Kirk H. Sowell is the principal of Utica Risk Services, a Middle East-focused political risk firm.
Sada asked experts to analyze potential flash points for the next U.S. administration—ranging from the globalization of Libya’s war to the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Yemen, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and increasing authoritarianism and violations of civil liberties and human rights.
Iraq’s Prime Minister inherited a series of fiscal crises. As his interim government struggles to advert a complete economic collapse, austerity measures may come at the expense of much-needed reforms.
Iraq’s new Prime Minister-designate Adnan al-Zurfi faces opposition amid a political, fiscal, and, now, global pandemic crisis.
A push to pass a bill expelling U.S. troops from Iraq, a constitutionally questionable move, has presented an unnecessary headache for Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi.
Without a functional coalition, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Adbul-Mahdi may be forced to rely more on unilateral executive decrees, exacerbating the country’s institutional crisis.
Although Iraq’s political blocs have agreed on a new prime minister, the lack of a coherent coalition shows the incoming government’s inherent weakness.
Like Hani al-Mulki, Omar al-Razzaz comes into office with a mandate to address economic issues that are beyond the Jordanian government’s ability to resolve.
Amid low turnout in Iraq’s elections, the Sadrists’ active voter base helped them win Baghdad.
Losing control of his campaign narratives, Iraq’s incumbent prime minister is facing questions about his credentials on nationalism, security, and public services.
Jordan has managed to reduce budgetary deficits for 2018, but rising operational costs and stagnant sources of revenue will keep it reliant on foreign aid.
Sada is an online journal rooted in Carnegie’s Middle East Program that seeks to foster and enrich debate about key political, economic, and social issues in the Arab world and provides a venue for new and established voices to deliver reflective analysis on these issues.
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