All Politics is Local

A meeting of the provincial council in Ninevah. Photo courtesy of the AP.

The war in Iraq began five years ago this week. To mark the anniversary, War News Radio is preparing a set of shows that will explore the big questions still unanswered about the situation in Iraq. This week on War News Radio, we focus in on local politics.

We take a close look at the structure of national and local government in Iraq, and see how things have changed since 2003. Listen now to this report from Aaron Schwartz, Haley Loram, and Clare Kobasa.

There are many groups working on local governance projects in Iraq, ranging from Provincial Reconstruction Teams to NGOs and private contractors. We find out about the challenges they’ve had teaming up. Listen now to Elizabeth Threlkeld’s report.

In our series A Day in the Life, we hear from Hidayat Ibrahim, a provincial administrator in Sulaimaniya. Listen now to this report.

And, we speak with Abbas Mehdi, a former chairman of Iraq’s National Investment Commission, about his experiences trying to coordinate local and national government projects. Listen now to this report.

Finally, we consider the outlook for local government in Iraq, and how things might change as a result of Iraq’s new provincial powers act. Listen now to this report.

These stories this week from War News Radio.

Listen to entire show
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