The Controversial Iraqi Militia That Now Prefers Social Work To Politics
Mustafa Habib – Niqash The fight against extremists is almost over and one of the country’s often-controversial Shiite Muslim militias is doing good deeds and eschewing politics. Is the al-Abbas Combat Brigade too good to be true? For the people of Basra, unexploded ordinances and long-forgotten mines have been an ongoing concern; the explosives were […]
Will Iraq’s New ‘Tribal court’ Undermine Rule of Law?
Mustafa Saadoun – Al-monitor BAGHDAD — Amid Iraqi calls to reinforce the rule of law and strengthen Iraqi state institutions, the Ministry of Justice announced March 28 a new initiative for “arbitration” among tribes, allowing a team of tribal elders to intervene as arbitrators in resolving all possible disputes and conflicts between Iraqi tribes. According to a statement by the Ministry of Justice, […]
Women Committee Established For the Labor Unions of the Kurdistan Region
Kurdistan United Workers Union (KUWU) has formally established a women’s committee, with an office in the building of KUWU Erbil. Several women activists from Erbil and Sulaymaniyah were invited to be part of the committee, which will be supported by unionists local NGOs. The aim is to support gender equality and to connect the committee […]
Iraqi Water Activists Bond in the Marshlands While on a North-South Exchange
A unique North-South exchange between Iraqi and Kurdish water activists took place in the framework of Save the Tigris Campaign from 23-27 March 2018 in Southern Iraq. A Kurdish delegation upon invitation by fellow Iraqi activists from the South toured the marshlands of Iraq, and met with local youth, activists and tribal leaders. For some […]
Kahramana Week for Women Across Baghdad
From 21-28 March Baghdad was the location for a week full of women’s rights campaigning, organized by Kahramana, the Women’s Rights path of the Iraqi Social Forum, run by Tammuz Organisation. The week kicked off with a Newroz picnic in celebration of the start of spring in the gardens of Abu Nawas near the statue […]
Facing Eviction, Merchants Decry Turkey Dam Project
Diego Cupolo, Deutsche Welle, 10 April 2018 Merut Tekin comes from a long line of merchants in southeast Turkey. From as far back as anyone can remember, his family has run shops in Hasankeyf, an ancient Silk Road trading post on the banks of the Tigris River. Neolithic caves line the surrounding cliffs, atop which […]
Post-ISIS Iraq: Challenges and Opportunities for a New Political Order
By Kawa Hassan – Eastwest On January 18, the EastWest Institute and the Center for Applied Research in Partnership with the Orient (CARPO) hosted a closed roundtable discussion with Dr. Mustafa Al-Hiti, Chairman of the Iraqi Reconstruction Fund for Areas Affected by Terrorist Operations (REFAATO), and Mr. Ramon Belcua, the European Union Ambassador to Iraq. The round table […]
Iraq Establishes National Oil Company
Al-monitor By Adnan Abu Zeed The Iraqi parliament voted March 5 on the National Oil Company draft law, which regulates oil production and exports and fairly distributes its revenues to the different regions of Iraq. The clauses of the law stipulate that a percentage of oil imports be divided to Iraqis residing in the country as well as […]
Kurdistan Social Forum Fully Supports the Protests of Teachers and Public Employees
Statement by the Kurdistan Social Forum on the recent protests in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq The people of the Kurdistan Region have been suffering from the neo-liberalism economic system in the region and facing a hardship in every aspects of life. The KRG has cut their salaries to half and yet it does not […]
Presenting the different “components” of the Kurdistan Region
The working group on minorities and IDPs, lead by Al Mesalla Organization and one of the main paths of the Kurdistan Social Forum have founded a solid network of activists from various backgrounds who are campaigning to create more awareness on the contributions of different religious minority groups to Kurdish and Iraqi society. Having inhabited […]
First Najaf Social Forum Festival for a Peaceful Iraq
ICSSI Secretariat – March 2018 Under the slogan “Love, Coexistence, Peace”, the Najaf Social Forum held its first festival on 9 February 2018. The festival, which was held in the Palace of Culture, was attended by youth and families and through its various activities, portrayed the city as one of diversity, harmonious coexistence and peace. The […]
Iraq Without Rivers: Disaster Becomes a Reality
Humat Dijlah – Iraqi member organization of Save the Tigris Campaign From 19 – 26 January 2018, in six different Iraqi cities, young activists and environmentalists organized art exhibitions in response to the tragic drought caused by low water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The activists aimed to bring needed attention to the […]