Uncategorized – Iraq After Occupation

Translation 1/3: Iraqi Communist Party History. “Part One: The Iraqi communists, their political alliances, and lessons learnt (1934-2014)” by Jassim al-Halwai

Jun 22, 2017benrobinzThe Civic Trend - التيار المدني, Uncategorizedfeatured, ICP, Iraq, Iraqi Communist Party, Jassim al-Halwai

Below is the first instalment of a three-part translation of a series of articles written for the ICP by communist intellectual Jassim al-Halwai. The article begins with some preliminary clarifications and wider context setting before getting stuck into more granular historical analysis of the ICP’s relations with other Iraqi political factions throughout the organisation’s history.

Interpreting itikaaf

Oct 21, 2016benrobinzUncategorized

Picture Post: Iraqi Art Collection at the Jalaad Cultural Centre, North of Amman

Jul 30, 2016benrobinzUncategorizedart, Iraqi culture, Jalaad

Yesterday I was very lucky to be shown around the Jalaad Cultural Centre not far north of Amman. The Centre has been constructed to house the immense art collection of Sammy Hendeyah. This collection includes an entire floor of art work and sculpture from Iraqi artists, some contemporary and some dating back to the 19th

“Freedom of Expression is a Sacred Right”: Iraqi activists are fighting back against proposed legislation which seeks to restrict civil liberties

Jul 29, 2016benrobinzAnalysis - تحليل, The Civic Trend - التيار المدني, Uncategorizedcivic trend, protest, protest movements

Iraqi activists are currently fighting against a draft law, the ‘Law of Freedom of Expression, Gathering, and Peaceful Protest’, which contains a number of amendments which seek to severely restrict basic civil liberties. Activists from across the civil trend spectrum, including Madaniyoun, Mustamerroun, journalists, and students have engaged in protests, including in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square,

Fallujah and the Public Sphere: English / Arabic Comparison, Part I

Jun 10, 2016benrobinzAnalysis - تحليل, Maps, Charts, Resources, The Popular Mobilisation - الحشد الشعبي, Uncategorizeddiscourse, falluja, Fallujah, militia, public sphere, social network, twitter

This is the first of a series of posts in which I will present analysis on data collected on the networked-public sphere surrounding the ongoing battle for Fallujah. I’ve been messing about with some data mining, analysis, and visualisation techniques and thought a comparison of how the English vs Arabic language twitter spheres have responded to

Translation: Ali Al-Sistani’s guidance to fighters engaged in Fallujah

May 29, 2016benrobinzAli al-Sistani - السيد علي السيستاني, Analysis - تحليل, The Popular Mobilisation - الحشد الشعبي, Uncategorizedal-hashd al-sha'bi, al-Sistani, Sistani

Mustafa Al-Khaqani ‏@Khaqani_M shared the an interesting picture (below) showing the guidance on battlefield rules issued a few days ago by Shi’i marja’ Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani spreading amongst fighters engaged in the Fallujah operation. What follows is a rough translation of this guidance with the original Arabic text below: “So it comes to the fight with those

Mapping Iraqi political, legal, military, and intelligence structures and key figures

May 29, 2016benrobinzAnalysis - تحليل, Maps, Charts, Resources, Uncategorizedal-Abadi, Iraqi Government, map, maps, technocracy

I have updated my map of key figures in the Iraqi state, legal, military, and intelligence structures to account for recent changes at the Ministry of Interior, Intelligence, and the head of Baghdad Operations. Key sackings and resignations, as a result of ISIS attacks on Baghdad that have resulted in mass civilian casualties, include: Zuhair Gharbaoui

Introduction

May 15, 2015benrobinzUncategorizedIntroduction

This site reflects my current research on political identity in the Iraqi-Shi’a religious field – particularly during the period of the al–Hashd al-Shaabi (the Popular Mobilization). In the process of this research I will be translating fatwas, bayans, interviews and other relevant sources in order to build a picture of the discourse around political identity

Iraq After Occupation

Academic and security analysis by Benedict Robin, PhD student @ IMES University of Edinburgh