Tapping Iraq’s Oil

Through five-plus years of fighting in Iraq, oil has been the elephant in the war room. The country’s vast and underexplored oil resources typically take a backseat to more pressing security questions, but in any broad analysis of Iraq’s long-term prospects, talk of crude output is never far away. Oil is Iraq’s economic motor and the key to meaningful reconstruction in the country, many experts say. Even discounting conspiracy theories that the United States invaded Iraq for its oil, increased Iraqi oil output would also be an unequivocally good thing for Washington.

By CFR, USA.

Technology Policy Resource.

Government Prepares Assault on Civil Society Repressive New Legislation Should Be Amended or Scrapped

Ethiopia's government should immediately abandon plans to impose strict government controls and draconian criminal penalties on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said today. The two groups called on donor governments, whose behind-the-scenes efforts to see the bill reformed appear to have failed, to speak out publicly against the de facto criminalization of most of the human rights, rule of law and peace-building work currently being carried out in Ethiopia.

By Amnesty International, USA.

Governance Policy Resource.