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In The Shadows Of Iraq: Qubad Talabani (Part 9)

Posted on Sunday, Jul 8th

I conclude the interview by asking a bit more of a long-term, theoretical question. What I am attempting to reflect on here is the potential of Kurdistan becoming a regional influence for economic development. The Middle East, with Dubai in particular, has been growing rather significantly in global importance. Tourism is increasing, there are obvious

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In The Shadows Of Iraq: Qubad Talabani (Part 8)

Posted on Saturday, Jul 7th

If you have read much of world news lately, you will notice there has been ongoing tension between the Kurdish region and Turkey. Reflecting back on the stability issues, this must be diffused in order to allow significant external investment to take place. SM: How do you answer the questions regarding the recent threat of

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In The Shadows Of Iraq: Qubad Talabani (Part 7)

Posted on Friday, Jul 6th

Investing in a conflict area is risky business, but there are resources in Kurdistan which will draw in Oil producing companies. Microfinance structures could also benefit the agricultural region. However, in order for a “boom” to be sustainable, there will need to be a significant investor confidence in security – particularly for the finance industry

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In The Shadows Of Iraq: Qubad Talabani (Part 6)

Posted on Thursday, Jul 5th

Political stability must be viewed as a precursor to economic development. How else do you explain the success of microfinance in places such as India, Mexico, South America, and its failure (for the most part) in Africa (aside from limited success in places such as Kenya – which is a rather stable government for the

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In The Shadows Of Iraq: Qubad Talabani (Part 5)

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 4th

Continuing on the same theme, I now delve more into the entrepreneurial / venture capital opportunities. This region is actively looking for external investments, and simply because of the vast natural resources there, they are very likely to receive investments in the energy industry. I have also noticed over time that entrepreneurial spirit exists is

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In The Shadows Of Iraq: Qubad Talabani (Part 4)

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 3rd

Countries such as Iraq, which have not been involved in a capitalistic economic circumstance, are going to experience growing pains as they attempt economic development. Among the most important requirements will be access to capital, and likely in case like this, access to microfinance. My first question about the banking capabilities in the area reveal

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In The Shadows Of Iraq: Qubad Talabani (Part 3)

Posted on Monday, Jul 2nd

A significant challenge for a developing country is developing an adequate workforce. Here I discuss the situation of the current workforce in Kurdistan. The most significant issue is that there has been little technical development in the workforce, thus there are limitations on the type of work that can be performed. A second significant drawback

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In The Shadows Of Iraq: Qubad Talabani (Part 2)

Posted on Sunday, Jul 1st

Iraq is one of the most resource-intensive areas of the Middle East, yet to date has perhaps some of the least actualization of that potential. The Kurdish autonomous area has fared better than the rest of the country, and in the first portion Qubad points out the political stability which has given them a 10

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