Iraqi Voices

Iraqi Voices hosts political analysts Lahib Hagel and Omar Al-Nidawi once again, a year after they joined the podcast to analyse the 2021 early elections, to deconstruct the political developments of the last 12 months and discuss the direction Iraq is headed in

Analysts Muhammad Al-Waeli, Ali Al-Mawlawi and Hamzeh Hadad discuss the latest political developments in Iraq including this week's violence between rival parties that led to tens of deaths in the heart of Baghdad.

Analysts Muhammad Al-Waeli, Ali Al-Mawlawi and Hamzeh Hadad discuss the latest political developments in Iraq including the Sadrist withdrawal from parliament and the struggle over political and religious leadership.

The makers of Iraqi Voices mark six months since the 2021 Iraqi election with a discussion about the key developments and milestones including the political impasse, Supreme Court rulings and more.

On International Women's Day, we discuss developments regarding Iraqi women's rights and Iraq's place in the global Women, Peace & Security agenda with Dr. Yasmin Chilmeran, a postdoctoral fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs and an expert on gender and civil society in post-conflict settings.

Dr. Shamiran Mako, assistant professor at the Pardee School of Global Affairs at Boston University, discusses statebuilding in post-2003 Iraq and how legacies of exclusion continue to shape politics today.

Former Member of Parliament Sarkawt Shamsulddin provides unique insights into how Iraq's Parliament really functions, offering anecdotes from his personal interactions with leading powerbrokers, and explains why he thinks young Iraqis need to engage in politics.

Iraqi Voices hosts political and economic analyst Hamzeh Hadad, author of the recently published report, “Path to Government Formation in Iraq”. We discuss the first parliamentary session, majority versus consensus government, and the re-sectarianization of electoral politics.

Non-resident fellow at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Mera Jasm Bakr explains the dynamics behind the ongoing protests in Iraqi Kurdistan and the recent wave of Kurdish migration to Europe.

We host Harry Istepanian, an Iraqi energy and water expert to discuss the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26. Harry talks to us about Iraq's potential to create green economy, water resource challenges, and more.

Iraqi Voices hosts political analysts Lahib Hagel and Omar Al-Nidawi to discuss the Iraqi parliamentary elections, their significance, and how Iraqis view them in light of the 2019 protest movement and more.

Iraqi Voices hosts Ruqaya Izzidien, an Iraqi-Welsh author who wrote 'The Watermelon Boys', a novel that chronicles the deceptive history of the British occupation of Iraq following World War I. We discuss her motivation for writing, her Iraqi identity, and upcoming work.

In the wake of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, Iraqi Voices takes a deep dive into the Iraq-U.S. relationship and asks what healthy bilateral relations could look like.

Iraqi Voices hosts Ali Al-Saffar, the MENA Programme Manager at the International Energy Agency, to discuss the recent electricity shutdown, the obstacles to reforming the sector, and the energy dependency handcuffing Iraq to unreliable energy supplies.

Since taking office two years ago, KRG prime minister Masrour Barzani has taken an increasingly authoritarian stance on political dissent in Iraqi Kurdistan. Public freedoms have been curtailed, including the unlawful detention of activists and journalists. Kamal Chomani describes this worrying trend and also speaks about the plight of Yazidis and the ongoing Turkish military incursions.

Iraqi youth took to the streets this week and demanded answers from the government on numerous assassinations and disappearances of activists. Despite the formation of multiple investigative committees, no one has been held accountable for these crimes. We speak with Sajad Jiyad from The Century Foundation on the protest movement's current trajectory and its potential impact on the upcoming electi...

The new round of violence in Palestine has captured the world's attention. Iraqis have demonstrated in support of the Palestinian people and against Israeli aggression. We hear from LA Times correspondent Nabih Bulos on how media portrayals have shifted and what Iraqis can do to support the Palestinian cause.

What are best practices for dealing with conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV)? Why is Iraq's Yazidi Survivors Law a landmark legislation and what does it offer to the victims of Daesh? Hajar Baker, a human rights legal researcher, offers some important insights.

Iraqi Voices hosts Akel Al-Ansari, a commercial banking specialist, to discuss the current state of the banking sector in Iraq and what is needed to fulfill its true potential.

Iraq's parliament approved the contentious 2021 federal budget on March 31. Hassan Hadad and Ali Al-Mawlawi discuss whether the budget reflects aspirations for reform, and unpack issues around the dinar devaluation, the KRG's share, and why it took so long to pass the budget. To read more on dinar devaluation, click here .

What does Pope Francis’ meeting with Grand Ayatollah Sistani say about Najaf’s role in Iraq's political and social milieu? Iraqi Voices hosts Dr. Marsin Alshamary to shed light on the intricacies of this role. For background reading on this episode, click here .

A year into the global pandemic, several countries in the Middle East are on track to scale up vaccine rollout, but not Iraq. We examine why this is the case, with policy analyst Ali Al-Mawlawi. For background reading on today’s episode, click here.