Topic: Massoud Barzani

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Who's who in Iraq after the US exit?

The US troop surge in 2007 helped quiet Iraq's bloody civil war. But it failed to deliver on what US officials and officers said was crucial for Iraq's future at the time: sectarian reconciliation. Rather than forging a new national identity out of the horrors of Iraq's war, Iraq's Shiite and Sunni Arabs and ethnic Kurds sullenly retreated to their own sectarian corners, and the country's political parties remain vehicles for ethnic or sectarian interests. The next year is probably going to be the most crucial for determining the future of Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003, as Iraq's various political factions compete for power and influence without foreign troops getting in the way. Here are a few of the major players.
12/28/2011 10:32 am

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Energy Voices As Kurds gain power, Baghdad may be ready for oil deal

The Iraqi central government and authorities of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government put together a seven-point deal last week that could see the Kurds resume oil exports to Iraq in return for a revision of the Iraqi 2013 budget, Alic writes.
Syrian conflict threatens to fracture Iraq

Semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan and the central Iraqi government are on a collision course as the Kurds increasingly side with the Syrian opposition and Baghdad stands by the Assad regime.
Kurdish-Iraqi government talks collapse amid fear of civil war

Talks between the Kurds and Iraq's central government on pulling back troops in disputed areas are collapsing. What does is mean for Prime Minister Maliki?
Turkey's prime minister trumpets their democratic credentials

Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's prime minister, said Sunday that Turkey's successful democracy should serve as an example to all Muslim countries. Critics say Erdogan is too authoritarian and stifles dissent.
Turkey warns Assad that he must keep Kurds in check, or risk intervention

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan said earlier this week that if the Syrian Kurds use their base to launch a terror campaign on Turkey, intervention in Syria would be 'our most natural right.'
Despite recent rebel gains, Assad's end isn't imminent

Although fighting has reached Damascus and Aleppo and momentum seems to favor the rebels, the Syrian military is still robust and the end of the conflict is unlikely to come soon.
Iraq's unity tested by rising tensions over oil-rich Kurdish region

As Iraqi Kurdistan ramps up oil production that could soon surpass Libya's output, Kurdish leaders have warned they may seek independence if disputes over oil revenues, power-sharing aren't resolved.
Who's who in Iraq after the US exit?

The US troop surge in 2007 helped quiet Iraq's bloody civil war. But it failed to deliver on what US officials and officers said was crucial for Iraq's future at the time: sectarian reconciliation. Rather than forging a new national identity out of the horrors of Iraq's war, Iraq's Shiite and Sunni Arabs and ethnic Kurds sullenly retreated to their own sectarian corners, and the country's political parties remain vehicles for ethnic or sectarian interests. The next year is probably going to be the most crucial for determining the future of Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003, as Iraq's various political factions compete for power and influence without foreign troops getting in the way. Here are a few of the major players.
12/28/2011 10:32 am
Backchannels Could Iraq descend into a civil war again? (VIDEO)

The scars of Iraq's painful bloodletting are deep, and a powerful disincentive against a return to open warfare. But Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is moving against Sunni Arabs, his political enemies.
12/20/2011 02:00 pm
As US troops exit Iraq, Maliki moves against Sunni rivals

Iraq's Shiite prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, briefly arrested the Sunni vice president yesterday and has urged a vote of no confidence against the Sunni deputy premier.
12/19/2011 09:36 am
Muqtada al-Sadr, Iraq cleric to followers: Stop attacking US troops

Muqtada al-Sadr: In a statement posted on his website, Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr told his militias to halt attacks against US forces till the withdrawal is finished at the end of the year as required under a security agreement between Washington and Baghdad.
09/12/2011 02:09 pm
Turkish bombing campaign against PKK signals shift in strategy

The Turkish government's six-day campaign that has killed up to 100 Kurdish rebels in Iraq suggests emphasis on military might over diplomacy in dealing with the guerrillas.
08/23/2011 06:01 pm
A Kurdish family's loss symbolizes northern Iraq's unmet promise

A 16-year-old protester was among the first to be killed in democracy protests earlier this year against the corruption and authoritarianism that pervade Kurdish politics.
07/15/2011 11:42 am
Arab Spring crackdown damages Kurdistan's image as regional model

The US has long championed semi-autonomous Kurdistan as a democratic model for the rest of Iraq and the Middle East. But Kurdish leaders have violently shut down dissenters.
07/01/2011 12:19 pm
Backchannels An Arab Spring ... for the Kurds?

Not if the Kurdish leadership can help it.
05/24/2011 05:56 pm
US troops in Iraq: US, Maliki weigh possible extension

Amid the volatile Arab Spring and ongoing security threats in Iraq, top US military officials have expressed openness to keeping troops on the ground past the Dec. 31 deadline for withdrawal.
05/17/2011 04:13 pm
Iraqis stage 'day of regret' one year after celebrated elections

Iraq's coalition government has yet to fulfill Iraqi hopes and is on increasingly shaky ground. Iyad Allawi pulled out of a powersharing deal this weekend.
03/07/2011 11:01 am
In Turkey, Kurdish writers once needed pseudonyms. Now they have a master's program.

The first graduate program in Kurdish language and culture is a rare bright spot in Turkey's initiative to improve the cultural rights of its Kurdish minority, whose language was banned for decades.
11/18/2010 09:52 am
Iraq's divided leaders meet for the first time since March elections

Iraq's leaders met to try to break a political deadlock that has left Iraqis vulnerable to escalating violence, including two car bombings today.
11/08/2010 02:37 pm
Wave of Iraq suicide bombings target police

A wave of Iraq suicide bombings and other attacks largely targeted the police on Wednesday, leaving at least 41 Iraqis dead in 7 different provinces. A poll shows that a majority of Iraqis say the US is withdrawing combat troops too soon.
08/25/2010 02:07 pm
After Iraq election, fragile democracy faces the real test

Sunday's Iraq election saw good turnout despite scattered violence. But with no party powerful enough to rule alone, the tough task of coalition building begins for the nascent democracy.
03/08/2010 06:08 pm
Before Iraq election, Arab and Kurd tensions soar in the north

Ahead of the March 7 Iraq election, tensions between Arabs and Kurds are soaring after an incident involving Kurdish troops and forces loyal to the Arab governor of Ninevah. Kurdish President Massoud Barzani told the Monitor that a warrant will soon be issued for the governor's arrest on a kidnapping charge.
03/01/2010 01:59 pm
Letters to the editor

Readers write in about women in the Olympics and in Iran, Christians in Iraq, children coping with failure, and right-wing rhetoric.
12/08/2009 12:00 am
Call from Obama seals Iraq election law

Iraq elections can now go forward after Kurds and Sunnis agreed to a new, amended law. Obama's 11th-hour call Sunday night was part of a crucial US role in sealing the deal.
12/07/2009 12:00 am
Iraq passes new election law, smoothing way for January elections

After weeks of delay on passing a new election law that the US and others worried could delay Iraq's election -- and perhaps delay a withdrawal of US troops -- parliament passed a law that should lead to elections as scheduled in January.
11/08/2009 12:00 am