KRG: Cold-shouldered
As Iraq consolidates its control of recaptured land and resources in and around Kirkuk, the KRG is looking increasingly isolated
There's been a lot of diplomatic activity in the Middle East over recent days. But none of it has involved the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, as part of a tour of Gulf states, flew to Baghdad to meet Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. The Kurdish leadership must have hoped that his next stop was Erbil. The involvement of the US in attempts to defuse the crisis between the KRG and the federal government in Baghdad, in the wake of the forced withdrawal of Peshmerga units from land captured in 2014, would have been welcomed in Erbil. It wasn't to be. To rub salt in the wounds, Tillerson, during a stop in Riyadh, attended the inaugural meeti
Also in this section
7 August 2025
The quick, unified and decisive strategy to return all the barrels from the hefty tranche of cuts from the eight producers involved in voluntary curbs signals a shift and sets the tone for the path ahead
7 August 2025
Without US backing, the EU’s newest sanctions package against Russia—though not painless—is unlikely to have a significant impact on the country’s oil and gas revenues or its broader economy
6 August 2025
Diesel market disruptions have propelled crude prices above $100/bl twice in this century, and now oil teeters on the brink of another crude quality crisis
5 August 2025
After failed attempts to find a buyer for its stake in Russia’s largest oil producer, BP may be able to avoid the harsh treatment meted out to ExxonMobil and Shell when they exited—and could even restart operations if geopolitical conditions improve
