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By Twana Ahmed Xeyat: “Who became rich from oil in his country?” “Nobody and everybody”. The question was asked by John Campbell, a former United State Ambassador to Nigeria, and the answer was given by a Norwegian diplomat. That Norway should be so wealthy is no surprise. It is the world’s fifth-largest oil exporter, with annual…
By Arian Mufid: The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) international profile is more important now than ever. However, with the recent changes to the personnel of the KRG’s consulates and foreign offices, it is notable that no key posts were assigned to members of the Gorran movement, even though this party is a part of the…
By Goran Abdulla: The offensive by the barbaric Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) might have provided what is going to probably be a missed window of opportunity for Kurdistan region of Iraq (Kurdistan) to establish the seeds of a state with clearly defined borders. A host of economic, political and military factors…
By Ausama Anwar: The basic rule and principle of democracy is to listen to every voice in the country despite differences. Every individual has the full right to vote for the party he/she desires. But at the same time, the power lies in the hands of the majority. Within this scope Bchara Karam states the…
By Hasan Dawary: Just two weeks ago three brothers belonging to one family were killed by ISIS when Peshmarga forces liberated Zumar. Almost immediately the President of Kurdistan, Masud Barzani, issued a decree that no more than one brother in a family can be allowed onto the front line at the same time. Yesterday a…
By Ayoub Barzani: One of the main Turkish phobias that clouds reasonable thinking is the Kurdish issue. The majority of the political parties in Turkey, left, right, secular, religious, nationalist or liberal, are indoctrinated by the outdated and petrified Kemalist ideology, which has no patience for any ethnicity in Turkey. This attitude goes against the…
By Arian Mufid: With the formation of the new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet, all eyes are on the Gorran movement’s ministers and members of the Kurdistan parliament. Gorran tends not to admit past mistakes but, over the past few months, it has tried to select good, qualified people for this eighth KRG cabinet. The…
By Aras Ahmed Mhamad: A wave of demonstrations has started once again in many cities and towns, especially in Sulaimaniya province. After the increase in gasoline prices from 500 Iraqi Dinars to 900, locals are outraged and demand that Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) officials act effectively and decrease the price. Bookmark on Delicious Recommend on…
Published by Wikileaks: Kirkuk, Department of State . 2006 February 16 CONFIDENTIAL 1. (C) INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY: Corruption is Kurdistan’s biggest economic problem. The two ruling parties’ dominant control lets corruption flourish. Corruption relies on family-clan and/or peshmerga ties. Kurdish corruption starts at the top with a few political “godfathers” who quietly distribute contracts among themselves. Some members of a…
A number of reporters have worked on this special report for KT but wanted to remain anonymous for fear of their lives. Multiple reliable sources have informed KT about a plethora of irregularities in the Ministry of Natural Resources that are creating a fertile ground for creating corrupt officials and paving the way for many…
By Dr. Amir Sharifi: An Open Letter My Last Column Dec 5, 2013. Dear readers, this is my last column! You may wonder why. If you had read my column, you would have known that I have been threatened, even beaten up once by ten hoodlums I have been the target of toxic smears and…
By Aram J Sabir: Strange! Even Anfal didn’t teach anything to those freedom fighters of yesterday. As result of practicing self-governance after 1991, the political atmosphere in the Kurdistan region (KR) was different to other parts of Iraq. This paved the way for journalism to develop further in the KR than in other parts of…
By Kamal Chomani: Twitter: @KamalChomani The economic development of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region has been overestimated by partisan and some foreign media outlets to the extent that only a few talk about issues of having an established democracy, freedom of speech and human rights. However, many argue about transferring the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG’s) model…
KT Comment: Known as the White House of Erbil, this is the headquarters of the PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) and special residence of its leader, Jalal Talabani. It is also a symbol of corruption and despotism. The White House was built for Talabani by the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) to compensate him for the…
KT News and Comment: Karzan Karim, an independent journalist who was working as a security officer at Erbil airport, was charged last year with divulging sensitive information to a third party and sentenced to two years imprisonment. Karim was jailed after the Kurdistan Post published articles in which he accused security agency authorities of corruption….
