See for example: Dodge, T. et al., Iraq synthesis paper: Understanding the drivers of conflict in Iraq, London: LSE, Conflict Research Programme, undated.
Al-Rikabi, H., The inevitable co-variance of summer heat and protests (Section 5).
Despite its natural resource wealth, Iraq ranks 120th out of 189 on the 2018 Human Development Index with a score of 0.685. For its country profile: link (consulted 25 August 2019).
For example, between 2004 and 2011, an estimated US $8,8 billion that should have been in the accounts of the Development Fund for Iraq remained ‘unaccounted for’. It never surfaced. See: link. Al-Bayan’s analysis of the inefficiency and lack of productivity issues associated with State Owned Enterprises is also of relevance. Online: link (both accessed 25 August 2019).
Al-Rikabi, H., The inevitable co-variance of summer heat protests (section 5). See also: Al-Rikabi, H., The Rising Tide of Change in Iraq: An Assessment of the 2018 and 2019 Protests, Arab Reform Initiative, online, 2019.
Iraq’s three prime ministers designate were successively: Mohammad Alawi (February 2020), Adnan al-Zurfi (March 2020) and Mustafa al-Kadhimi (April 2020). Only Mr. Al-Kadhimi assumed office on 7 May 2020.
For more in-depth analysis: Jiyad, S., Time for a reset: Iraq’s new prime minister and the US-Iran rivalry, ECFR, online, 2020; Mercadier, S. and M. Shiaa, Irak. Mission (presque) impossible pour le nouveau premier ministre, Orient XXI, online, 2020.
Iraq’s aggregate freedom score according to Freedom House is 32 out of 100 (100 being the ‘most free’), corruption, insecurity and impunity being key ‘reducers’ of freedom. See: link (accessed 25 August 2019).
There is a worrying emergent trend to imprison and/or assassinate civil society activists. Consider, for example, the assassination of Suad al-Ali. ‘The assassination of Suad al-Ali: Iraqi human rights activist was shot dead in Basra’, BBC News online, 25 September 2018.
Louisa Loveluck and Mustafa Salim, ‘Iraqi military admits to “excessive force” in crackdown against protesters’, Washington Post online, 7 October 2019.
Dodge et al. (undated), op.cit.
Al-Mawlawi, A., Exploring the Rationale for Decentralization in Iraq and its Constraints, Arab Reform Initiative, 31 July 2019, online, 2019.