Category: Updates

NOW AVAILABLE IN ARABIC, NEW REPORT EXAMINES HOW YOUNG IRAQIS ARE ENVISIONING POLITICAL CHANGE, A NEW IRAQI STATE, AND THE FUTURE ROLE OF RELIGION

In recent years, many Iraqis have been expressing growing frustration with political dysfunction, corruption, and poor economic conditions, which they largely blame on muhasasa, the ethno-sectarian apportionment of political offices that has characterized politics in Iraq since 2003. This frustration gave rise to popular protest demanding systemic change, most notably… Read more

Celebrating the Contributions of Iraqi Women to World Civilization

Today is International Women’s Day, a time to honor the struggles of women around the world and celebrate women’s achievements across time. This week on social media, we have been highlighting the important contributions of women in Iraq. Now, we would like to introduce you to one of Iraq’s… Read more

NEW REPORT: An Inside Look at Iraq’s Popular Movement for Reform

Two years ago today, tens of thousands of Iraqis began turning out at Baghdad’s Tahrir (“Liberation”) Square to peacefully demand their rights. They were sick and tired of being sick and tired of their government’s failure to fight corruption, deliver basic services, or create enough jobs for the 500,000 or… Read more

EVENT: “The Long Game: Iraq’s ‘Tishreen’ Movement and the Struggle for Reform”

On October 1, 2019, a broad-based protest movement demanding systemic political reform took hold in Iraq. Activists dubbed their movement Tishreen from the Arabic word for October. Iraqi security forces and militias backed by Iran responded with lethal force, killing hundreds of protesters and wounding many thousands more. And yet… Read more