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:

Avsnitt(478)

Ep 4. The Blast - Fallout

Ep 4. The Blast - Fallout

In the final episode, we follow the volunteers who took to the shattered streets of Beirut in the hours and days after the explosion of August 4, 2020. Host Finbar Anderson delves into the ongoing inv...

5 Aug 202137min

Ep 3. The Blast - Zero Hour

Ep 3. The Blast - Zero Hour

In Episode 3 of The Blast, The National’s Finbar Anderson recounts the day of the explosion. As The fire in Warehouse 12 grows in intensity, a fire crew arrives to try to tackle the blaze, but it’s li...

4 Aug 202127min

Ep 2. The Blast - The Six-Year Wait

Ep 2. The Blast - The Six-Year Wait

In Episode 2 of The Blast, The National’s Finbar Anderson and Sunniva Rose head down to the docks of Beirut port. They try to piece together what was happening in the six years the ammonium nitrate sa...

3 Aug 202131min

Ep 1. The Blast - The Russian and The Rhosus

Ep 1. The Blast - The Russian and The Rhosus

On August 4, 2020 the heart of Beirut was ripped apart by a huge explosion caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate detonating at the city’s port. The National’s Finbar Anderson was one of the thou...

2 Aug 202127min

The Blast from Beyond the Headlines

The Blast from Beyond the Headlines

On August 4, 2020 the heart of Beirut was ripped apart by a huge explosion caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate detonating at the city’s port. The National’s Finbar Anderson was one of the thous...

1 Aug 202129s

Is France's anti-separatism law anti-Muslim?

Is France's anti-separatism law anti-Muslim?

An IT technician facing the sack for discussing voting habits at work or parents barred from home schooling their children.   It sounds pretty dystopian, but activists say a new French law may bring t...

29 Juli 202123min

Why some Saudis stop everything to volunteer at Hajj

Why some Saudis stop everything to volunteer at Hajj

Every year in Saudi Arabia, as the time of the pilgrimage to Makkah nears, thousands of people from the city and around the country gather to volunteer for Hajj. Often these people will give up their ...

20 Juli 202113min

Will Iraq's power problem ever end?

Will Iraq's power problem ever end?

Iraq’s summer is crippling the country. People are having to seek refuge indoors to escape scorching temperatures that regularly reach 50°C. But indoors isn’t much better with regular power blackouts ...

15 Juli 202123min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

aftonbladet-krim
motiv
p3-krim
rss-krimstad
blenda-2
fordomspodden
flashback-forever
rss-sanning-konsekvens
rss-viva-fotboll
aftonbladet-daily
svenska-fall
rss-vad-fan-hande
rss-krimreportrarna
svd-dokumentara-berattelser-2
rss-frandfors-horna
grans
rss-aftonbladet-krim
rss-flodet
olyckan-inifran
spar