Karada, Baghdad, October 2025.
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Iraq’s Enduring Democratic Malaise |
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On November 11th, 2025, Iraq is set to hold its sixth parliamentary election since the fall of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Although elections occur regularly, they increasingly fail to generate legitimacy, drive reform, and improve people’s lives. The core tenets of democracy, accountability, effective governance, and equitable service delivery, remain out of reach. The upcoming parliamentary elections thus represent a broader crisis: a democracy that persists procedurally but falters in substance.
On the surface, this election looks competitive: 7,754 candidates are vying for 329 parliamentary seats, including 7,679 backed by 38 coalitions and 31 political parties, and 75 running as independents (about 1%). However, a closer look suggests it marks the end of a reform wave that began in late 2019 with the October (Tishreen) protests across central and southern Iraq. That movement raised hopes for real change, pressured Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi to resign, and led to early elections in 2021.
The reform energy in 2021 produced 789 independent candidates (24% of the candidates), 40 of whom won seats. Had they stayed united, they could have become a powerful bloc. Instead, divisions emerged, and established parties quickly co-opted many. This fragmentation weakened the reform effort and undermined voter confidence in candidates running under that banner. It’s unsurprising to see a roughly 90% drop in independents in the current election.
Moreover, systemic dysfunction, institutional decay, and profound public disillusionment continue to define Iraq’s political landscape. Of the 29 million citizens eligible to vote, only 21.2 million have registered, and about 3.5 million still need to collect the biometric cards required to cast their ballots. This shortfall reflects growing voter apathy, mirrored in the 36 percent turnout of the previous election. Such disengagement underscores widespread skepticism about the state’s ability to deliver genuine change that positively contributes to the lives of the citizens.
Public frustration is rooted in persistent governance failures. Years of unfulfilled promises, endemic corruption, and inadequate service delivery have eroded confidence in political institutions. Equally troubling is the decline in the legislature’s performance and accountability. A recent study found that the legislature has been in session for 294 hours in the last four years, 215 members of the outgoing parliament have not spoken “a single word” during the fifth legislative term, while an average of 156 were absent from each session without consequence. Over the past four years, parliament has passed only 69 laws, the lowest output since 2003, signaling institutional stagnation and weak oversight.
This dysfunction when juxtaposed against the financial burden on the people is mind-blowing. Each parliamentarian reportedly earns over a million dollars in salaries and benefits, including personal security allowances. Even those who lose re-election continue to receive substantial pensions and privileges. These MPs have cost the Iraqi state an estimated $1.5 billion only in salary, working at an hourly rate of $15,506 (if the hours in session are counted), yet yielding no tangible improvement in governance, oversight, or performance. This incentive structure rewards self-interest over public service, perpetuating cycles of patronage and disenchantment.
If progress were measured by the construction of apartment towers and skyscrapers, Iraq would be advancing. Yet when assessed by citizens’ quality of life, the reality is one of decline. The failures of governance are starkly visible in Baghdad. During a recent visit in October 2025, the first in nearly two decades, it was clear how much the quality of life had deteriorated for ordinary people. Vast tracts of public land have been converted into luxurious residences and offices for officials, while ordinary Iraqis navigate broken pavements, open drains, and uncollected waste.
As in many resource-dependent states, the Shia ruling government in Baghdad has favored grandiose infrastructure and high-profile projects such as bridges, luxury hotels, and developments meant to impress visitors over essential public services. The result is a striking contrast between visible cement construction and the invisible suffering of the people.
Two decades after regime change, Iraq’s institutions serve more as patronage vehicles than instruments of representation. The widening gulf between the ruling elite and the public continues to erode legitimacy and social cohesion. Unless governance becomes more transparent, accountable, and responsive, elections will remain hollow rituals to enrich the next 329 MPs rather than opportunities for renewal. Iraq’s central challenge is not the frequency of its elections, but the integrity and effectiveness of those who govern.
Yerevan Saeed,
Barzani Scholar-in-Residence
Director of the Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace
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Barzani Scholar-in-Residence and Director Yerevan Saeed recently traveled to Baghdad to participate in the Iraq Research Leaders Forum, organized by the Iraq Group for Foreign Affairs. Saeed met with senior Iraqi officials, civil society organizations, and thought leaders during the forum. He then visited Erbil, where he met with H.E. Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.
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The forum convened Iraqi researchers working at leading regional and global think tanks and academic institutions, and it provided an opportunity for candid discussions with H.E. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani; Dr. Fuad Hussein, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Ali al-Alaq, Governor of the Central Bank of Iraq; former Speaker of Parliament Mohammed al-Halbousi; and Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Iraq's National Wisdom Movement. Discussions focused on Iraq’s domestic and regional issues and U.S.–Iraq relations.
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On October 30th, Saeed spoke at the Atlantic Council Iraq Initiative’s event, “What to expect in Iraq’s 2025 elections,” which examined the potential implications of the upcoming vote slated for November 11th, for governance in Iraq and its foreign relations.
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Governing Iraq After the Election: Implications for Iraq-U.S. Relations
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On October 21, 2025, the Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace (GKIP) at the American University's School of International Service hosted a panel discussion titled "Governing Iraq After the Election: Implications for Iraq-U.S. Relations", exploring how Iraq's November 2025 parliamentary elections may shape internal governance, relations between the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and the future of Iraq's relationship with the United States.
The experts included Jennifer Gavito, Senior Advisor at the Cohen Group and former Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs; Sarhang Hamasaeed, former Director for Middle East Programs at the U.S. Institute of Peace; and Rend Al-Rahim, non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Iraq Initiative and Iraq's first ambassador to the United States. Yerevan Saeed, Barzani Scholar-in-Residence and Director of the Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace, moderated the discussion.
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Podcast: Why the Kurds Still Don't Have a Country |
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Art and Culture: Beizar Aradini |
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"For me, it’s been a form of learning about my own history, but also about truth-telling: resisting the erasure that happens so often. Turning archives into art is about sharing our stories and preserving our voices."
Beizar Aradini is a fiber and textile artist whose work threads personal history with collective memory. A graduate student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Aradini examines Kurdish migration and the immigrant experience, particularly within the cultural landscape of the American South. Born in Mardin, Kurdistan, and subsequently raised in Nashville, Tennessee, following her family's immigration in 1992, she uses fiber as a medium for storytelling.
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In her creation, she frames stories that reflect themes of belonging and displacement. Aradini's practice bridges generations and geographies. Through embroidery, digital weaving, and textile installation, she reimagines her family's migration story and reclaims overlooked Kurdish histories, especially those of women. Her art has been featured in exhibitions across the U.S. and abroad, including Bê Welat: The Unexpected Storytellers at nGbk Gallery in Berlin and We Count: First-Time Voters at the Frist Art Museum. This exhibition earned an Award of Excellence from the Tennessee Association of Museums. Her work has also been profiled in Nashville Scene and Native Magazine, recognized for its evocative blend of cultural reflection and craft.
In this interview, Aradini reflects on her artistic path, which has transitioned from painting to fiber arts, shaped by her artistic heritage and her mother's craft traditions. She recounts her experience within the diasporic archive, where memories often connect the gaps left by absent records. In her view, imagination serves as an essential instrument for preservation. Aradini aims to protect Kurdish heritage and promote women's voices through her art, inspiring new generations of artists.
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"Literature became a means of exploring that resistance, not a tool for preaching or teaching. My intention was simply to say, Come with me to Kurdistan, from the safety of your own home, and let me show you not only the difficulties, but also the pleasures that exist there. This is what it’s like to be born there."
Ava Homa is an award-winning novelist, educator, activist, and faculty member at California State University, Monterey Bay. Her debut novel, Daughters of Smoke and Fire (HarperCollins & Abrams, 2020), earned widespread recognition, appearing in Roxane Gay's Book Club, the Unplugged Book Box, and Women for Women International.
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The book won the 2020 Nautilus Silver Book Award for Fiction. This prestigious literary award recognizes books that promote social change. Her book was also a finalist for the 2022 William Saroyan International Writing Prize, a highly respected award in the literary world.
In this interview, Homa shares her journey as a Kurdish writer and how leaving Iranian Kurdistan for North America profoundly impacted her life and art. She speaks passionately about her mission to tell genuine Kurdish stories that capture her people's strength, struggles, and spirit. Through her exploration of womanhood, identity, and resilience, Homa uses literature as a bridge that connects cultures, reveals hidden truths, and invites readers to see the shared humanity that unites us all.
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Iraq
On October 22, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani received a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump, in which Trump expressed appreciation for Barzani's support of American peace initiatives and reiterated his administration's commitment to stability in the Middle East.
On October 20, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced that a small group of 250–350 U.S. military advisors would remain temporarily at bases, including one in the Kurdistan Region, to coordinate counterterrorism efforts.
On October 15, Dana Gas reported completing its KM250 expansion project at the Khor Mor gas field, increasing gas production capacity to an unprecedented level of 750 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d). The additional gas is expected to add to the Kurdistan Region's energy security and be a step towards potential natural gas exportation.
The Kurdistan Regional Government continues to strengthen infrastructure across the region. Through its Runaki project, it provides 24-hour electricity to 4 million people and allocates $203 million for water supply improvements across Erbil, Duhok, and Sulaymaniyah provinces.
Türkiye
On October 26, the PKK announced that it would be withdrawing fighters from Turkey to northern Iraq as part of its ongoing peace process with Türkiye.
On October 17, Türkiye announced plans to supply Syria's military equipment, including armored vehicles, drones, artillery, missiles, and air defense systems. This move is part of a broader security arrangement intended to expand Ankara's authority to target Kurdish forces, specifically the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).
Syria
On October 26, the Syrian Army and the SDF clashed in the Deir ez-Zur province, highlighting the fragile relationship between the two sides. Earlier this month, the Syrian government and SDF reached an agreement in principle to merge the US-backed Kurdish forces into the national Army.
Following the removal of U.S. troops, Syria faces a resurgence by the Islamic State (Daesh), who seek to capitalize on the reduced American presence and tense SDF-Damascus relations. Attacks by Islamic State cells continue to increase, with two SDF soldiers killed by an Islamic State-placed land mine on October 20.
Iran
In Iran's Kurdish regions, human rights abuses remain widespread. Kurds are frequently imprisoned, and in some cases executed, under broad anti-state laws. Kurdish news outlets reported new executions in Kermanshah this month, underscoring what observers describe as a continuing policy of repression toward Kurdish prisoners.
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The Barzani Peace Fellowship |
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Established in honor of the Kurdish leader Mustafa Barzani, the Global Kurdish Initiative for Peace offers the Barzani Peace Fellowship, a prestigious scholarship for graduate students dedicated to Kurdish affairs. Beyond financial support, it empowers future leaders through academic excellence, professional development, and opportunities to engage directly with the program and its mission for peace.
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