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	<title>Iraq &#8211; Kalam</title>
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	<title>Iraq &#8211; Kalam</title>
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	<item>
		<title>A new prime minister in Iraq, but the same old struggle with corruption</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/a-new-prime-minister-in-iraq-but-the-same-old-struggle-with-corruption/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/a-new-prime-minister-in-iraq-but-the-same-old-struggle-with-corruption/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sajad Jiyad]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Jul 2026 09:53:09 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governance & accountability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recent]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5564</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Iraq’s Supreme Sovereign Council for Integrity, Oversight, and Recovery of Public Funds, created and led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in May 2026, is yet another example of anti-corruption bodies being introduced in Iraq while the core problem of impunity remains. Since 2003, numerous commissions, audit offices, parliamentary committees, strategies and councils, have been established, yet corruption continues to drain public resources and erode trust in the government.  The [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/a-new-prime-minister-in-iraq-but-the-same-old-struggle-with-corruption/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Victory amid war: What Iraqi football reveals about state-citizen relations</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/victory-amid-war-what-iraqi-football-reveals-about-state-citizen-relations/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/victory-amid-war-what-iraqi-football-reveals-about-state-citizen-relations/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Abdulla Al-Kalisy]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:24:11 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governance & accountability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recent]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5553</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[In Iraq, outside of large-scale protest movements, I have witnessed two broad displays of social unity. Both emerged from football. The 2007 Asian Cup victory and Iraq’s World Cup qualification in April 2026 produced mass national celebrations that cut across sectarian and ethnic lines. In 2007, among family who had fled to Syria to escape [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/victory-amid-war-what-iraqi-football-reveals-about-state-citizen-relations/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Closing in: How the US–Israel war on Iran is shrinking civic space in Iraq</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/closing-in-how-the-us-israel-war-on-iran-is-shrinking-civic-space-in-iraq/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/closing-in-how-the-us-israel-war-on-iran-is-shrinking-civic-space-in-iraq/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Layla Amer]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 11:09:33 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governance & accountability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recent]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5516</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The US–Israel war on Iran has exposed the fragility of civic space in Iraq. Security threats against civil society groups and restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly are longstanding features of Iraq’s civic environment. However, the conflict has intensified these pressures: as armed actors have expanded their influence, state institutions have weakened further, and public discourse has become [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/closing-in-how-the-us-israel-war-on-iran-is-shrinking-civic-space-in-iraq/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Open waste burning and the limits of local governance in Iraq</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/open-waste-burning-and-the-limits-of-local-governance-in-iraq/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/open-waste-burning-and-the-limits-of-local-governance-in-iraq/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Othman Kareem]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 13:56:55 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governance & accountability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recent]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5437</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Open waste burning in Iraq is a failure of governance rather than of compliance. Although explicitly prohibited under Iraq’s Environmental Protection and Improvement Law No. 27 of 2009, the practice has become a routine feature of urban life, particularly in peripheral districts, informal settlements and overstretched dumpsites. Its persistence exposes structural weaknesses in how authority, financing and enforcement are organised across Iraq’s waste [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/open-waste-burning-and-the-limits-of-local-governance-in-iraq/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Will clerics lead Iraq’s next protest movement?</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/will-clerics-lead-iraqs-next-protest-movement/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/will-clerics-lead-iraqs-next-protest-movement/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Benedict Robin-D'Cruz]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 2025 11:50:29 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governance & accountability]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5257</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The results of Iraq’s 2025 national elections have crystallised several long-term trends. The withering of ideological politics has accelerated, while employment patronage has consolidated as the main vehicle for political mobilisation. However, for those excluded from the benefits of this state largesse, trust in political leadership continues to wane. Turnout was notably lowest amongst Iraq’s Shia majority in Baghdad and the southern provinces, while over 700,000 ballots were spoiled. [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/will-clerics-lead-iraqs-next-protest-movement/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why Iraq must embrace a digital‑economy strategy</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/why-iraq-must-embrace-a-digital%e2%80%91economy-strategy/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/why-iraq-must-embrace-a-digital%e2%80%91economy-strategy/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mohammed Jamal]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 31 Oct 2025 13:43:33 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Political economy]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5192</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Iraq’s online retail marketplace is one of the fastest growing non-oil sectors. E‑commerce volumes have risen significantly over the past five years, ride‑hailing and delivery apps handle millions of transactions each month, and the Central Bank has issued the country’s first digital‑bank licence.  For young Iraqis, the digital economy is a platform for creativity, entrepreneurship [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/why-iraq-must-embrace-a-digital%e2%80%91economy-strategy/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Voter turnout will define Iraq’s 2025 election</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/voter-turnout-will-define-iraqs-2025-election/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/voter-turnout-will-define-iraqs-2025-election/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Munqith Dagher]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2025 11:50:56 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governance & accountability]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5146</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[When Iraqis head to the polls on 11 November 2025, the central issue will not be which parties win seats but whether enough people turn out to vote. Turnout will be a referendum on the health of the political system itself. Since the US-led invasion of 2003, elections have been the main tool for granting [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/voter-turnout-will-define-iraqs-2025-election/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>How ‘service-broker MPs’ undermine Iraq’s parliament and what needs to be done</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/how-service-broker-mps-undermine-iraqs-parliament-and-what-needs-to-be-done/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/how-service-broker-mps-undermine-iraqs-parliament-and-what-needs-to-be-done/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lina Musawi]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2025 09:23:49 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Governance & accountability]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5123</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[As each election season approaches, Iraq’s walls and billboards fill with candidates’ photos and slogans. Social media overflows with images of campaign gifts – a food basket bearing a candidate’s picture. Or during the winter months, a blanket branded with another’s name. Such posts often trigger frustration among voters, who perceive these gestures as attempts [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/how-service-broker-mps-undermine-iraqs-parliament-and-what-needs-to-be-done/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Low oil prices threaten recent progress in Iraq</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/low-oil-prices-threaten-recent-progress-in-iraq/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/low-oil-prices-threaten-recent-progress-in-iraq/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Yesar Al-Maleki]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Jul 2025 15:30:52 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Political economy]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5045</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Global trade tensions have negatively impacted growth projections for near-term oil demand, resulting in prices plummeting to their lowest level in four years before muted gains following the recent flare up in hostilities between Israel and Iran. But the increase in oil prices has largely been subdued by ample market supply and weak underlaying demand, [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/low-oil-prices-threaten-recent-progress-in-iraq/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Rivals within: How Iran and Turkey compete inside Iraq’s fractured politics</title>
		<link>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/rivals-within-how-iran-and-turkey-compete-inside-iraqs-fractured-politics/</link>
					<comments>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/rivals-within-how-iran-and-turkey-compete-inside-iraqs-fractured-politics/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kamaran Palani]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 Jun 2025 13:31:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Default]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Turkey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Geopolitics & security]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/?p=5002</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[This article was written prior to the 12 June 2025 escalation between Iran and Israel. Since 2003, Iraq has emerged as a battleground for Iranian and Turkish influence. These regional powers avoid direct confrontation, instead pursuing strategic rivalry channelled through local actors, while selectively cooperating on shared interests such as opposing Kurdish independence. While major [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://kalam.chathamhouse.org/rivals-within-how-iran-and-turkey-compete-inside-iraqs-fractured-politics/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
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