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Paul Iddon

Iddon

Paul Iddon is a freelance journalist based in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan who writes about Middle East affairs

In-depth: In his memoir, Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani shared for the first time that Turkey's former President Turgut Ozal had proposed annexing Iraqi Kurdistan after the Gulf War. But how serious was the idea?

01 September, 2022

Analysis: Ankara's drone strikes against the Kurdish-led SDF follow widespread opposition to its planned military invasion of northern Syria, with the campaign largely tolerated by both Russia and the US.

16 August, 2022

Analysis: A deadly attack at a tourist site in Iraqi Kurdistan in July marked a turning point in bilateral ties, but the diplomatic crisis was decades in the making.

03 August, 2022

In-depth: Russia's invasion of Ukraine has led to soaring food prices amid significant disruption to the supply of staple grains, with the risk of political unrest, migration, and acute hunger.

02 June, 2022

Analysis: The intensity of Turkey's latest cross-border operation in Iraqi Kurdistan has put unprecedented pressure on the PKK.

27 April, 2022

In-depth: Lacking sophisticated air defence systems for several decades now, Iraq is shopping around.

20 December, 2021

Analysis: Turkey has sold its Bayraktar TB2 drones to over a dozen countries in Europe, North Africa, and Central Asia. Rapidly becoming ubiquitous, they are also being used in an ever-greater number of global conflicts.

29 November, 2021

In-depth: For Turkey, getting approval to buy F-16Vs and modernisation kits could be its last chance to ensure it has a capable and relatively modern air force for the foreseeable future.

02 November, 2021

Analysis: In the space of a few short years, Iran has supplied its militia proxies across the Middle East with unprecedented drone capabilities, significantly upping the stakes for its regional adversaries.

11 October, 2021

Analysis: Iraqis have suffered from 30 years of chronic electricity shortages, with successive wars, international sanctions, mismanagement, and rising demand all playing a part.

21 July, 2021