Will Provincial Crises come to haunt Alliances in Baghdad?
From Amwaj Media. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News .
Deep Dive: Will provincial crises come to haunt alliances in Baghdad?
Across Iraq, governorate-level politics are broadly in a shambolic state. After being pushed back in 2019 amid anti-corruption protests, the 2023 provincial elections were framed by advocates as a way to revitalise local governance, curtail graft and re-engage the electorate.
However, the results of the polls-the first held in a decade-have instead only amplified factional rivalries in the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework.
Moreover, the profound fragility of Iraq's decentralized governance has been exposed.
The full article can be viewed here.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Iraq Business
8 hours ago
- Iraq Business
Petroleum Sector in New AI-based Iraqi National Memory Project
By Ahmed Mousa Jiyad . Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Petroleum Sector in A New AI-based Iraqi National Memory Project A group of dedicated artificial intelligence (AI) specialists and professionals are enthusiastically racing against time and actively working on a first of its kind major mission: Iraqi National Memory Project (INMP). It is a national initiative to preserve and digitize over a century of historical, political, economic, and cultural documents, among others, by using AI tools and facilities. INMP is a collaborative effort between the NewsSocial[1], which is a UK-registered cooperative society building a next-generation platform for collaborative intelligence, memory, and AI-enabled public infrastructure, and the Mushtarek Platform of Iraq, where it plays a key role in the INMP.[2] Currently, INMP is in the formation and testing phase, the formal launching of the project is scheduled for the end of the year. The first public activity during this experimental phase was about petroleum sector in Iraq; the backbone of the Iraqi economy. The Mushtarek Platform called for and convened a meeting using Zoom facility on Friday, 9 May 2025.[3] A brief introduction to the event was delivered by Ms. Bayda Hamed, Editor of the INMP and the moderator of the event, followed by my presentation linking Iraq Petroleum Sector Chronicle (IPSC) with INMP, then Dr. Ali Al-Assam, Director at NewsSocial, outlined in a concise way what, how and why AI facilities are used for this project. The moderator starts the session for comments, Q & A and debate until the end of the event. In my PowerPoint participation I reiterated my emphatic support for INMP and highlighted the strong links and synergies between this initiative and my own database, which I have been working on it for nearly three decades. My major research and publishing work is documented through a series of books, published under unified title- Iraq Petroleum Sector Chronicle (IPSC); six volumes are already published, covering the period up to end 2015, and new volumes are in the pipeline, covering the period from 2016 onwards. All IPSC books rest on three pillars: Database, Connectivity & Networking, and Research Methodology. Large, wide, detailed, well organised and continuously updated database . Roughly, 80% of the database is related to Iraqi issues and topics, 70% of which are on the sector-wide petroleum. Each year has its own "master annual file-MAF", which in turn feeds into numerous "thematic or specific" files. These MAFs and the thematic files are the core of IPSC project books. There are 15 MAFs up to and including this year. . Roughly, 80% of the database is related to Iraqi issues and topics, 70% of which are on the sector-wide petroleum. Each year has its own "master annual file-MAF", which in turn feeds into numerous "thematic or specific" files. These MAFs and the thematic files are the core of IPSC project books. There are 15 MAFs up to and including this year. Connectivity & Networking . Broad network of contacts and resources comprising two main categories- Outbox and Inbox. The outbox comprises more than 2500 contacts emails divided over ca. 84 mailing lists, sharing with them my articles, commentaries, research work and notes on my books. These are reposted by more than ten websites and by good number of others' social networks and groups. Moreover, for the inbox , I have subscription in many national and international sources such as organisations, government entities, research institutions, think-tanks, and media among others. Inputs from such networking are important source of information, data and analyses. . Broad network of contacts and resources comprising two main categories- Outbox and Inbox. The comprises more than 2500 contacts emails divided over ca. 84 mailing lists, sharing with them my articles, commentaries, research work and notes on my books. These are reposted by more than ten websites and by good number of others' social networks and groups. Moreover, for the , I have subscription in many national and international sources such as organisations, government entities, research institutions, think-tanks, and media among others. Inputs from such networking are important source of information, data and analyses. Elaborated research methodology. A detailed document outlines the main principles and the research methodology of IPSC books. All my IPSC books have unified main title, i.e., Iraq Petroleum Sector Chronicle, but differ in number of volumes, the covered period and the sub-title. All the published books have similar structure of contents. So far six books have been published covering the period up to end 2015. Books covering 2016 onwards are in the pipeline and forthcoming. First book Book title: Iraq Petroleum Sector Chronicle Book Sub-title: Grand Opening for Big Push Strategy, Volume 1, 2010 & Earlier Published October 2021 Second book Book title: Iraq Petroleum Sector Chronicle Book Sub-title: A Game Changer No More, Volume 2, 2011 Published May 2022 Third Book Book title: Iraq Petroleum Sector Chronicle Sub-title: Reality Seldom Coincides with Expectations, Volume 3, 2012 Published November 2022 Fourth book Book title: Iraq Petroleum Sector Chronicle Sub-title: Contracts Amendments in the Making, Volume 4, 2013 Published April 2023 Fifth book Book title: Iraq Petroleum Sector Chronicle- Book Sub-title: Convergence of Threats and Challenges, Volume 5, 2014 Published August 2023 Sixth book Book title: Iraq Petroleum Sector Chronicle Sub-title: Predicaments Continued, Development Derailed-Volume 6, 2015 Published January 2025 Part four in each IPSC book is for data and statistics and has many sections. The sixth book has ten sections, and some data goes back to 2005: Section 1- Oil Production and its Fiscal Aspects Section 2- Oil Export, Revenues and Prices Section 3- Refining Sector: Capacities, Location and P-D Misalignment Section 4- Associated Gas: Production and Flaring Section 5- Oil Supplies to Domestic Refining Sector Section 6- Iraqi Oil Exports Market Destinations Section 7- Oil Supplied for Electricity Generation Section 8- Development Fund for Iraq- DFI Section 9: Oil and Annual State Budget Laws Section 10: Oil and Gas in Iraqi Kurdistan Region This part has 67 tables and 38 charts. Selected charts representing the main development in the petroleum sector were presented. I concluded my presentation by emphasising my unwavering support for INMP and call others, particularly the young generation of professionals, to follow suit. The event lasted more than two hours and was attended by relatively good number of interested individuals, mostly oil and economic professionals among others.[4] Endnotes [1] For more information on NewsSocial write to: [email protected] or visit [2] More on Oil related sub-group: [3] [4] The full record of the meeting, including my PowerPoint, is accessible through the following link: Click here to read the full article in pdf format. Mr Jiyad is an independent development consultant, scholar and Associate with the former Centre for Global Energy Studies (CGES), London. He was formerly a senior economist with the Iraq National Oil Company and Iraq's Ministry of Oil, Chief Expert for the Council of Ministers, Director at the Ministry of Trade, and International Specialist with UN organizations in Uganda, Sudan and Jordan. He is now based in Norway (Email: mou-jiya(at) Skype ID: Ahmed Mousa Jiyad). Read more of Mr Jiyad's biography here.
Iraq Business
a day ago
- Iraq Business
Will Maritime Dispute with Kuwait sink Iraqi PM's Political Fortunes?
From Amwaj Media. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Will maritime dispute with Kuwait sink Iraqi PM's political fortunes? Following decades of mistrust and tension following Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, relations between the two neighbours have thawed in past years. However, renewed controversy over the Khor Abdullah waterway-a 120km (74.5 miles) maritime passage separating the two countries-has stirred fresh diplomatic friction. The full article can be viewed here.
Iraq Business
2 days ago
- Iraq Business
Iraq to consider Taxing its Biggest Polluters
Aya Nader for Raseef 22. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News . Make them pay: Iraq to consider taxing its highest polluters A draft proposal to amend Iraq's Environmental Protection and Improvement Law was submitted to parliament by the Ministry of Environment and the local community in Basra. If passed, the law would force environmentally polluting entities, including fossil fuel companies, to pay environmental taxes. The proposed draft also suggests that these funds be redistributed to directly impacted communities through decentralized, locally managed mechanisms. The full article can be viewed here.
