Iraq

On October 30, the Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) announced that interest rates would be cut by 100bps, to 15.0%, in order to boost growth. While the CBI's intention is to encourage domestic... 2008-10-31

Reports indicate that the Iraqi government is massing troops in Mosul for what appears to be a forthcoming military operation to pacify the troubled city. It will be the third massive... 2008-10-30

We expect Iraq to record healthy current account surpluses over the coming years. That said, almost all of Iraq's export revenues come from sales of crude oil and so in the event... 2008-10-29

The news that the US military has handed over control of Babil province to Baghdad is another positive demonstration of the improving security situation and the growing competence... 2008-10-23

Today's (October 21) raid by Iraqi security forces on the home of Mullah Shihab al-Safi, provincial leader of the Sunni Awakening movement in Diyala province, could raise sectarian... 2008-10-21

The improving security situation, Iraq's stronger regional profile, and the growing assertiveness of the central government are all positive political developments. In response, we... 2008-10-17

We have revised downwards Iraq's sovereign risk rating for 2009 from D to E-. Our gloomy outlook is driven by a dramatic fall in its Ability to Pay score (from 31/55 to 20/55). Recent... 2008-10-16

Mosul is the last major urban stronghold of al-Qaeda in Iraq and thus far security forces have not managed to pacify the city. Therefore, the confirmation today (October 15) by the... 2008-10-15

It is not just tensions between Sunnis and Shi'as that pose a risk to stability in Iraq - intra-Shi'a hostility is also rife and yesterday's (October 9) murder of prominent politician... 2008-10-10

In many ways the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) already functions as a de-facto independent state, and so we note with interest that in a radio interview on Tuesday (October... 2008-10-08