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I fled the war. It followed me. 

I thought I had moved beyond everything that happened in Baghdad, that a new country might grant me a different life. But my memory still carries the traces of war. After long attempts to understand the fear of the child within me, then the adolescent, then the young woman, I realized that what we carry inside us does not remain behind. It follows us wherever we go.

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Protest as Inheritance: Growing up under the aftermath of the Iraq war

In this essay, the author writes about protest as inheritance. Beginning with a childhood memory of protest, she traces how the Iraq war came to shape the way she sees the world, where Iraq returns, again and again, in every injustice that follows.

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A War Without Images: How information is withheld, manipulated, and obscured in the age of AI

Do what we see in today’s wars actually reflect what is happening on the ground? Despite the abundance of information, in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), the broader picture is shaped by restrictions, manipulation, and content engineered to appear real. This article examines and analyses this shift in the coverage of war.

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Sexual violence in Iraq: The normalisation of a structural crisis  

This article situates the mass sexual harassment incident in Basra within a broader pattern of systemic violence against women, connecting it to escalating domestic violence in Iraq, a culture of impunity, and moral double standards that hold victims responsible for their presence in the public sphere while allowing perpetrators to go unpunished.

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Features

Their Mistakes are Fatal. Unlicensed Beauty Centers Owned by Personalities and Protected by Officials

Hundreds of beauty centres are performing operations that may be fatal. Holding them accountable is almost impossible due to the fact that they are owned by well-known personalities who have strong relations with officials and decision-makers in the state.

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Features

“Election cycles tend to be nothing but seasons of performativity” 

Researcher and sociologist Ruba Ali Al-Hassani on the legacy of Tishreen, epistemic violence, and Iraq’s ongoing struggle for justice and legitimacy

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Analysis

The birth of Halabja: What lies ahead for the new province?

Halabja recently became a province through political agreements and a renewed power struggle, following decades of chemical attacks, suffering, and manipulation. Will this newly created province be drawn further into the growing contest for control? Or could it mark a new beginning, one that is situated among cities in transition?

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Features

Artificial intelligence in Iraq: Between digital ambitions and fragile infrastructure 

Government slogans about “digital transformation” and “artificial intelligence” are on the rise, while Iraq suffers from fragile infrastructure, limited digital skills, and frequent data breaches. This article examines the reality of artificial intelligence in Iraq – between lofty promises, limited applications, and painful paradoxes…