Most recent articles by Birgit Svensson
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Christians in IraqBetween the fronts
With the Mosul offensive having freed many Christian communities from the clutches of IS, there is undeniably cause for celebration. And yet the position of Iraq′s Christians remains precarious. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
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The reconquest of FallujahThe serpent′s head
Last week Iraq′s prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, announced victory over the "Islamic State" terror militia in Fallujah and the liberation of the city. But following the advance of government forces into the centre of the western Iraqi IS stronghold, the refugee crisis in the region is worsening. The mass exodus from Fallujah continues, with people still leaving in their thousands. By Birgit Svensson
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Iraq′s political crisisAl-Sadr the power broker
Demonstrators have gathered in Baghdad to protest Iraq's government every Friday for months. The Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is using the movement to stage his political comeback. Birgit Svensson reports from Baghdad
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IS attacks in Paris and BrusselsOrchestrating a reign of terror
The majority of IS terrorists to have been arrested recently are EU citizens, jihadist returnees from Syria and Iraq. Ever since the assault on the French satirical newspaper "Charlie Hebdo" in January 2014, international jihadists have increasingly been setting their sights on Europe
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Women′s writing workshop in Basra, IraqWriting to survive
A writing workshop in the southern Iraqi city of Basra is encouraging women to use words to process their often traumatic experiences of a country scarred by destruction and conflict. But the future of the project now hangs in the balance due to funding problems. By Birgit Svensson
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Iraqi Kurdistan in political and economic crisisBarzani′s sinking ship
The ongoing political and economic crisis in northern Iraq is forcing many Kurds to flee. Instead of fighting the causes of the exodus from Iraqi Kurdistan, however, the Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani is relying on patriotism and empty promises. Birgit Svensson reports from Erbil
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Caricaturists in IraqWalking a satirical tightrope
Caricaturists in Iraq have been under pressure for years: while the Kurdish regional government has been waging all-out war against them in the north of the country, their colleagues in Baghdad live in fear of jihadist extremism. By Birgit Svensson in Baghdad
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The Kurdish conflictBarzani in a tight spot
Massoud Barzani, president of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, wants rid of the PKK. Demanding that the group leaves the Qandil Mountains is a politically calculated move. But the Iraqi Kurds are not united in this view: another leading Iraqi Kurd politician and former Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani, wants the PKK to stay. An analysis by Birgit Svensson in Erbil
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Kurds in IraqWhen hope turns to fear
By extending its airstrikes against the terror organisation IS to include Kurdish militant PKK targets, Turkey risks escalating conflict with other Kurdish groups in the region. The Iraqi Kurds are worried. By Birgit Svensson in Irbil
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One year of IS in IraqThe caliphate is a reality
One year ago, Islamic State began its triumphal march through Iraq. The capture of the province Anbar played a key role in this advance. Birgit Svensson in Baghdad looks back on a year of IS in Iraq
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Saudi Arabia and the conflict in YemenSaudi actions backfire
Saudi Arabia bears the greatest responsibility for the triumphant advance of the Houthi militia in Yemen, says Birgit Svensson: the leading Sunni power in the Gulf simply stood by while a Shia counterbalance emerged virtually on its doorstep, thereby creating an opportunity for Tehran
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Military offensive against IS in IraqStrike and counter-strike
The Iraqi army hopes that taking back Tikrit will come to mean to it what Kobani means to the Kurds: a turning point and a motivational push in one. By Birgit Svensson in Baghdad