Podcasts about kurdish regional government

*) Israel kills 25 civilians in new Gaza carnage — Palestine Israel has killed 25 Palestinians and wounded dozens of others during new bombardment of different areas in besieged Gaza, Palestinian news agency WAFA has reported. One such Israeli bombardment targeted a house north of Rafah, killing 11 people, most of whom were children and women, and injuring many others. In addition, Israel also killed eight people and wounded dozens during a bombing of a site near the Civil Defence headquarters in Khan Younis City. This new carnage brings the total of Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes to some 24,100, while 60,834 others are wounded, according to Palestinian authorities. *) Russia declares state of emergency in Ukraine attacked region Meanwhile in the war in Ukraine, now in its 692nd day, the mayor of southern Russian city Voronezh has declared a state of emergency. Russian officials say a Ukraine-launched drone attack damaged several buildings and wounded a child. The Russian Defence Ministry said it had destroyed five drones and intercepted three others overnight over the region, which borders Ukraine. *) North Korea abolishes agencies seeking unification with South North Korea has formally abolished a handful of government agencies charged with promoting cooperation and unification with the South, according to state media. This comes just weeks after the nation's leader Kim Jong-un said that continuing to seek reconciliation with South Korea was a "mistake". He called for a constitutional amendment to change the status of South Korea to a separate state and said unification with the South is no longer possible. *) Iran says it bombed 'Mossad' and 'terrorist' sites in Iraq and Syria Iran's Revolutionary Guard has launched missile attacks as Tehran described them as the espionage headquarters of Israel's Mossad and terrorist groups in Iraq and neighbouring Syria, state media has reported. The headquarters have been the centre for developing espionage operations and planning terrorist actions in the region, according Iranian media. At least four civilians were killed and six wounded in the strikes on Erbil, the Kurdish Regional Government in northern Iraq said in a statement, describing the attack as a "crime." And finally… *) Trump wins Republican race in frigid Iowa Donald Trump romped to a lightning-quick victory in Iowa's caucuses as the presumptive Republican standard-bearer to challenge President Joe Biden in November's election. Biden acknowledged that Donald Trump was the "clear frontrunner" to be the Republican candidate in the US election. Meanwhile, Vivek Ramaswamy, a multi-millionaire former biotech executive, ended his White House bid and endorsed Trump.

This week on the show, we're featuring an interview with 3 activists involved in the Emergency Committee for Rojava about recent developments in Rojava, escalation of violence from the Turkish state and the KDP party-led Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq, experiences of recent visits to the region, updates on the US relationship to aggressive regimes in the region and other topics. If you are listening to the radio edition of this show, check out the podcast for another half hour of discussion on developments in the economic, ecological and gender parity elements of the Rojava revolution. Links XTwitterX: https://x.com/defendrojava FedBook: https://www.facebook.com/defendrojava Instagram: https://instagram.com/defendrojava TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@defendrojava Take action against the US complicity in Turkey's war on NES: https://www.defendrojava.org/call-congress On the latest attacks: https://www.syriandemocratictimes.com/2023/10/10/turkey-devastates-a-region-already-suffering/ A recent article about the Rojava revolution: https://www.truthdig.com/articles/rojavas-improvised-revolution/ Announcements Midweek Release on the December 8th Affair in France If you didn't hear, we released a podcast in the middle of last week with anarchists involved in anti-repression in France concerning the conspiracy case known as the December 8th Affair, where the French state surveilled and arrested a YPG veteran who goes by the name Libre Flot, as well as comrades and acquaintances on the accusation of building a terror network following the Movement for Black Lives uprisings of 2020. Support for Palestinians If you're looking for a way to support folks in or from Palestine during the unprecedented and genocidal violence of the Israeli settler state one non-profit we've heard is good for distributing funds to people in need is Hebron International Network, which can be found at https://www.nonviolenceinternational.net/donate_hirn . Surely there are more out there, but be careful to vet where you send money due to precedent set by the US government of pursuing charges against nonprofits funding people in Palestine by claiming they're supporting terrorists, even when they aren't, as in the case of the Holy Land Five. Michael Kimble Anarchist prisoner Michael Kimble is fundraising right now to help cover legal costs as he attempts to gain freedom from prison after decades behind bars. You can find more info at his support site, anarchylive.noblogs.org and make donations via the link at fundly.com/help-michael-kimble-hire-a-new-attonrey . … . .. Featured Track: Sekvano by Awazê Ciya

The story of the Iraqi Kurds and the establishment of the autonomous zone and the Kurdish Regional Government is a great Middle East epic that continues to play out. The Kurds have sought to carve out their own state amid the turmoil of unfolding regional history. They've been gassed and chased into the mountains by Saddam Hussein and attacked by the dangerous terror group ISIS. The Kurds have stood up courageously against their opponents. The Iraqi Kurds and the United States have had a long history of cooperation and, sadly, at times abandonment. The aspirations of the people of Kurdistan took shape in the 2017 independence referendum as the coalition battle against ISIS was winding down. The referendum won with 92% of Kurds voting to free the region from Baghdad's authority. However, the central government through a Supreme Court ruling, quashed the initiative. The KRG continues its close relationship with Washington as it continues to navigate a tough neighborhood, wedged among its Iraqi neighbors and Turkey, Iran and Syria. The KRG has been very well represented in Washington by the Hon. Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman. TNWAC is pleased to host her for a conversation about the relationship with the U.S. and developments in Kurdistan and the region. Join us.

Good afternoon, I'm _____ with today's episode of EZ News. **Tai-Ex opening ** The Tai-Ex opened up 84-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 13,550 on turnover of 3.2-billion N-T. The Tai-Ex joined other regional markets and lost ground on Wednesday, following a wobbly session on Wall Street overnight, as markets churned over the prospect of a possible recession. **US Speaks Up for Taiwan's Participation at ICAO Assembly ** The U-S Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg is calling for Taiwan's inclusion (包括、加入) in the International Civil Aviation Organization on the opening day of the agency's assembly in Montreal, According to Buttigieg, the U-S believes "all of international civil aviation's most important stakeholders, particularly those who would administer critical aerospace, like Taiwan, should have the opportunity to participate meaningfully. Germany's Ministry for Digital and Transport, Stefan Schnorr, also called on the global aviation body to include all parties involved - saying it should "include those that are not members." However, he did not mention Taiwan by name. Civil Aeronautics Administration Director-General Lin Jun-liang is heading a delegation to Montreal this week, to promote Taiwan's inclusion in the International Civil Aviation Organization. **Inbound Visitors can Travel if Tour Group Members Contract Coronavirus ** The Central Epidemic Command Center says members of inbound tour groups will be allowed to continue traveling in Taiwan, even if other members of their group test positive for the coronavirus during their trip. However, they will need to take a rapid test and obtain (獲得) a negative result every two days. The statement comes as the ban on inbound and outbound tour groups as well as for mandatory quarantine for arriving visitors is set to be lifted as part of a new "0+7" policy on October 13. The "0+7" policy will replace the current "3+4" policy - but all arrivals must observe seven days of self-conducted epidemic prevention measures, and will be allowed to outside if a test taken within the past two days returned a negative result. **Iran Drone Bombing Leaves Dead and Wounded ** An Iranian drone bombing campaign targeting the bases of an Iranian-Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq has killed at least nine people and wounded 32 others. The Kurdish Regional Government's Health Ministry said the strikes Wednesday came as demonstrations continued to engulf (吞噬) the Islamic Republic after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman who was detained by the Iranian morality police. Local officials say Iran's attacks targeted Koya, some 65 kilometers east of Irbil. Iraq's Foreign Ministry and the Kurdistan Regional Government have condemned the strikes. Hurricane Ian Makes Landfall in Florida Florida's governor Ron De Santis is warning that "nasty" days are ahead as Hurricane Ian makes landfall in the US state. Forecasters said cities at the heart of the storm were facing extremely (極其) dangerous winds and rains, as officials warned it was too late to evacuate in some places. Our US correspondent Kate Fisher reports That was the I.C.R.T. news, Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded every day in the afternoon. Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____.

Lieutenant General (Retired) Sir Simon Mayall KBE, CB Much of General Mayall's 40 year military career has been marked by a focus on the Middle East, and his experience and understanding of the region is long-standing and deep. In 1985, having learned colloquial Arabic, he was seconded to the Sultan's Armed Forces, commanding an Omani tank squadron. He was the Operations Officer for the 1st (UK) Armoured Division in Operation DESERT STORM, the liberation of Kuwait. Before commanding his Regiment, 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards, he went to Balliol College, and then St Antony's College, Oxford, where he wrote a book on Turkish security policy. He subsequently completed an MA at King's College, where his thesis was on Jihad philosophy and the ‘Civil War' within Islam. He is also an avid student of Crusading history.As Commander of 1st Mechanised Brigade, he was deployed to Kosovo in 2002, and in 2006-2007 he was Deputy Commanding General of the Multi-National Corps (Iraq), based in Baghdad, during the period of the fight against AQ-I, the Sunni ‘Awakening' and the ‘Surge'. The following year he was appointed Assistant Chief of the General Staff and then, in 2009, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Commitments) with policy responsibility for global operations, particularly in Afghanistan. With the election of the Coalition Government of 2010, he was appointed as the first Defence Senior Adviser Middle East (DSAME), responsible for re-energising the UK's security relationships with partners in the Gulf, the Near East and North Africa. This period coincided with the complexities of the ‘Arab Spring', the overthrow of Gaddafi in Libya, the Syrian ‘civil war' and the rise of ‘Islamic State'. In 2014, after the fall of Mosul to ISIS, he became the Prime Minister's Security Envoy to Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Government. He was instrumental in establishing the new Royal Navy base in Bahrain.General Mayall retired from the Army in July 2015, and was appointed Lieutenant of the Tower of London. He is a Senior Adviser with Greenhill, Coutts Bank, and Viaro Energy, and the Director of Sandcrest Consulting. He is a regular contributor on Middle East and Defence and Security issues on television, radio and in the press, and he lectures on related subjects to many academic and business fora. His book, ‘Soldier in the Sand – a Personal History of the Modern Middle East', was published in late 2020. He was knighted in 2014, and has also received the US Legion of Merit for services in Iraq. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More than 12 people have died as a result of the recent flooding events in Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the Kurdish Regional Government provides a response. - Ziyatir le 12 kes jiyanyan le dest dawe le lafawî Hewlêr, u desellatî herêm Kurdistan wellamî deda te we.

The Kurds are a people without a country. They occupy large swaths of land in Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran but have no central government. Kurdish fighters have been constant allies in America’s fight against ISIS, and Peshmerga troops fighting on behalf of the semi-autonomous Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq fought against the militants after they stormed Mosul. Without the help of Kurdish forces in Mosul, Raqqa, and across the Levant, America couldn’t have defeated ISIS so handily. In December, after a conversation with Turkey’s president, President Donald Trump announced U.S. troops would be leaving Syria on grounds that ISIS is defeated.Things have gotten complicated since then.It’s unclear if the withdrawal will actually take place, Turkey thinks the Kurds are terrorists, and the Kurds are caught between regional power in one of the most complicated conflicts in the world. Here to help us sort this out is Mohammed Salih. Mohammed spent years working as a journalist for international media in Kurdistan. He’s currently a doctoral student at University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication.You can listen to War College on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or follow our RSS directly. Our website is warcollegepodcast.com. You can reach us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/warcollegepodcast/; and on Twitter: @War_College. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Masoud Barzani has stepped down after 12 years at the helm of the Kurdish Regional Government. Now, he says his authority should be shared between different branches of government. But while MPs discussed the plan on Sunday, Barzani's supporters stormed the regional parliament, and attacked opposition politicians. A little over a month ago, people in the region voted overwhelmingly to break away from Baghdad. But that led to days of fighting with Iraqi forces, which retook the city of Kirkuk. Now, the region is in turmoil. But the outgoing KRG leader stands by his decision. So what will Barzani's legacy be? And how will his resignation impact the region?

Iraq’s Kurds have been making international headlines since September after forging ahead with their independence referendum, despite regional and international warnings. They are the only one of the Middle East's Kurdish communities to have their own regional government. The other notable communities are in Turkey, Iran and Syria. So who are the Kurds? Origins “They are a separate ethnic group, living in the Middle East where Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq meet. They have been there as long as we know,” says Michael Gunter, a professor at the Tennessee Technological University, who has been researching and writing about the Kurds for over 30 years. And as Gérard Gauthier, an anthropologist and researcher at the Kurdish Institute of Paris, adds ”You also have Kurds in the former Soviet Union [….] There have been Kurds in Pakistan, in Afghanistan, in Georgia, you even have Kurds, I suspect, in China as well. So they are present in a lot of places. But basically the heart of their area is the Middle East.” While an actual Kurdish state is harder to trace in history, the fact remains that the Kurdish people have been in the Middle East region since as far back as 400BC. Contact with ancient Greece In fact, an ancient Greek general by the name of Xenophon details this in his work, Anabasis (The March Up Country). “Xenophon was the head of a troop of 10,000 Greek mercenaries and they were working for a Persian king," explains Gauthier. "And they were defeated and they had to leave Tsifphon, which is near Baghdad, at the time and had to walk all the way back to Greece. At one point they found a tribe of mountain people who blocked their passage, and those people described themselves as Kardokhoy.” It's hard to verify 100 percent if the Kurds were in fact this Kardokhoy or Karochi group and another theory states they are descendants of the Medes, an ancient people who lived in the north-west of what is now Iran. “The Kurds themselves claim to be the descendants of the Medes," adds Gunter. "The Medes were an Assyrian empire in 612BC. But we're not absolutely sure of that. The origins of the Kurds are lost in history. But they certainly have been there for a long time." Tribal allegiances The Kurds speak a language that is similar to Persian but unrelated to Arabic or Turkish. In fact, Gunter points out that the Kurds are a “separate ethnic group, completely different from the Turks and Arabs. [They] speak an Indo-European language, so they are related to the Iranians.” Even though there was a common language and culture among the Kurds, as was the case among other ethnic groups in the area, Kurdish unity was often based on tribal lines. This idea of fidelity to tribal lines goes back as far as the Middle Ages, says Gauthier, as it was important in “ keeping the communities together in times when you had the big wars and destruction” such as the Crusaders and the invasion of the Mongols. He adds that such events brought along destruction to the Middle East and so divisions along tribal lines would have been reinforced. Arrival of Islam During the seventh century, Islam spread from the Arabian Peninsula, bringing another unifying element to the Kurds: religion. Although uniting the Kurds under one banner was not really what was happening. “Because at the time of the empires -- Ottoman empires, Persian empires -- even before when it was the Caliph and you had a united Middle East with a Muslim caliph, then you had a lot of different communities in there. You had Turks, you had Arabs, Persians, Kurds, and the people they had unity and the banner of Islam basically,” explains Gauthier. He adds that like the other groups within the Ottoman Empire, the Kurds would also have spoken several languages. One famous Kurd from the Abbasid Muslim Caliphate was Saladin; he was a sultan, though he also received the title of king, but he was known for leading Islamic forces against the European Crusaders. After his big victory, however, he was revered not for his ethnicity as a Kurd but simply for being a great fighter. Independence So we see that the Kurds have always been a part of the regional history of the Middle East. But have they ever had independent states? “Well into the 19th century there were Kurdish immigrants who by today's standards meet many of the criteria for independence,” says Gunter. “And there's an ancient Kurdish history called Sharafnama, written by Sharaf al-Din Bitlisi in 1596, in which he talks about at least five Kurdish dynasties or emirates in the past that had the attributes of what we would today call independence. So it's possible to say that in effect there were independent Kurdish entities four to five hundred years ago which were eventually wiped out by the Ottoman and Persian empires.” Gauthier notes that al-Din Bitlisi was in fact a Kurd, although the manuscripts were written in Persian, since he was an administrator in the Ottoman Empire and also with the Savafid shahs, the rival Persian dynasty at the time. He began to put to paper the history of the Kurdish local dynasties. As Gauthier explains, Bitlisi wondered if they, the Kurds, had their own prince who could lead them; perhaps they would no longer be exploited by the Turks, Persians and Arabs. So already by the 16th century, we see that the Kurdish people, under Ottoman rule by then, were feeling the pinch. One mustn’t forget that under Ottoman rule, different ethnic and cultural groups were living side by side; but no one had independence. Each province, such as Syria, or Egypt, was ruled by a chosen representative of the Ottomans. The idea of the nation-state The notion of the nation-state as it is currently understood is a modern idea, appearing at the end of the 19th-century. It was really after World War I, which saw the disintegration of the Ottoman empire, that the push for nation-states took effect in the Middle East. “Obviously there was a big push for the idea of a nation-state with Kurds at the end of the Ottoman empire because the people had to choose,” says Gauthier. “A lot of those Kurds, they were generals, officers, administrators to the Ottoman empire, they had Ottoman identity.” And so when the Ottoman empire ceased to exist, many Kurds had to make a choice. And this is where the Kurds may have had a chance to have a state. But don’t forget they had spent years spread out over the region. So when Turkey, Iraq and Syria all pushed for independent states in response to the mandates run by Western powers that replaced the Ottomans, the Kurds found themselves in the middle of it all. “Then in 1918 when the modern state system was created, you created another division between Kurds: Turkish Kurds, Iranian Kurds, Iraqi Kurds and Syrian Kurds” explains Gunter. “That's been going on for a 100 years now. So that's another way the Kurds are divided between the four states that they live in.” In fact, the Kurds almost had a state. As the big Western powers were carving up the Middle East, the 1920 Treaty of Sèvres proposed a Kurdish state in part of what was to become Turkey, although the Kurdish nationalists themselves could not agree on what its borders should be. But the treaty was rejected by the creator of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who launched a war against the Greeks, Italians, British and French. “He [Ataturk] first recruited them [Kurds] against the imperialists, saying we are going to set up a state, which will be a state of brotherhood between Turks and Kurds and when he won he told them there [are] no Kurds,” explains Gauthier. Added to that problem was the fact that the Kurds didn’t have a central figure to bring them together to push for their own state at the time. So they turned to the British. The British were in the north of Iraq and were initially interested in creating a Kurdish state, as a kind of buffer state between Iraq and Mustafa Kemal’s Turkey. “But then they discovered the oil, so they forgot about this buffer state,” says Gauthier. So the Kurdish populations were absorbed into Iran, Syria, Iraq and Turkey. But constant tensions between the Kurdish communities and their country’s governments have always been a reason for them to push for their own state. In the case of Iraq’s Kurds, the US's 2003 invasion of Iras gave them outside support to set up their autonomous region, says Gunter. But as Iraqi’s Kurds face the consequences of pushing ahead with their quest for independence, Falah Mustafa, the foreign minister of the Kurdish Regional Government says that the Kurds are “a different nation”. Their efforts for independence have not worked out thus far, but “we tried our best, we went to Baghdad, we played a positive role. …. we should not be punished. We have to be realistic.”

In this Hotwire we have three different interviews about the alt-right's defeat in Gainesville. As democratic confederalist Kurdish forces in Rojava are beating back ISIS, the nationalist, capitalist Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq is threatening civil war with the Iraqi military. In response, Kurdish anarchists speak out against war and the state. The discovery of Santiago Maldonado's body in Argentina has sparked the fiercest clashes with police that the South American country has seen in years. Some good news: the first J20 political prisoner is about to be released; but hundreds more are awaiting trial and facing years in prison. Listen until the end for announcements of anarchist bookfairs, anti-fascist action, and east coast CrimethInc. speaking events this week. {October 25, 2017}   -------SHOW NOTES------   Table of Contents: Introduction {0:00} Headlines {2:10} Anarchists in Kurdistan {7:10} Catalonia {10:05} Anti-fascists win the day in Gainesville {11:55} Jingles {24:55} Repression Roundup {25:55} Next Week's News {28:30} Alerta! This Saturday, October 28, anti-fascists are mobilizing against white supremacists in Murfreesboro, TN. Upcoming anarchist book fairs: The Los Angeles Anarchist Book Fair takes place October 28 and 29 at Leimert Park Plaza. The London Anarchist Book Fair also takes place on Saturday, October 28 at Park View School. Support the folks arrested protesting the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Philly this weekend by donating here or here. Go here to support the Makwa Frontline Camp.. They're in need of towtrucks, carpenters, firewood, and people experienced in direct action training. This damning leak from Atlanta Anti-Fascists shows how the involvement of the would-be murderers arrested after Richard Spencer's talk in Gainesville was planned and sanctioned by Spencer's National Police Institute. Ongoing grassroots disaster relief efforts: Florida: Mutual Aid Disaster Relief Texas: Bayou Action Street Health, Greater Houston Grassroots Relief, World on My Shoulders, Austin Common Ground, the Black Women's Defense League, Redneck Revolt Houston, West Street Response Team, Houston Food Not Bombs California: Sonoma County IWW wildfire rebuilding fund Puerto Rico: Submedia's grassroots disaster relief support, Hurricane Maria Community Recovery Fund, Mutual Aid Disaster Relief: here and here. Also, check out Mutual Aid Disaster Relief's website for on-the-ground reports from Puerto Rico. Mexico: Oaxaca Earthquake Autonomous Solidarity Campaign Support the Cascadia Forest Defenders website who are fighting against the Goose Timber Sale of 2,500 acres of the Willamette National Forest. Go here to donate to J20 political prisoner Dane Powell's release fund. You can find the DropJ20 drop-the-charges call-in campaign here. The Nation published a really good article on the importance of supporting the J20 inauguration day defendants. For current information on how to support folks still facing charges from No Dakota Access Pipeline actions at Standing Rock, visit FreshetCollective.org. CrimethInc. “From Democracy to Freedom” presentations this week: Friday, October 27, 7 PM Wooden Shoe Books 704 South Street Philadelphia, PA Monday, October 30, 7 PM Lamplighter Coffee Roasters 26 N. Morris Street Richmond, VA 23220 To bring a CrimethInc. speaking event to your town, just email rollingthunder@crimethinc.com. Other anarchist podcast episodes mentioned in this Hotwire: Episodes 36 and 39 of The Ex-Worker delve deep into the revolution in Rojava. Episodes 47 and 48 introduce the anarchist critique of democracy. The latest IGD Cast from ItsGoingDown.org has an interview with members of the CNT on the question of Catalan independence. Resonance audio-distro have an audiozine version of This Is Not A Dialogue. Not Just Free Speech but Freedom Itself. CrimethInc. essays mentioned in this Hotwire: Catalunya: Facing Two Bad Options, Choose the Third. On the Showdown between Spain and Catalunya. This Is Not A Dialogue. Not Just Free Speech but Freedom Itself. To Change Everything The 2018 Certain Days: Freedom for Political Prisoners calendar is now available! Your group can buy 10 or more at the rate of $10 each. Single issues are available from LeftWingBooks.net and AK Press. This year's theme is “Awakening Resistance,” and features art and writings by Jesus Barraza, Fight Toxic Prisons, Serena Tang, Andrea Ritchie, Roger Peet, Sophia Dawson, Rasmea Support Committee, EE Vera, Herman Bell, Fernando Marti, Alexandra Valiente, Billie Belo, Arlene Gallone Support Committee, Marius Mason, David Gilbert, UB Topia, April Rosenblum, Design Action Collective, Sundiata Acoli, CrimethInc, Annie Banks, Mutope Duguma, Xinachtli, Zola and more. You can sponsor copies for prisoners for only $8, postage included! Just be sure to specify their full legal name and prisoner number. Any questions can be sent to info@certaindays.org. Here is the October 2017 Political Prisoner Birthday Poster, which you can use to organize a letter writing night. For a good introduction to writing prisoners, check out this guide from New York City Anarchist Black Cross. Political prisoner birthdays: Edward Goodman Africa #AM–4974 SCI Mahonoy 301 Morea Road Frackville, Pennsylvania 17932 {October 31}  

Host Mustafa Alrawi and The National's columnist Robin Mills discuss the energy industry including the tricky oil market balancing act that Opec is working on pulling off, how majors like BP and Shell are pivoting for the future and the outlook for Iraq including how the Kurdish Regional Government will fare in terms of its energy ambitions.

Erbil-based Radio Al-Salam (https://soundcloud.com/radio-al-salam) interviewed LSE Middle East Centre Leverhulme Research Fellow Dr Filippo Dionigi about his current research project, which looks at host states' policies towards Syrian refugees. In this interview, he talks about his findings in Iraq, focusing on how the Kurdish Regional Government in particular is dealing with the presence of refugees in its territory. Radio Al-Salam is a station in the city of Erbil, serving displaced and refugee families from Iraq and Syria. Recorded on 4 May 2017.

On the 9 August 2010 Subversity show, we talk with the directors of two new documentaries that tackle taboo topics. In the first half hour we talk with Chico Colvard, director of "Family Affair," a daring and uncomfortable yet revealing look at incest within his biracial (white/African American) family. In a quest to explain to himself why it happened and why his three sisters (whom the father sexually violated) still hung out with their father, Colvard's 82-minute documentary makes some surprising revelations. The documentary seems to ask that we not divide those caught in this incestuous web as merely perpetrator and victims but something more complex. Trailer: http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/family-affair/trailer In the second hour, we talk with Mary Ann Smother Bruni, whose "Quest for Honor" documentary takes a searing look at the historical phenomenon of "honor killings" - where females are routinely ostracized and even killed for violating traditional codes of conduct. The setting is Sulemaniyah, in Kurdistan, Iraq, where a local group, the Women's Media Center has joined forces with Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government to try to end this heinous practice. The 64-minute film is in Kurdish with English-language subtitles. Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyDvRzQdLDo Subversity's show host is Daniel C. Tsang.