Middle East

World News

Roundtable: Social Uprisings Sweep Middle East, Latin America

6:12pm November 02, 2019

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with two experts about ongoing protests in the Middle East and Latin America: Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, and NYU professor Patricio Navia.

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World News

What's Next For Iraq

5:07am November 01, 2019

Iraq's prime minister has agreed to step down if a replacement is found. NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Laith Kubba, an independent adviser to the outgoing Iraqi prime minister.

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A convoy of U.S. military vehicles, arriving from northern Iraq, drives past an oil pump jack in the countryside of Syria's northeastern city of Qamishli on Oct. 26.

Opinion: Syria's Oil Output Is Low, But Here's Why It Matters

6:04pm October 31, 2019

What happens to the country's resources — once a revenue stream for ISIS — will be important not to world oil markets but to the future of Syria itself, write Roger Diwan and Daniel Yergin.

The late ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in an undated picture released this week by the Pentagon.

ISIS Confirms Baghdadi's Death And Names His Successor

5:54pm October 31, 2019

by Brakkton Booker

The Islamic State named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi as its new leader days after ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi killed himself during a U.S. raid on his compound in northwest Syria.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, seen earlier this year during a diplomatic visit to Berlin, has faced massive protests recently calling for his resignation.

World News

Iraqi Prime Minister Set To Step Down Amid Swell Of Anti-Government Protest

12:17pm October 31, 2019

by Colin Dwyer

President Barham Salih said Thursday that the premier, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, has agreed to resign, though timing is unclear. Abdul-Mahdi's ouster has been a major demand in weeks of widespread protests.

Iraqi President Announces Sweeping Changes

11:24am October 31, 2019

Iraq's president has asked the prime minister to resign and called for new elections, two key demands of protesters there.

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World News

Baghdad Protests Continue

4:59am October 31, 2019

by Jane Arraf

Protests continue in Baghdad demanding the ouster of the current government.

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World News

Iraq's Prime Minister Faces Intense Pressure To Resign

4:22pm October 30, 2019

by Jane Arraf

With hundreds of thousands of people in the streets and political leaders allying against him, Iraq's prime minister faces intense pressure to resign. It could put Iraq in another political vacuum.

A U.S. military vehicle drives past an oil pump jack in the countryside of Syria's northeastern city of Qamishli. President Trump is leaving some U.S. troops in Syria, with the goal of controlling Syria's oil fields. But legal experts say exploiting the o

If U.S. Takes Syrian Oil, It May Violate International Laws Against Pillage

3:41pm October 30, 2019

by David Welna

President Trump is leaving some U.S. troops in Syria, with the goal of controlling Syria's oil fields. But legal experts say exploiting the oil could amount to pillaging — a war crime.

World News

Saudi Arabia Moving Forward With Plans To Sell Shares Of Aramco

5:16pm October 29, 2019

by Jackie Northam

Saudi Arabia says it's going ahead with plans to sell shares of the state oil company, Aramco. It's a long-delayed effort to raise money for the monarchy's reform program but investors are skeptical.

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