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MECRA RESEARCH BLOG

The MECRA research blog is composed of short articles and may include outside contributions. The views expressed in these blogs and articles are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis editorial stance.

Christians in the Ninawa Plain fear the presence of Pro-Iran Militias

MECRA

Mar 29
7 min

Christians in the Ninawa Plain fear the presence of Pro-Iran Militias

By MECRA researcher in IRAQ Place: Baghdad Date: March 23, 2021 Since the expulsion of ISIS from the Ninawa Plains of Iraq in 2017, local...

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Dispute between Baghdad and KRI over Oil Revenues Continues

MECRA

Feb 11
6 min

Dispute between Baghdad and KRI over Oil Revenues Continues

By: MECRA Correspondent in Iraq Date: February 9, 2021 Place: Baghdad A key issue facing relations between the Iraqi government and the...

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Interview with Zeylan Vajin, Co-chair of PJAK, an Iranian Kurdish political party

MECRA

Aug 16, 2020
8 min

Interview with Zeylan Vajin, Co-chair of PJAK, an Iranian Kurdish political party

The Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) is an Iranian Kurdish opposition movement aligned with the Kurdistan Communities Union. It was...

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Iranian-Kurdish PJAK militant killed by Turkish drone in Kuna Masi

MECRA

Jul 26, 2020
2 min

Iranian-Kurdish PJAK militant killed by Turkish drone in Kuna Masi

By JONATHAN SPYER Rebwar Gholizadeh, a militant of the Free Life in Kurdistan Party (PJAK), was killed in a Turkish drone strike outside...

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Analysis: How Serious Are Talks Between Assad and Syrian Kurds?

MECRA

Feb 12, 2020
5 min

Analysis: How Serious Are Talks Between Assad and Syrian Kurds?

By MECRA staff Co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) Ilham Ahmed this week said the Syrian regime has agreed to begin political...

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Yazidi ruling helps children of women kidnapped by ISIS return

MECRA

Apr 26, 2019
8 min

Yazidi ruling helps children of women kidnapped by ISIS return

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN A new ruling by the Yazidi Supreme Spiritual Council has sought to help solve one of the more complex and...

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Filmmaker Seeks to Highlight Kurdish Plight through Indie Movies in America

MECRA

Apr 17, 2019
3 min

Filmmaker Seeks to Highlight Kurdish Plight through Indie Movies in America

Iranian-Kurdish movie director Shepol Abbasi has put the final touches on his new movie “Performance of the Dead,” which will be released...

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Implications and ramifications after Kurdish protesters enter Turkish base in KRG, northern Iraq

MECRA

Jan 26, 2019
5 min

Implications and ramifications after Kurdish protesters enter Turkish base in KRG, northern Iraq

Kurdish protesters gathered outside of a Turkish army base on January 26 in northern Iraq's Kurdish region. This area along the border...

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Syrian Democratic Council: Eastern Syria fears Turkish invasion

MECRA

Dec 23, 2018
4 min

Syrian Democratic Council: Eastern Syria fears Turkish invasion

Eastern Syria fears Turkish incursion By MECRA STAFF Interview with Amjad Othman, spokesman of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) MECRA:...

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Who are the Rojava Peshmerga, the group that US thinks may help with Syria crisis?

MECRA

Dec 18, 2018
7 min

Who are the Rojava Peshmerga, the group that US thinks may help with Syria crisis?

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN The long, lonely road from Dohuk in the Kurdistan region to Sinjar, the site of the ISIS genocide of Yazidis, is...

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With the Kurds who are fighting the elite IRGC

MECRA

Oct 7, 2018
8 min

With the Kurds who are fighting the elite IRGC

By ZACH HUFF “You’re in Iran, now,” the grinning patrol leader nonchalantly informed me as we reached a summit of the Zagros mountain...

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Iraqi elections: What it means for the Kurdistan region of Iraq

MECRA

May 25, 2018
4 min

Iraqi elections: What it means for the Kurdistan region of Iraq

By DILIMAN ABDULKADER Iraq held its first elections since the defeat of the so called Islamic State (ISIS), the results surprised all...

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Why did the KDP boycott the elections in Kirkuk?

MECRA

May 19, 2018
4 min

Why did the KDP boycott the elections in Kirkuk?

By IRFAN AZEEZ AZEEZ In the wake of the Iraqi elections, there are still plenty of questions to answer, not least regarding the KDP’s...

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The Kurdistan Regional Government in 2018: A Q and A with Falah Mustafa

MECRA

Mar 14, 2018
5 min

The Kurdistan Regional Government in 2018: A Q and A with Falah Mustafa

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN The following questions were sent to the Kurdistan Regional Government in February. Falah Mustafa Bakir is the head...

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MECRA RESEARCH BLOG

Christians in the Ninawa Plain fear the presence of Pro-Iran Militias

Dispute between Baghdad and KRI over Oil Revenues Continues

Interview with Zeylan Vajin, Co-chair of PJAK, an Iranian Kurdish political party

Iranian-Kurdish PJAK militant killed by Turkish drone in Kuna Masi

Analysis: How Serious Are Talks Between Assad and Syrian Kurds?

Yazidi ruling helps children of women kidnapped by ISIS return

Filmmaker Seeks to Highlight Kurdish Plight through Indie Movies in America

Implications and ramifications after Kurdish protesters enter Turkish base in KRG, northern Iraq

Syrian Democratic Council: Eastern Syria fears Turkish invasion

Who are the Rojava Peshmerga, the group that US thinks may help with Syria crisis?

With the Kurds who are fighting the elite IRGC

Iraqi elections: What it means for the Kurdistan region of Iraq

Why did the KDP boycott the elections in Kirkuk?

The Kurdistan Regional Government in 2018: A Q and A with Falah Mustafa