GeoSpace Ep. 23 with Lawk Ghafuri: Kurdistan under attack: Iran-backed militias and regional conflict

n the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, Mohammed A. Salih hosted Lawk Ghafuri, a political analyst specializing in Iraqi affairs, discussing the unprecedented wave of attacks on the Kurdistan Region following the US-Israel military campaign against Iran, the involvement of Iran-backed militias, and the prospective roles played by Kurds in the ongoing conflict.

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GeoSpace Ep. 22 with Nadine Maenza: Syria's minorities face uncertain future amid centralization

In the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, Mohammed A. Salih hosted Nadine Maenza, co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Roundtable and former chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, discussing the deteriorating situation for Syria's ethnic and religious minorities following Damascus' military campaigns and the rise of dangerous hate speech.

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Iraq has ‘huge plan’ to transform banking sector, says CBI governor

Ali al-Alaq told The New Region that citizens must not "rush to the market" amid a rise in unofficial dollar prices, insisting that the Central Bank is maintaining foreign reserves "at a very good level."

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GeoSpace Ep. 21 with Kamaran Palani: Trump's Maliki veto and potential Shiite-Kurdish alliance

In the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, Mohammed A. Salih hosted Kamaran Palani, leading scholar of Iraqi and Kurdish affairs, discussing the fallout from Trump's rejection of Nouri al-Maliki's premiership nomination and the potential for a revived Shiite-Kurdish alliance amid regional turbulence.

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GeoSpace Ep. 20 with Hamidreza Azizi: Iran’s Islamic regime faces its most serious challenge

In the latest episode of The New Region’s GeoSpace, Mohammed A. Salih hosted Iranian and regional affairs expert Hamidreza Azizi to unpack Iran’s nationwide unrest and the regime’s increasingly violent response.

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GeoSpace Ep. 19 with Fatima Abo Alasrar: Saudi intervention reshapes Yemen's political landscape

In the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, Mohammed A. Salih hosted Fatima Abo Alasrar, a prominent analyst of Yemeni and Gulf affairs, discussing Saudi Arabia's decisive military action against the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) and its broader implications for Yemen and the Gulf.

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GeoSpace Ep. 18 with Victoria J. Taylor: Elections, militias, foreign influence in Iraq

In the latest episode of The New Region’s Geospace recorded December 17, host Mohammad A. Salih spoke with Victoria J. Taylor, director of the Iraq Initiative in the Atlantic Council’s Middle East program, about the future of power in Iraq following the recent elections, Washington’s continued push to curb Iranian influence, and the issue of armed factions in the country.

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GeoSpace Ep. 17 with Dr. Shwan Jamal Azeez: Can Kurdistan realize its energy ambitions?

In this episode of The New Region’s GeoSpace podcast, host Mohammed A. Salih speaks with Dr. Shwan Jamal Azeez, an associate professor at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani, about the uncertain future of the Kurdistan Region’s energy sector amid mounting security threats, legal battles, and contested federalism in Iraq.

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GeoSpace Ep. 16 with Hayder al-Shakeri: The aftermath of Iraq's parliamentary elections

In the latest episode of The New Region's GeoSpace podcast, Mohammed A. Salih hosted Hayder al-Shakeri, a leading Iraq analyst and Chatham House research fellow, to discuss the aftermath of Iraq's recent parliamentary elections and their geopolitical implications for the region

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