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Escalating tensions surrounding the Kurdish independence referendum are encouraging Iran to accelerate efforts to diversify trade to Iraq.
The Kurdistan Region’s “yes” vote in the independence referendum does not translate to unconditional support for independence in the short term.
The aggressive rhetoric surrounding Kurdistan’s largely symbolic independence referendum risks triggering armed conflict in ethnically mixed territories.
As Iran-aligned factions within Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces expand their political influence, Abadi is working to strengthen and integrate rival factions within the military.
Abadi is using the narrative of victory in Mosul to distract from dire policy issues that cannot be resolved in the near future.
The independence referendum for the Kurdistan Region reflects not just struggles with Baghdad but intra-Kurdish political rivalries that could encourage further conflict.
Debates over how to oversee and tally votes in Iraq’s provincial and national elections could spill over into popular unrest.
Despite the apparent military success in Mosul, the state’s ineffectiveness has driven a reliance on airstrikes and put pressure on Abadi’s government.
As the self-proclaimed Islamic State retreats further north in Iraq, they have left behind a wake of damage and destruction and a population facing hunger and the cold Iraqi winter.
Sada contributors share their take on what the extraordinary election of Donald Trump could mean for a region in turmoil.
The operation to retake Mosul is part of a broader power struggle between Baghdad and Ankara over spheres of influence in northern Iraq.
The rise of the Islamic State has created both challenges and opportunities for Iranian trade networks in Iraq.
Sada launches its first eBook, a collection of essays that explores the region’s deep political changes since the Arab uprisings.
Tensions among Haider al-Abadi, Muqtada al-Sadr, and their rivals result from power struggles, not real disputes over reform.
Despite the small but important military victory in Ramadi, Iraqi forces still face significant challenges fighting the Islamic State in Anbar and reining in Shia militias in Diyala and Basra.
Supporting Kurdish groups in Syria could empower them to play a role in resolving regional conflicts, not just in Syria but also in Iraq and Turkey.
Abadi’s reforms have been mischaracterized both in terms of their content and the reasons driving opposition to them.
Any effort to retake Mosul from the Islamic State would face military and political obstacles that may be too significant to overcome.
The Kurdish Regional Government is facing immense financial challenges, but its worsening reputation in doing business is severely damaging to the future of the country’s energy industry.
Political deadlock within the Kurdistan Regional Government is hindering the shift from an executive to a parliamentary system.