By Harem Karem and Kamal Chomani: In an article entitled ‘The KRG Economy: Booming or Dooming’, published March 2015, we explained how the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) had stumbled into financial crisis. Since then, things have only worsened. The KRG debt has surpassed $22 billion – 190% of its GDP; this includes $2 billion owed to…
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Category Archives: Economy
$7.3 billion on KRG fuel imports could have been saved with affordable gas: Luay al-Khatteeb
Interview by Harem Karem: Luay al-Khatteeb is a nonresident fellow in the Brookings Doha Center and founder of Iraq Energy Institute, focusing on the geopolitics and political economy of the GCC and Iraq. His experiences in the private sector span more than 20 years, and he is a frequent commentator on issues related to energy…
The Bubble Burst, Now What?
By Azos L. Rashid: Just a brief glance through our history confirms that Kurdistan has tackled and overcome many obstacles. This is such a vital time of the realigning of powers in the region and the emergence of the terror organisation ISIS. Yet I find it troubling that the most dangerous and urgent problem is…
Are Kurds Following Other Rentier States?
By Hanar Marouf: What sort of society are we going to produce by only paving an easy economic development? In light of the new global force, gloabalization, with its far-reaching impact on the future of nation-states, it is important to look at how Kurdistan is affected by taking the easy path in developing its economic situation…
The KRG Economy: Booming or Dooming?
By Harem Karem and Kamal Chomani: ‘Kurdistan is booming’ was the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) oligarchy’s catchphrase – often echoed by short-sighted foreign businessmen – over the past decade. Undoubtedly, there has been development: hundreds of hotels and skyscrapers have mushroomed in the region, the standard of living has improved in comparison with the civil…
Does the KRG economy need a stronger Iraq or a stronger Kurdistan?
By Arian Mufid: In 2014 the south of Kurdistan has engaged in figurative hokey cokey over whether it will focus more on assisting Iraq or on becoming an independent Kurdish state. This debate and the promise of a referendum by the president of Kurdistan was muted by the fall of Mosul to ISIS in June….
Kurdish tycoon builds ‘White House’ while developers’ talk is upbeat, despite problems
By a Correspondent: Despite the economic impact of the war with ISIS and the long-running budget dispute between the Kurdistan Region and the Iraq central government, property developers have been talking optimistically to Bloomberg about economic prospects and a local tycoon has almost finished building a replica of the White House in Erbil. Shihab N….
Does Demonstrating Have Any Value in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region?
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…
Shaheed’s UN reports; realization and violations of socioeconomic rights in Iran
By Jamal Ekhtiar: United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, focuses on some minor socioeconomic issues, while overlooking more vital concerns affecting the lives of millions in the country. One area he often covers in his reports is gender inequality and limitations placed on women’s employment. He also refers…
‘KRG to pay salaries in dollars not dinars’
KT News: The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is considering paying public sector salaries for the month of June in US dollars rather than Iraqi dinars. IraqiNews.com quotes a KRG source as saying: “the reason for the replacement process in the distribution of salaries is due to a lack of cash of the Iraqi currency in the…
How to Peacefully End Double ‘Party-State’ in Kurdistan?
By Sarkawt Shamsulddin: The challenge for the new cabinet is how to eliminate the status quo, double “party-state”, peacefully without creating “net losers.”(1) In order to do so, it requires an ultimate reform of both political and financial institutions. The broad-based government can be used to conduct such reforms if all parties reach a consensus…
The cost of KRG oil – how long can we stay silent?
CORRECTION: This article has been corrected by the writer Harem Karem and The Kurdistan Tribune to delete the reference made to Marathon Oil and we apologize that inaccurate statements were made about Marathon Oil in the original article. We have published a formal retraction here We welcome more comment and submissions on the issues this article…
Iraqi Kurdistan: No sustainable economic development
By Mohammed Hussein: Usually, officials in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) show Kurdistan’s economic situation as a successful story of economic development. This ‘successful’ story has been used mostly as political propaganda by the KRG ruling parties, where it has been claimed as an achievement of their economic policy. Beside the KRG’s officials, sometimes well-paid…
Denise Natali: Kurdistan seems to be following rentier states’ path
Interview by Mohammed Hussein: Dr. Denise Natali – Senior Research Fellow, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University, Washington DC – talks about the problems of Kurdistan-Turkey oil contracts, rentierism and chances that an oil dependent economy can lead to dictatorship. MH: What is wrong with the (Kurdistan-Turkey) oil contract and pipe, and why…
Another death on a Kurdish building site
KT News: Hasan Ramazan was an 18 year old construction worker. Yesterday he fell to his death when his escalator collapsed while he was working on an electricity pylon on a building site in the town of Kalar. He was the 83rd person to die this year on building sites in the region of Kurdistan….
