Political Risk

The most recent IAEA report on Iran's nuclear programme (published in late August) shows that the Islamic Republic continues to build up its uranium enrichment capabilities. True,... 2009-09-02

Political manoeuvring ahead of national parliamentary elections scheduled for January 2010 is well underway, and it appears that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's position beyond those... 2009-08-26

The formation of a new opposition political front will allow the reformists, under the effective leadership of Mir-Hossein Mousavi, to keep up the pressure on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.... 2009-08-19

BMI View: In spite of the ongoing threats to stability posed by the economic crisis and social issues such as the status of the Bedoun people, we have revised up Kuwait's short-term... 2009-08-13

BMI View: Kuwait risks antagonising its Shi'a population through its policies towards Iraq, while the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran, in spite of the widespread protests,... 2009-08-13

BMI View: Saudi Arabia will continue to enjoy considerable leverage on the world stage, but it faces growing tensions with Iran, the US and Israel over the coming year.

The Iraqi Security Force has thus far coped well with its increased responsibilities following the withdrawal of US troops from Iraqi towns and cities, which bodes well for stability.... 2009-08-04

Events of the last several weeks have not only highlighted the deep animosity between the reformists and conservatives in Iran, but have brought to light significant divisions within... 2009-07-30

Former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani's use of his July 17 sermon at Tehran University to attack the hardliners in the government is likely to reenergise the political opposition,... 2009-07-20

We recently lowered our long-term political risk rating for Iran from 50.2 to 46.8. This was based on our view that although the government was able to disperse the mass protests... 2009-07-16