time and research at EPIC, and looks toward Iraq’s reconstruction after ISIS.… Read more
The agricultural sector — Iraq’s second largest industry, employing nearly one-third of the population — has been decimated by conflict, mismanagement, and halfhearted reform. … Read more
