Ep 127 Iraq Protests, US-Iran War, Regime Change feat Elijah Magnier

Guest: Elijah Magnier. We discuss the uprising and protests across Iraq that turned violent this week, with over a hundred deaths and thousands of injuries. 

Elijah's sources within the office of the Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi told him that the protests were planned during the summer months and the demands of the people are legitimate. The current prime minister inherited a corrupt system and a country struggling to recover from devastating war, sanctions and billions of dollars in debt. The protests coincide with an assassination attempt on the leader of the Iranian Quds force, Qasem Soleimani and PM Mahdi's office said the objective now seems to be about creating chaos in Iraq and Iran and possibly a coup d'état / regime change carried out by military or encouraged by foreign forces, Saudi Arabia and the US. 

Elijah Magnier is a veteran war correspondent and political analyst with over 35 years of experience covering the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). 

FOLLOW Elijah Magnier @ejmalrai. Read and support his work at ejmagnier.com

Around the Empire is listener supported, independent media. Pitch in at Patreon: patreon.com/aroundtheempire or paypal.me/aroundtheempirepod. Find all links at aroundtheempire.com. 

SUBSCRIBE on YouTube. FOLLOW @aroundtheempire and @joanneleon. SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW on iTunes, iHeart, Spotify, Google Play, Facebook or on your preferred podcast app.

Recorded on October 6, 2019. Music by Fluorescent Grey.

Reference Links:

1. THE US-IRAN SILENT WAR IS TRANSFORMED INTO AN "IRAQ UPRISING", Elijah Magnier
2. Around the Empire: Ep 68 Iraq Politics & Stalled Idlib Op in Syria feat Elijah Magnier
3. Around the Empire: Ep 122 Brink of War: Israel and Hezbollah feat Elijah Magnier
4. The Post-Saddam Hussein Settlement in Iraq Is on the Brink of Collapse, Patrick Cockburn
5. Iran-US Tensions Threaten Fragile Iraqi Stability, Amid Army Dismissal, Patrick Cockburn