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Showing posts from June, 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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From Reform to Statehood: Can Iraq Turn Anti-Corruption Into a Nation-Building Project?

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By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Kurdish Policy Analysis     Baghdad’s campaign against corruption, armed fragmentation, and economic stagnation may represent more than governance reform—it could become Iraq’s most ambitious state reconstruction effort since 2003. Iraq’s reform agenda under Ali Falih Al-Zaidi aims to reduce corruption, centralize authority, attract investment, and restore sovereignty. But can Iraq transform political promises into lasting state-building? Iraq may be attempting something bigger than an anti-corruption campaign. If Baghdad can reduce corruption, centralize force, attract investment, and preserve independent decision-making, this would not be government reform—it would be state reconstruction. The question is whether institutions can outlive politics. #Iraq From Reform to Statehood: Can Iraq Turn Anti-Corruption Into a Nation-Building Project? For decades, Iraqi politics has often been described through the language of crisis: insurgency, sectarian fra...
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From Corruption Crusader to Corruption Accused: How Alia Naseef Became the Face of Iraq’s Biggest Political Scandal

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By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Kurdish Policy Analysis     She Built Her Image Fighting Corruption—Then Iraq Accused Her of Becoming Part of It: The Rise and Fall of Alia Naseef Once known for anti-corruption rhetoric, Alia Naseef now faces allegations that have turned Iraq’s political narrative upside down. What led to her arrest, and what does it reveal about Iraq’s wider anti-corruption campaign? For years she positioned herself as a voice against corruption. Now she stands at the center of one of Iraq’s most explosive political scandals. How did Alia Naseef go from exposing alleged corruption… to facing allegations herself? This may be bigger than one politician—it could reveal whether Iraq’s anti-corruption campaign is becoming institutional… or political. On June 28, 2026, the name of Iraqi politician and parliamentarian Alia Naseef made headlines, especially since she was previously known as a corruption hunter, but this time she was arrested on corruption charges. The arr...
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The Arrests Are Not the Story: Iraq’s Real Corruption Reckoning Has Yet to Begin

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By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Kurdish Policy Analysis     Iraq’s recent corruption-related arrests may signal something larger than accountability. The real story could be the political, institutional, and power shifts that follow—and they may redefine Iraq’s next phase. Public attention today is focused on the widespread arrests targeting influential political and parliamentary figures after years of corruption. Many see this as a necessary step to restore the state's credibility and rebuild public trust in its institutions. However, a strategic analysis doesn't stop at the surface of the event, because arrests are usually not the end of a project but its beginning; they are not an end in themselves but a means to pave the way for broader transformations. If this campaign succeeds in ending the influence of the political class that has been associated with corruption throughout the previous period, the most important question is not who will leave the scene, but rather the nature ...
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Baghdad arrest raids; Can Ali Zaidi eradicate corruption in Iraq?

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By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Kurdish Policy Analysis     Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has said the government will continue its efforts to fight corruption in order to restore public funds. He stressed that he would not neglect his responsibility "to protect the interests of the Iraqi people. "The situation has reached a stage where it can no longer be kept quiet," Zaidi said during a cabinet meeting. During the meeting, the prime minister instructed monitoring agencies to take any clues and information relating to the performance of the government or the performance of ministries, with a view to uncovering cases of corruption or negligence. Meanwhile, National Movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr praised the government's arrest raid as a "heroic" move that would give hope to Iraqis and strengthen efforts to fight corruption. Sadr called for next Friday's sermon to be devoted to talking about corruption and the prayer to be held under the slogan: "Yes t...
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War or Anti-Corruption Operation? Iraq’s Arrest Campaign Could Reshape the Post-2003 Political Order

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By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Kurdish Policy Analysis     The arrests of politicians and senior officials may represent more than an anti-corruption drive—they could become Iraq’s most serious attempt to redefine power, weaken patronage networks, and test whether the state can govern beyond the quota system. Iraq’s latest anti-corruption arrests may signal more than accountability. This analysis explores whether Baghdad is launching a structural war against corruption or another temporary political operation—and what it means for Iraq’s political future. War or Anti-Corruption Operation? Iraq’s Arrest Campaign Could Reshape the Post-2003 Political Order For years, Iraq has treated corruption as a chronic governance problem—widely acknowledged, politically debated, occasionally investigated, but rarely confronted at its structural core. Governments announced campaigns, committees were formed, reports were published, and individual figures periodically became symbols of accountability...
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Kirkuk’s Outsourced Politics: How External Bargains Are Rewriting Iraq’s Most Contested City

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By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Kurdish Policy Analysis     The election of Kirkuk’s first Turkmen governor in nearly a century may look like a breakthrough for inclusion—but beneath the symbolism lies a deeper transformation in Iraqi politics where local power increasingly depends on bargains struck in Baghdad, Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, Ankara, and beyond. Kirkuk’s new power-sharing agreement and the election of a Turkmen governor reveal deeper changes in Iraqi federal politics. A 3000-word geopolitical analysis of Kurdish rivalry, Turkmen politics, and Iraq’s evolving balance of power. Kirkuk’s Outsourced Politics: Iraq’s Most Strategic City Is Being Governed From Somewhere Else For decades, Kirkuk has been described as Iraq’s powder keg. Its ethnic complexity, strategic oil wealth, and disputed constitutional status have made it impossible to reduce to a simple formula of majority rule or territorial control. But the latest political developments in Kirkuk suggest something more signifi...
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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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