Iraq could face another summer of bloodshed

Iraq could face another summer of bloodshed

Hundreds of protesters converged on the streets of the southern Iraqi city of Basra last week. Demonstrators across the province are calling for structural change to fix rampant corruption, a stagnant economy, high unemployment and underfunded public utilities. Protests in Iraq are common, but last summer's demonstrations saw an escalation into violence. Hundreds were wounded and killed, and many thousands more were arrested after clashes with police forces. Government buildings were set on fire, and the province was on the edge of revolt. Despite the violence, little has changed. The government still suffers from mismanagement and fraud. The country's elite have done little to improve conditions for the lower classes. As temperatures creep closer to 50°C and the struggling electrical grid and fresh water supply are strained, many question whether the protests will spiral into similar violence. On this week's episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Campbell MacDiarmid speaks with Dr Renad Mansour, a research fellow in the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, and Belkis Wille, the senior Iraq researcher in the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch. Read more on our website:

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The Qatar crisis from the perspective of Dr Anwar Gargash

The Qatar crisis from the perspective of Dr Anwar Gargash

This week, The National spoke to Dr Anwar Gargash, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. He talked about how the Arab world has changed significantly a year since the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahra...

7 Kesä 201819min

Hodeidah's importance to victory in Yemen

Hodeidah's importance to victory in Yemen

Yemen's military is within striking distance of one of their biggest victories since civil war began in 2015. The forces, backed by the Arab coalition, was last reported to be within 10km of Yemen’s t...

30 Touko 201820min

Iraq's future following Moqtada Al Sadr's resounding victory

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Shia cleric Moqtada Al Sadr wants a government that is inclusive of all Iraqis. His coalition won the largest number of seats in Iraq’s latest parliamentary elections. But Mr Al Sadr didn’t win enough...

23 Touko 201815min

Massacre in Gaza

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As Israeli and American officials celebrated the controversial move of the United States' embassy to Jerusalem, Israeli soldiers were murdering peaceful Palestinian protestors. This week, host Naser ...

16 Touko 201824min

Lebanon's first elections in nearly a decade will have regional ramifications

Lebanon's first elections in nearly a decade will have regional ramifications

For the first time since 2009, Lebanon voted to elect 128 members to parliament. Saad Hariri, the current Prime Minister of Lebanon and his Sunni-dominated party fared better than expected. But he los...

8 Touko 201818min

Israel puts Iran's nuclear ambitions into question ahead of Trump's decision

Israel puts Iran's nuclear ambitions into question ahead of Trump's decision

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday claimed Iran was developing a "secret" nuclear weapons programme in breach of the 2015 deal agreed with world powers. Iran responded by saying an a...

2 Touko 201817min

Inside Syria's propaganda machine

Inside Syria's propaganda machine

Syrian President Bashar Al Assad has always held a tight grip on media in his country. After seven years of a vicious war, the strongman maintains strict control over all news coming out of his side o...

25 Huhti 201813min

Assad crosses Washington's red line again

Assad crosses Washington's red line again

The US launched airstrikes on Syria this week, sparking a wide range of reactions from the international community. The US-led airstrikes targeted a factory believed to be the source of a Syrian-regim...

17 Huhti 201814min

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