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Showing posts from May, 2026

Is a third wave of US-Iran war inevitable?

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  Any new military operation launched by the United States will not succeed unless the Iranian regime is overthrown in the process. Without the fall of the regime, Iran will celebrate a major American defeat, become the dominant power in the region, and the United States will be unable to return to its military bases or regain its previous political and economic weight in the area. This is very clear and evident within the United States, which is currently in the third wave of preparations for a military operation and a larger war, being prepared with greater precision than before. It is one of the most complex decisions the United States will make since the 2003 invasion of Iraq — this is the third round of this conflict. The 12-day war that Trump and Netanyahu launched against Iran was planned to last only 100 hours, enough time for the regime to fall and a new party to come to power that would hand everything over to the United States — including oil, the nuclear program, and lo...
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The Curse of Black Gold: Why Iraq's 150,000 Ancient Sites Attract Only 556 Western Tourists

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Iraq's Oil Curse Is Burying Mesopotamia By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan — 31 May 2026  Four thousand years after Mesopotamia gave birth to civilization, modern Iraq still cannot build the roads, hotels, and institutions needed to transform its archaeological wealth into economic and geopolitical influence. The problem is not war alone—it is an oil-dependent state that has never needed tourism to survive. Despite possessing 150,000 archaeological sites, including Ur, Babylon, Nimrud, and Hatra, Iraq remains a marginal destination for international tourism Yet the country had only 556 international visitors for its vast archaeological sites in 2024 according to a local report . This analysis examines how oil dependency, governance failures, conflict, and regional instability have prevented Iraq from transforming its ancient heritage into economic and geopolitical power. Iraq's tourism crisis is often explained through the destruction caused by war, sanctions, ...
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Iraq Secures Critical Food Lifeline as 44,000 Tons of U.S. Rice Arrive Amid Strait of Hormuz Crisis

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By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan — 31 May 2026  Despite escalating regional conflict, shipping disruptions, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Iraq continues to safeguard food security through alternative trade routes, with a major U.S. rice shipment arriving via Jordan's Aqaba Port. A shipment carrying 44,000 tons of US rice designated for Iraq arrived at Jordan's Aqaba Port on Sunday despite shipping disruptions and maritime restrictions affecting regional trade routes, Iraq's Ministry of Trade stated. Lama Hashem Al-Moussawi, Director General of the State Company for Foodstuff Trading, noted that the company continues to implement its 2026 distribution plan for the food basket and social welfare programs, ensuring the uninterrupted supply of essential food items.  She added that “the company is closely monitoring shipping and unloading operations while coordinating with relevant authorities to ensure the timely delivery of supplies to warehouses a...
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A Blueprint for a Middle Eastern Metropolis: Erbil Unveils Visionary 2050 Master Plan

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By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan — 31 May 2026  Erbil has unveiled its ambitious 2050 Master Plan in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), outlining a vision for sustainable growth through green belts, rail networks, modern infrastructure, and unified urban planning standards designed to transform the Kurdistan Region's capital into a leading Middle Eastern metropolis. As Erbil eyes a transformative era of growth, the newly unveiled 2050 Master Plan, developed with JICA, sets a bold vision for the Kurdistan Region's capital. From a massive green belt and rail networks to unified architectural codes, the plan prioritizes sustainability and urban harmony. In the corridors of the Erbil Directorate of Urban Planning and Reconstruction, a quiet revolution is being mapped out. Spread across tables and digital screens are the blueprints for a city that, by the middle of this century, intends to stand as a model of modern, sustainable, a...
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The Kurdish Highlands Boom: Rawanduz Unveils a Mega-Tourism Vision Centered on an 11-Kilometer Cable Car

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  With more than two million annual visitors and ambitious plans for hiking routes, cultural preservation, and one of the region’s longest cable car systems, Rawanduz is positioning itself as the future tourism capital of the Kurdistan Region. By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan — 31 May 2026  The tourism director of Rawanduz has unveiled an ambitious Norwegian-designed masterplan that includes a record-length cable car, hiking trails, and a cultural museum Suspended above ancient gorges and glacier-carved ridgelines, a proposed cable car stretching 11 kilometers could soon connect some of the most spectacular terrain in the Kurdistan Region, from the storied Ali Beg valley all the way to the summit of Korek Mountain. The vision was outlined on Friday, by Pariz Yusuf, director of tourism for Rawanduz, in a wide-ranging disclosure of the district's development roadmap according to a local report by Kurdistan 24.  The plan, he said, is part of a comprehensive m...
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ISIS Could Rise Again: New U.S. Report Warns Syria’s Shifting Alliances Are Creating a Dangerous Security Vacuum

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By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan — 31 May 2026  As regional alliances evolve and military priorities shift, a U.S. oversight report warns that ISIS may be positioning itself for a renewed insurgency across Syria and beyond. The 44th Lead Inspector General report on Operation Inherent Resolve warns of a heightened risk of ISIS resurgence following the collapse of security frameworks in Syria and escalating militia threats in Iraq. As U.S. forces realign, the report highlights critical gaps in regional stability. A comprehensive new oversight report submitted to the U.S. Congress warns that the risk of an ISIS resurgence has intensified significantly across the Middle East, fueled by a volatile mixture of shifting political alliances, large-scale prison escapes, and a deteriorating security environment in both Syria and Iraq. The 44th quarterly report from the Lead Inspector General for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), covering the period from January 1 to March 31,...
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Mam Jalal's Global Diplomacy: Reminiscing on Key Encounters and the Evolution of the Kurdish Cause

  Former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani recounts his diplomatic journey, meeting iconic world leaders, and how decades of advocacy elevated the Kurdish cause to the international stage .  MED TV archive interview with the late former Iraqi President Mam Jalal Talabani By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Reporter: My question is: Jalal Talabani has been in contact with many people around the world, in America, Europe, Asia—meaning there is no state where the Kurdish issue was not present, that he has not visited . There, of course, he met many figures and individuals . In short, were there people who influenced him or whom he cannot forget ? In these last 20–30 years, who were those personalities ? Mam Jalal: Yes, 40 years ago... 40 full years . In 1955, I went abroad for the first time from Kurdistan ; I went to the World Festival of Youth and Students in Warsaw . When we first went there, intending specifically to participate under the name of the Kurdistan Youth Delegation, it was not al...
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The United Nations or the World Cup of Diplomacy and Artificial Intelligence?

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The UN as the world’s “World Cup of diplomacy,” its evolving role, and how AI is reshaping global diplomacy and international security. Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj A year ago, it looked like the United Nations was coming to an end. Funding was cut by the United States, it constantly appeared to be an ineffective institution, and there were fears that Donald Trump would withdraw the United States from the United Nations, which he founded and mainly funded. There was even talk that Trump's “peace board” could become an alternative or rival to the United Nations. But this week, as world leaders met again in New York, there was a new energy palpable. The first meeting on artificial intelligence in the history of the UN Security Council was held. Trump, although still as violent and threatening as ever, did what should be done at the United Nations: he used diplomacy. What has happened at the United Nations in recent days deserves careful attention and research. People talk a lot about how ineff...
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Iran-Aligned Militias Threaten Iraqi Airports Over Suspended Iran Flights

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Iran-aligned militias threaten Iraqi airports over suspended Iran flights, raising aviation security risks and tensions with Washington. As flights between Iraq and Iran, including those to and from Najaf International Airport, come to a halt amid U.S. sanctions on Iran's aviation industry, Iran-aligned militias are leading the loyalist camp's rejection of the suspension. DEVELOPMENT Borderline Advisory Services has reported that At 2100 local time on 25 September, Akram al-Ka'abi, Secretary-General of Harakat al-Nujaba (HAN), issued a statement threatening to mobilize supporters for sit-ins at Iraqi airports unless the suspension is lifted. Ka'abi also called for breaking U.S. hegemony and rebuked the governing parties for acquiescing to Washington's demands. Earlier, at 1830 local time, Kata'ib Hezbollah (KH) said that any ground handling company complying with the U.S. decision "has chosen for itself the role of a submissive backer of the U.S. and Zionis...
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