Reports
Iran Protests Shake the Pillars of Power… The Broadest, Most
Iranian opposition figures believe that the confrontation between the street and the regime has entered its final stage, as the factors of collapse continue to accumulate. They argue that the regime is in a critical position, increasingly fearful of losing control entirely, which is driving it to resort to even greater violence. This, they say, makes the question no longer whether the regime will fall, but when?
It Began with the Merchants Before It Expanded… Will the
Chants that no one previously dared to voice are echoing through the streets of Tehran these days, including “Death to the dictator,” shouted by protesters against the deteriorating economic conditions in the country, declaring their inability to endure the pressures they now face on a daily basis. Will the protests that began with merchants and were later joined by university students and broader segments of society lead to the fall of the regime?
“Smuggling rings lure and enlist them, how do Iraqis turn
In November 2023, Ali Qais, 23, from the Al-Kifah district in central Baghdad, took a surprising step by traveling to Russia after receiving an invitation to study the Russian language — a requirement for admission to Russian institutes. Months earlier, Ali, who held only a middle school certificate, had contacted an Iraqi resident in Russia involved in smuggling, known as “Aboud, the Son of Iraq.” Aboud persuaded him to travel for study or immigration, saying the study invitation cost $2,300, plus $700 for the flight ticket, and promised to handle all registration, residency, and accommodation arrangements. Two other young men,…
Follow us on social media
Get our newsletter
Iraq: Two Decades of “Lethal Democracy”
In these days, twenty years ago, American aircraft and its allies dominated the sky of Mesopotamia, while tanks and other strange vehicles advanced toward Iraq to overthrow its president, Saddam Hussein. Back then, missiles soared fueled by the rhetoric of combating terrorism and preemptively defending American and global national security.…
Christians: 20 Years from Exodus to Extinction
Since the initial surge of violence that marked the breakdown of Iraq’s security following the US occupation and the overthrow of the Baath regime on April 9, 2003, religious and ethnic minority groups have faced direct and indirect attacks from armed religious and sectarian factions. These attacks have resulted in…
Patriarchal Societal Mentality or Religion: Who is Behind the Obstruction
Patriarchal societal mindset and religious perspectives hinder the legislation of the “Child Protection” Law in Iraq
Decades of change; women in the grip of patriarchy
Iraqi women grapple with entrenched patriarchy, societal stigma, and legal barriers, hindering their empowerment, representation, and protection from domestic violence, widowhood, and divorce. After each altercation, 21-year-old Rana, a university student from Basra province in southern Iraq, dedicates a considerable amount of time in front of the mirror before heading…
Government neglect, construction chaos, housing crisis change Baghdad’s urban features
Government neglect and lack of planning changed Baghdad’s urban features leading to a loss of identity in the cradle of civilization’s capital. Mohammad Waleed, 31, was forced to make fundamental changes in the family home located in the al-Atifiyah neighborhood in the center of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. He is…
The Educational Gap Deepens in Iraq… COVID-19 Exacerbates Disparities and
Girls Bear the Brunt of Truancy and Educational Deprivation In the autumn of 2018, Aya Salem, a six-year-old who embarked on her inaugural educational journey, achieved noteworthy milestones within four months of her initiation into formal education. During this period, she proficiently mastered the ability to write her name, her…
“Dead Land”: Nine Years on the Yazidi Genocide and the
Yazidis Scattered Between Missing, Displaced, and Migrants Searching for a Homeland Beside a small tent set up on the ruins of his destroyed mud house in the al-Qahtaniyah district, south of Sinjar (125 km northwest of Mosul), 72-year-old Khalaf sits for hours every day, gazing at the scattered remnants of…
“Pleasure Marriage:” Thinly Veiled Legal Prostitution
This investigation reveals how Iraqi clerics continue to support Nikah Mut’ah (pleasure marriage), although the temporary legal arrangement is widely misused as a vehicle for sexual exploitation and prostitution. nirij March 2023: “I had no alternative but to arrange a temporary marriage to support my children”, says “Fatima,” a young…
