September, 2022

• 5 September

  US says oil contracts in Iraqi Kurdistan should be ‘respected’

  

  Some companies have pulled out of the autonomous region following pressure from the federal government, which considers the Kurdistan Region’s oil exports unconstitutional. The head of the US mission in Erbil met with a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) official today to discuss the ongoing oil dispute in Iraq. Consul General …

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• 5 September

  Oman’s economy surges with higher oil prices, fiscal reform

  

  The Omani economy is benefiting from both higher oil and gas revenues and the country’s fiscal policies and discipline. Oman’s economy has enjoyed a strong first half to 2022 and the outlook for the rest of this year and 2023 is positive. The sultanate’s public finances have significantly improved compared …

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• 5 September

  Tehran FM demands ‘more robust’ US guarantees for nuclear deal

  

  Iranian news outlets are emphasizing the uncertainties facing the nuclear deal as the country’s top diplomat said more guarantees were still needed from the United States for the accord’s revival. Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has demanded that Washington offer more robust guarantees for sanctions relief in negotiations over the …

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• 5 September

  Spirals of Delusion

  

  How AI Distorts Decision-Making and Makes Dictators More Dangerous In policy circles, discussions about artificial intelligence invariably pit China against the United States in a race for technological supremacy. If the key resource is data, then China, with its billion-plus citizens and lax protections against state surveillance, seems destined to …

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• 5 September

  Bénin-France : Patrice Talon en opération séduction au Medef

  

  Seul chef d’État africain à avoir été invité aux Rencontres des entrepreneurs de France (REF), le président béninois a multiplié les échanges avec les patrons. Objectif : les convaincre d’investir dans son pays. Le 30 août, face au patronat français, le discours de Patrice Talon a visiblement fait mouche devant …

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• 5 September

  Algérie : en position de force, Sonatrach redistribue les cartes

  

  Découvertes en cascade de pétrole, renégociation des contrats gaziers et nouveau positionnement stratégique… Alger s’appuie sur ses ressources pour jouer un rôle-clé dans la nouvelle donne énergétique. Dans la région de Sbâa, à 6 km du centre de traitement de Hassi Illatou, dans la wilaya d’Adrar, c’est une nouvelle découverte …

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• 5 September

  RDC – Pétrole : « Nous voulons transformer notre potentiel en richesse »

  

  Malgré les inquiétudes des ONG, Kinshasa a lancé un appel d’offres pour l’exploration et l’exploitation de 27 blocs pétroliers et 3 gaziers. Estimant qu’il est temps de saisir l’opportunité d’augmenter significativement les revenus de l’État. Entretien avec Didier Budimbu, le ministre des hydrocarbures. La volonté du gouvernement congolais d’accélérer l’exploration …

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• 5 September

  Iran and Iraq: The struggle for tenable relations

  

  On July 25, the Atlantic Council’s Iraq Initiative and Future of Iran Initiative hosted a virtual event titled “Iran and Iraq: The struggle for tenable relations.” Moderated by Masoud Mostajabi, associate director of Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council, the discussion analyzed the political, economic, and cultural ties and …

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• 5 September

  Muqtada al-Sadr just issued a mass resignation decree. Where does Iraq go from here?

  

  After eight months of stalemate in the Iraqi Council of Representatives (CoR), Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his parliamentary bloc to turn in their letters of resignation on June 12 and withdraw from the partially disabled legislature. Even with seventy-three members of parliament out (22 percent of the total members), the institution …

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• 5 September

  Experts react: Muqtada al-Sadr withdraws from politics. What’s next for Iraq amid a deep political rupture?

  

  Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced he would resign from Iraqi politics on August 29, prompting his followers to storm government palaces in response and sparking fears that violence could erupt in a country already beset by its worst political crisis in years. Iraq’s military announced a nationwide curfew and the …

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