What's driving Iraq’s anti-corruption crackdown?
About this episode
This episode discusses Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi's anti-corruption campaign and the challenges he faces.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi has conducted a bold anti-corruption campaign since taking office in May. One of his first moves was to arrest the deputy oil minister for alleged embezzlement, and to seize millions of dollars in cash as part of the investigation. Iraq’s political institutions have been plagued by allegations of bribery and kickbacks, with oil sector contracts often the targets of corruption investigations. The country has reportedly lost billions of dollars to embezzlement since the American invasion of 2003. The new government has responded to increasing US pressure to tackle corruption. The other demand is to disarm militant groups. Mr Al Zaidi has prioritised both, but will also have to balance his relationship with Iran, Iraq’s other key ally. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher discusses the significance of Mr Al Zaidi's actions and the challenges he faces. We hear from Renad Mansour, director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House, and Sinan Mahmoud, The National’s Iraq correspondent.
People in this episode
Host: Nada AlTaher
Guests: Renad Mansour, Sinan Mahmoud
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Chatham House, The National
Places: Iraq, United States
More episodes of Beyond the Headlines
- Why has the US-Iran agreement not been enough to end the war?
- What’s at stake for foreign powers battling for influence in Syria?
- Why are ceasefires not ceasing the fire?
- The wins and losses of the Iran war
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Beyond the Headlines podcast page.