Iraq Votes

The polls are closed and it wasn’t the carnage some were expecting it to be. True, it is quite disturbing to wake up to the sound of mortars on elections day. But that’s not surprising, this is Baghdad after all. Bottom line, Iraq has voted for the second full-term parliament since 2003 despite the threats, the intimidations, the chaos, the interference, and the “de-baathification” saga by the “not so” independent…

Iraq Watch – Zero-Sum Game

6 February 2009 Collapsing oil prices and dwindling revenues are forcing Iraq’s oil ministry to review the terms of the first bid round it launched last summer. After all, the state entity might not be able to finance a 51% carried interest in each of the six oil fields as stipulated in the bid round’s tender protocol and draft model contract. As a result, companies meeting ministry officials at a…