Turkey's peace between media illusions and political reality

Despite optimistic language from Ankara and Turkish media regarding the peace process with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a closer look at the reality on the ground reveals a gamut of political and constitutional issues, as well as a fundamental discrepancy in the end goal of both sides.

Hassan Ahmad Mustafa

Opinion

The moral vacuum in contemporary US foreign policy

Amid US President Donald Trump's claims of having ended eight wars in as many months, a closer analysis of the geopolitical reality shows that Washington's mercurial foreign policy has failed to bring about sustainable peace in the world's myriad hot zones.

Hassan Ahmad Mustafa

Opinion

One step ahead, two back: Syria’s bumpy transition continues

Amid recent "parliamentary elections" of a dubious and undemocratic nature, clashes and tenuous integration efforts with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and continuing efforts to lift US sanctions, Syria is undergoing a tumultuous period in which the stakes for the country's future makeup are high

Mohammed A. Salih

Opinion

The world cannot allow chemical weapons to return

Ukrainian Ambassador to Iraq Ivan Dovhanych urges international support to prevent Russia from joining the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, terming it as akin to "appointing an arsonist as fire chief" and invoking the Kurdish and Iraqi experiences of the horrors of chemical weapons.

Ivan Dovhanych

Opinion

Trump’s Gaza plan: Neocolonialism masquerading as peace

As Hamas mulls whether or not it will accept a Trump administration Gaza peace plan that has garnered widespread international support, stark questions remain as to the proposal's equity, with evaluations ranging from an unprecedented shot at peace to a neo-colonial occupation by other means.

Anna Romitelli

Opinion

Kurdistan’s oil flows again: Relief for now, uncertainty ahead

Despite the achievement of a mutually beneficial tripartite deal reached by Erbil, Baghdad, and international oil companies to resume the Kurdistan Region's oil exports, its tenuous nature leaves in doubt the agreement's long-term durability, with many factors at play that could hinder a sustainable compromise.

Mohammed A. Salih

Opinion

Iraq's human-made water scarcity crisis threatens the region 

As recurrent drought and extensive water pollution strain Iraq's already dwindling water resources, the Kurdistan Region faces potentially stark consequences from Baghdad's resource mismanagement and the harmful role of upstream damming, including risks of mass displacement and national security implications.

Alfadhel Ahmad

Opinion

Cultural heritage oblivion: A narrative analysis of Nimrud and ISIS' destruction of cultural sites

At the height of its power, the Islamic State (ISIS) destroyed and defaced cultural heritage sites across Iraq in a vicious campaign targeting pre-Islamic relics, highlighting the importance of preserving the past and protecting against the erasure of history.

Gabriel Olinto

Opinion

Airstrikes in Doha and the new regional reality

Israel's recent strikes against Hamas officials in Doha have raised alarm bells in Qatar and across the region, with Tel Aviv's commitment to targeting its foes, regardless of national borders and the sovereignty of ostensible Western allies, posing critical questions about the feasibility of the Gulf states' current strategic alignment.

Mohammed A. Salih

Opinion

Is the US military withdrawing from Iraq? It is not, and it should not

Amid talk of the US military's planned withdrawal from Iraq, with American personnel scheduled to leave federal Iraqi territory by September 2025 and to depart from the Kurdistan Region by September 2026, a residual troop presence would offer a guarantor of the country's security and stability amid ongoing regional turmoil.

Mohammed A. Salih

Opinion