The players - resources on key people and personalities in Iraq.
Issues and ideas - a selection of articles on key topics.
Perspectives from the GSN archives - Articles from GSN's extensive database.
Invest in Iraq - Information resources created by the GSN team for the Invest Iraq conference, London 2009.
Federal Government list
Who's who in the government.
Published Nov 2009. Download the PDF
Kurdistan Regional Government list
Who's who in the KRG.
Updated October 2009. Download the PDF
Strong man Maliki fights hard to keep power
Outgoing Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki is doing whatever he can to retain power after his State of Law coalition was narrowly defeated in the 7 March elections. Weeks of lobbying paid off on 19 April, when the special elections court ordered a manual recount of 2.5m votes in Baghdad province.
Issue 875, 23 April 2010. 
more
Maliki and Allawi fight for post-election supremacy
The Iraq election result was impossible to call throughout the entire campaign, and remained so nearly a fortnight after the poll as the counting process placed Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki’s State of Law marginally ahead of former prime minister Iyad Allawi’s Iraqiya who briefly led in the middle of the week
Issue 873, 19 March 2010. more
Bargains and battles mark run-up to Iraqi poll
With just under two months to go before the parliamentary elections, campaigning has yet to officially begin. But the underlying battles and bargains which will make or mar the government of the next five years are coming into the open. Whether all of Iraq’s sectarian communities can take part is still in doubt: Shia militants are being brought into the process, Sunni former Baathists are being excluded, while the Kurds are preparing for a grand bargain.
Issue 869, 15 January 2010. more
Trading places in KRG
Former federal deputy prime minister Barham Saleh took over as Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) prime minister on 29 October, three months after parliamentary elections in the region. Saleh has cut the number of ministers from 27 to 19, and dispensed with eight ministers without portfolio.
Issue 864, November 2009. 
more
An evolving Sadrist movement survives to fight another day
The cadre of politicians that loosely follow Moqtada Al-Sadr’s leadership did surprisingly well in the provincial elections, given they were largely written off as being politically splintered and militarily humbled after 18 months of pummelling by government forces, operated by their rivals and supported by the United States. The Sadrist Independent Free Trend won 41 of the 314 seats contested in Baghdad and nine Shia provinces of southern Iraq. By comparison, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) secured only 50 seats despite its extensive media campaign and lavish distribution of largesse.
Issue 849, 13 March 2009. more
Also see Issue 827, 18 April 2008. Maliki’s move against Sadr: high risk for (so far) low reward in the ‘lung of Iraq’
TOP
Government formation delayed in constitutional ‘Groundhog Day’
Unable to decide on a mutually acceptable candidate to be prime minister, Iraq’s main political blocs have prised open a gap in the legal timetable, stranding the country in a kind of constitutional ‘Groundhog Day’ in which the clock has effectively stopped.
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Election results are finally ratified, but bitter rivals fight for the right to form new government
Iraq’s highest judicial authority has approved the March election results, meaning a new government can finally be formed. The State of Law and Iraqi National Alliance are now deep in negotiation to form a coalition, with some observers predicting that Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani will have the last word
Issue 878, 4 June 2010. more
Also see Issue 875, 23 April 2010. Strong man Maliki fights hard to keep power; Issue 874, 9 April 2010. Iraq faces confusion as parties bargain for power; Balance of political parties after the March 2010 election; Issue 873, 19 March 2010. Patterns in turnout; Maliki and Allawi fight for post-election supremacy; Issue 872, 5 March 2010. Coalition bargaining follows parliamentary elections; Issue 870, 29 January 2010. Fresh crisis threatens to engulf Iraqi elections; Issue 869, 15 January 2010. Bargains and battles mark run-up to Iraqi poll; Issue 865, 20 November 2009. Threat of election law veto puts poll date in doubt; Issue 863, 23 October 2009. More attacks, deteriorating diplomacy, stagnant oil industry point to uncertain future; Issue 852, 1 May 2009. Power struggles undermine Maliki’s efforts to reach Iraq’s Sunni exiles; Issue 847, 13 February 2009. Iraq’s ‘astonishing’ provincial elections mask fundamental tensions in politics and oil
Retired Bush-era officials make good in Kurdistan
While US diplomacy may not be getting very far in Baghdad – vice president Joe Biden’s recent visit did not lead to any breakthrough in negotiations on a new government – former diplomats and officials are doing well in Iraqi Kurdistan, acting as advisers to the Kurdistan Regional Government or its commercial partners
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Kurds, Ankara do business and reposition diplomatically
While most eyes have been on Turkey’s relations with Israel (poor), the United States (could be better) and the European Union (increasingly indifferent), the early June visit of Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) leader Massoud Barzani to Ankara gave another sign that the AKP (Justice and Development Party) government’s policy towards Iraq and the wider region was bent on ‘normalisation’, and that this could lead to Turkey supporting a more autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan.
Issue 881, 16 July 2010. more
Authorities gloss Kurdistan security threat
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Asaish (security services) and Peshmerga (army) have an excellent record in preventing terrorist attacks, but it may not be as unblemished as the KRG claims.
Issue 879, 18 June 2010. more
Potential Sonangol farm-out
Angola’s Sonangol has said that Occidental Petroleum and Indonesian state company Pertamina have shown interest in taking a stake in its Qayara and Najmah oilfield developments in Iraq.
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Shell’s gas project moves forward in political vacuum
The outgoing Council of Ministers has approved the establishment of Basra Gas Company, which will implement Royal Dutch Shell’s controversial project to gather, process and market flared gas from a quartet of the country’s largest oil fields.
Issue 881, 16 July 2010. more
Petrel overcomes difficult business environment to begin EPC work on Iraqi fields
Independent oil exploration company Petrel Resources has held on against the odds to bring the Subba and Luhais fields to development, following a major contractual reorganisation with local joint-venture partner Makman Oil & Gas
Issue 880, 2 July 2010. more
Paranoia strikes as Iraqis accuse GCC of meddling in oil and politics
It has long been fashionable in Iraq to state that Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf Co-Operation Council states represent a ‘hidden hand’ in Iraqi politics, backing various potential proxies by bankrolling their campaigns. The renewed prominence of Iyad Allawi has strengthened this view, leading many Iraqi politicians and commentators to complain about the degree of Saudi influence over the political campaigns of Sunni groups like Allawi’s Iraqiya list.
Issue 877, 21 May 2010. more
Iran is the focus as Iraq builds heavy divisions and lines up procurement deals
Although the aftershocks of Iraq’s post-Saddam brush with state failure continue to be felt across the country, Iraqis are moving on to new concerns – including a growing apprehension about the actions of its powerful neighbours
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
From tense Basra and Baghdad to ‘relaxed’ Anbar: Iraq’s security outlook as US withdrawal looms
With the 31 August deadline looming for the withdrawal of US combat forces in Iraq, GSN has visited locations across the country to conduct a wide-ranging assessment of the security situation and the likely impact of withdrawal. We asked what the drawdown would mean on the ground and whether the Iraqi Security Forces will cope.
Issue 881, 16 July 2010. more
The unique case of Anbar
Across Iraq the Iraqi Security Forces are less motivated by a need to defeat the remaining cadre of militants. There is a pervasive sense that the security issue is mostly under control and that (in most places) the insurgents are finished and do not require special efforts to further reduce their presence
Issue 881, 16 July 2010. more
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| Perspectives: from the GSN archive |
Government formation delayed in constitutional ‘Groundhog Day’
Unable to decide on a mutually acceptable candidate to be prime minister, Iraq’s main political blocs have prised open a gap in the legal timetable, stranding the country in a kind of constitutional ‘Groundhog Day’ in which the clock has effectively stopped.
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Iran is the focus as Iraq builds heavy divisions and lines up procurement deals
Although the aftershocks of Iraq’s post-Saddam brush with state failure continue to be felt across the country, Iraqis are moving on to new concerns – including a growing apprehension about the actions of its powerful neighbours
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Ukraine wins big in Iraqi procurement
Ukraine has successfully stalked the Iraqi defence market for decades, cutting sanction-busting deals with Saddam Hussein and later leveraging its role as a post-Saddam contributor of forces to the ‘Coalition of the Willing’.
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Hawker Beechcraft delivers T-6 trainers
Hawker Beechcraft said at the UK’s Farnborough Air Show on 20 July that it had delivered the first eight T-6A military trainers ordered by the Iraqi Air Force, with seven more due by year-end.
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Retired Bush-era officials make good in Kurdistan
While US diplomacy may not be getting very far in Baghdad – vice president Joe Biden’s recent visit did not lead to any breakthrough in negotiations on a new government – former diplomats and officials are doing well in Iraqi Kurdistan, acting as advisers to the Kurdistan Regional Government or its commercial partners
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Potential Sonangol farm-out
Angola’s Sonangol has said that Occidental Petroleum and Indonesian state company Pertamina have shown interest in taking a stake in its Qayara and Najmah oilfield developments in Iraq.
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Ex-Im Bank opens Iraq financing
The Export-Import Bank of the United States has opened short- and medium-term financing for US imports to Iraq.
Issue 882, 30 July 2010. more
Kurds, Ankara do business and reposition diplomatically
While most eyes have been on Turkey’s relations with Israel (poor), the United States (could be better) and the European Union (increasingly indifferent), the early June visit of Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) leader Massoud Barzani to Ankara gave another sign that the AKP (Justice and Development Party) government’s policy towards Iraq and the wider region was bent on ‘normalisation’, and that this could lead to Turkey supporting a more autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan.
Issue 881, 16 July 2010. more
From tense Basra and Baghdad to ‘relaxed’ Anbar: Iraq’s security outlook as US withdrawal looms
With the 31 August deadline looming for the withdrawal of US combat forces in Iraq, GSN has visited locations across the country to conduct a wide-ranging assessment of the security situation and the likely impact of withdrawal. We asked what the drawdown would mean on the ground and whether the Iraqi Security Forces will cope.
Issue 881, 16 July 2010. more
The unique case of Anbar
Across Iraq the Iraqi Security Forces are less motivated by a need to defeat the remaining cadre of militants. There is a pervasive sense that the security issue is mostly under control and that (in most places) the insurgents are finished and do not require special efforts to further reduce their presence
Issue 881, 16 July 2010. more
Shell’s gas project moves forward in political vacuum
The outgoing Council of Ministers has approved the establishment of Basra Gas Company, which will implement Royal Dutch Shell’s controversial project to gather, process and market flared gas from a quartet of the country’s largest oil fields.
Issue 881, 16 July 2010. more
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GSN’s publisher Cross-border Information Ltd compiled a range of information resources for the organisers of the major Invest Iraq: London 2009 event. Briefing papers and other resources compiled for the conference may be downloaded in PDF format below.
Investment Opportunites
Al-faw Port - 556kb
Brick Factory in Wasit Province - 784kb
Cement Factories - 512kb
Hotels in Najaf - 432kb
Najaf Medical City - 116kb
State Company for Drugs Industry and Medical Appliances - 220kb
Wasit Amusement Park - 280kb
Sector Reports
Sector Brief Energy & Power - 2.2Mb
Sector Brief Financial Services - 1Mb
Sector Brief Manufacturing & Industry - 224kb
Sector Brief Telecommunications - 664kb
Sector Brief Construction & Construction Materials - 5.3Mb
Sector Brief Transportation - 3.8Mb
Doing Business in Iraq
Iraq Country Brief for New Investors - 2.6Mb
Some Pointers to doing Business in Iraq - 108kb
Support for travelling to Iraq - 136kb
