Three months into the job, the prime minister needs US assistance, but he also has to provide assurances about what Iraq is doing to address US concerns
Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Kadhimi is trying to manage the relationship between the two sides, explains Sajad Jiyad
There was no transfer of knowledge […] society was dismembered and its informed layers had escaped. The embargo benefited the state and weakened the people
Sajad Jiyad on how the brain drain and “lack of awareness” in society, combined with the terror under Saddam, affected at least two generations since 1990 in Iraq
Will elections by themselves address people’s concerns about Iraq’s political system? I don’t think so
Sajad Jiyad citing deep-rooted vested interests across Iraq’s political parties — and often backed by armed group
A lot of people want to see action. Can the government uphold justice?
Sajad Jiyad comments on Al-Hashimi's assassination and Iraqi government's pledge to hold a transparent investigation into the assassination.
It showed the prime minister the limits of his authority and that to deal with this will require a significant amount of effort
Sajad Jiyad comments on escalating tensions between the government and militia groups in Iraq.
He thought they just wanted to silence him
Sajad Jiyad comments on Al-Hashimi's (a leading expert on the Islamic State group and other militant organizations) assassination
They probably thought that Kadhimi was all talk, and this raid sent a different message out: that he is willing to back up his talk with these actions. There is rhetoric on both sides, but on the ground, I think that Kataib Hezbollah will be very careful going forward
Sajad Jiyad comments on Kadhimi's raid against Kataib Hezbollah
This is a months-long dialogue aimed at setting principles that have the potential to shape the nature of US-Iraqi relations for this decade
Sajad Jiyad comments on the US-Iraq dialogue and the future of US-Iraqi relations
Probably the most important thing for the vast majority of Iraqis is how can the U.S. assist Iraq in this very difficult period
Sajad Jiyad comments on the latest developments in Iraq-U.S. relations.
The potential is there to present a new chapter but we are not sure how competent both sides are
Sajad Jiyad comments on the US-Iraq strategic dialogue