High fuel prices and long gas station queues in Iraqi Kurdistan have led to calls for a government subsidy on fuel. But one industry analyst thinks that's a terrible idea. He explains why.

And it seems as though not a day goes by when oil in the semi-autonomous state of...

By: Shwan Zulal

At the airport moment before boarding the plane bound to the US, the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, announced that Turkey has agreed a deal with the Kurdish regional Government (KRG) and Exxonmobil for oil and gas exploration in Kurdistan region of Iraq. The PM only...

Kurdistan Region president, Massoud Barzani has set the date for the next Kurdish general election at 21 September 2013. Both parliamentary and presidential elections will be held on that date.

The candidates running for president have not put their names forward yet, apart from one independent. On the parliamentary front,...

Mutterings about what next and who will lead PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) continues but now the main two contenders are emerging with two different styles of leadership, representing different strands of thoughts within the party.

After the recent ill-health and suffering from a stroke, Iraqi President and the...

In some basic outline, the paper gives the readers an idea where Kurdistan Region foreign policy is at and where it is heading. It also points out the values and mechanisms the KRG are using and have used to enhance their influence in the region, exploring the issues behind the...

It has been almost a year since super-major oil company ExxonMobil ventured into Iraq's Kurdistan Region. Despite Baghdad's harsh words against the company, it has suffered little punishment other than exclusion from the 4th bid round, in which it showed little interest anyway.

Since then more large oil companies have...

Recently there has been a lot of comment about an independent Iraqi Kurdistan. As tensions between Baghdad and the semi-autonomous, northern state of Iraqi Kurdistan continue, the Kurdish have been playing the "independence card", with local politicians and commentators airing their views on the subject like never before.

By Shwan Zulal:
This article first appeared on Niqash

In May, Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan announced they would build pipelines taking oil and gas from Iraq into Turkey, then possibly Europe. But behind the energy dream lurks a nightmare of militant Kurdish independence fighters and the spectres of energy...

Shwan Zulal

This article first appeared on Niqash

The battle for Iraq's oil goes on. Iraqi Kurdistan is intent on controlling its own oil, Baghdad is intent on wresting that control from them. Will the impasse ever be solved? Only if both sides see reason, one commentator argues.

Article first appeared in the EUCERS Newsletter, No. 12
By Shwan Zulal

While crude oil is hovering above $100 per barrel, the rhetoric against Iran is ratcheting up, followed by the US and EU sanctions against the regime. With Iranian exports are being halted, global oil...

Iraq could be one of the richest countries in the world. Yet over three quarters of Iraqis do not have bank accounts. So where do they keep that wealth? And can the Iraqi banking system be dragged into the 21st century?

Estimated to have one of the largest oil reserves in the world, Iraq could be the major player in the world's oil industry. But up until now, things have not been going as well as expected. So what's the problem?

There is no doubt that Iraq has...

Fans of a federal union of states in Iraq are accusing PM Nouri al-Maliki of taking on the role of dictator in Iraq. They see separation of sects as the only answer to Iraq's problems. Yet advocates of centralised power in Iraq support the PM's actions. Who's right?

The sorry...

This article was published on Niqash
Saddam Hussein's poison gas attacks on Halabja still claim victims today with locals sick and projects on hold because of contamination. International firms that supplied gas ingredients have never been brought to justice either. A new UK plan could change...

The furore over the contract signed by US oil giant Exxon with Iraqi Kurdistan is another sign that Iraq urgently needs a new oil and gas law. As this primer explains, the lack of this law could well be a sign that the dream of united Iraq is over.
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The latest ExxonMobil deal with Kurdistan region has raised few eyebrows and it has brought into focus the bitter dispute between the central Iraqi government in Baghdad and the Kurdish regional government.

Current and previous Iraqi government both lead by AL Maliki has refused to recognise the Kurdish production...

In a game changing oil deals in Kurdistan region, Exxon Mobil has signed a contract for six blocks with Kurdistan Regional Government, reported the FT. There were rumours about a major US oil company circling in Kurdistan region, but expert dismissed any deals because of the danger of being black...

Whilst Michael Rubin, a scholar from the American Enterprise Institute, argues in Kurdistan Tribune that Kurdistan Region (KR) President Massud Barzani and PM Barham Salih should pressure US policy makers to block the latest proposed Turkish arms sale, the attention of Kurdish politicians should also focus on their...

The manner of the US withdrawal from Iraq has been appalling to say the least and greeted with dismay in Kurdistan Region and some parts of Iraq. In the latest survey by Gallup, three out of four American approved Obama's withdrawal from Iraq. Nevertheless, it is not clear what the...

The idea of independent Kurdistan has been making the headlines recently. Politicians and commentators from all spectrums are airing their views like never before. The latest politician to wade into the argument is no other than Hassan Alawi, who is identified as a vocal support of the Kurds and one...