Audacity without architecture: The Iran war and why Kurdistan chose differently

As the Middle East grapples with the spillover effects of the US-Israeli war with Iran, this piece explores the paucity of strategic logic underpinning the offensive and why Kurdish leaders were rightfully hesitant at throwing their weight behind it.

Mohammedali Yaseen Taha

Opinion

Iran-aligned armed groups’ dangerous game in Iraq

The ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran has exposed the failure of Iraq’s security sector reforms, with risks growing that Iran-aligned armed factions in Iraq could draw the country into turmoil and further chaos.

Mohammed A. Salih

Opinion

What are the possible endgames of the Iran war?

As the US-Israel war against Iran continues, what exactly will the endgame be?

Mohammed A. Salih

Opinion

The Shiite political class’s game between Iran and the US has run its course

US pressure and President Donald Trump's January post slamming former Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki's nomination for the premiership has put Maliki and the Shiite political class in an unenviable position. They better resolve this in a way that would not cost Iraqis dearly. It’s no time for seeking to be a martyr.

Mohammed A. Salih

Opinion

Save the Kurds Act: Moral clarity, strategic logic - and Congressional uncertainty

While provision such as the Save the Kurds Act could be softened during the legislative process, their inclusion signals a willingness, at least among some lawmakers, to attach personal and institutional costs to policies that endanger Kurdish allies.

Mohammed A. Salih

Opinion

From Halabja to Ukraine: The same criminal signature

The scourge of chemical weapons, whose appalling effects linger in the Kurdish memory following the Baathist regime's Halabja massacre, remains a potent present-day threat deployed by Russian invaders in Ukraine, writes Ukrainian Ambassador to Iraq Ivan Dovhanych.

Ivan Dovhanych

Opinion

Kurds in the eye of a gathering regional storm

The Middle East is entering a phase of re-centralized power that directly threatens Kurdish autonomy, with Syria as the primary testing ground. Marketed as “stability,” this emerging order narrows Kurdish political space while empowering authoritarian and extremist forces. Kurdish survival now hinges on unity, strategic clarity, and coordinated action across borders.

Mohammed A. Salih

Opinion

Sharaa government’s war of choice against Kurds and danger of miscalculation

Launching the operation immediately after the Paris agreement effectively deflected from and overwhelmed the emerging debate about the agreement’s implications. Under normal circumstances, such a deal would have generated major controversy.

Mohammed A. Salih

Opinion

Iraq’s survival depends on a Kurdish-Shiite reset

Iraq is at a critical turning point, and for it to survive in the medium to long run it needs a major reset. Such a reset can only come from a rejuvenated Kurdish–Shiite alliance as the core political relationship ensuring the durability of the post-2003 order amid a tumultuous regional climate that threatens Iraq’s current political arrangement.

Mohammed A. Salih

Opinion

PM Barzani meets Egyptian president in Cairo, stresses economic cooperation

Egypt and the Kurdistan Region have a long-standing economic and cultural relationship, with trade volume between Erbil and Cairo standing at around $150 million annually.

The New Region

Opinion