Alannah Travers

The New Humanitarian • 20th March 2023

Taking stock of the UN’s shift away from emergency aid in Iraq

Twenty years since the start of the US-led invasion of Iraq, and more than five years after the country declared victory against so-called Islamic State, the UN is in the process of rolling out a major change in how it provides aid in the country.

Al Jazeera • 17th March 2023

Mutanabbi Street: An intellectual haven overcomes Iraq’s pain - Al Jazeera

The booksellers of Baghdad’s Mutanabbi Street have faced invasion and bombings, two decades on from the war in Iraq.

KurdistanIN • 15th March 2023

The Confused Iraqi Podcast (with Noor Musa and Alannah Travers)

We spoke to Aaron Weintraub from KurdistanIN to discuss our podcast, and the situation in Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan in the run up to the 20th anniversary of the US-led invasion.

9th January 2023

Basra, meine Perle (online)

In der Ferne treiben verlassene Boote, näher am Ufer liegen versunkene, verrostete Schiffe in der gleißenden Sonne. Die Hitze trifft auch die Spaziergänger mit voller Wucht. Die Corniche der irakischen Stadt Basra läuft parallel zum Schatt Al-Arab, dem Tor zum Persischen Golf am Zusammenfluss von Tigris und Euphrat.

Podcast • 30th December 2022

Episode 6: 2020s Iraq

Episode 6 focuses on the Tishreen protests of 2019-20; perhaps the most encouraging and subsequently shattering demonstrations against a corrupt political system and class. Almost twenty years on from 2003, and as we explore the events of the last year in greater detail, including Iraq’s environmental threats, we ask whether anyone can say the country has a functioning democracy.

Environmental Reporting Collective • 15th December 2022

Choking Kurdistan: How oil and gas burning is suffocating minorities in northern Iraq

Eight hundred metres away from one of the largest oil wells in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Ali Hassan can’t sleep - the oil flares lighting up the sky outside his window keep him bed bound. A nasty smell is spreading through Khabat, on the road to Mosul, as the flaring intensifies, and some residents are struggling to breathe.

Podcast • 13th December 2022

Confused Iraqi. Episode 5: 2017-2018 Iraq

Episode 5 picks up as the Kurdistan Region holds an independence referendum, Iraq declares victory over ISIS, and Noor heads to the United Kingdom, leaving behind her country in flux.

Podcast • 29th November 2022

‎Confused Iraqi. Episode 4: Iraq, US, and ISIS

Episode 4 starts in the United States, as Noor leaves Iraq for the first time. When she returns, we discuss the changes she lived through in the country up until 2016, as the so-called Islamic State group terrorised and uprooted millions of Iraqis, and international attention returned - in part. In this period, Noor moved to Erbil to be closer to the humanitarian crises in Mosul and beyond, learning of harrowing stories from the frontline.

Zenith Magazine • 21st November 2022

Basra, meine Perle

"Nach Kriegen und Ölboom ist von Basras einstigem Charme nicht mehr viel geblieben. Dabei war die Heimat von Sindbad dem Seefahrer einst die bedeutendste Stadt an der Küste des Persischen Golfs..."

Podcast • 18th November 2022

Confused Iraqi. Episode 3: 2004-2012 Iraq

Episode 3 looks at the period 2004-2012, and coming of age in a country figuring out what the post-Saddam era might be. It covers Noor’s childhood in Najaf, the 2005 referendum over Iraq’s new constitution, continued military presence, factional politics - and the deadly sectarian war, all of which laid the roots of the conflict and corruption we see, still, today.

TRT World • 12th November 2022

UN to slash emergency funding in Iraq by year's end

As humanitarian aid is prioritised elsewhere, the UN says it is shifting its role in Iraq from individual assistance to system building by the end of the year. In Iraq, authorities are being asked to take greater responsibility for the remaining camps - leaving many residents concerned.

TRT World • 3rd November 2022

Iraqi public schools crumbling

Mismanagement, underfunding and corruption have left Iraq’s education system in tatters. And a growing number of private schools are now widening the rift between children. Alannah Travers reports from Baghdad.

Podcast • 30th October 2022

Confused Iraqi. Episode 2: 2003 Iraq

Episode 2 covers the build up and impact of the US-led coalition in Iraq in 2003: the political background and lived reality, and the competing narratives that continue to shape our understanding of the pivotal year. On Spotify and Apple Podcasts!

Podcast • 21st October 2022

Confused Iraqi. Episode 1: 1990s Iraq

Join Noor Mousa as she shares her experiences and thoughts on growing up in Iraq, with British-German journalist Alannah Travers. Episode 1 begins as Iraq invades Kuwait in 1990, and covers the subsequent Gulf War, uprisings, and the impact of sanctions imposed on Iraq over that decade. Together, we explore events and personal stories from Iraq’s recent history, marking moments of confusion in the life of one young Iraqi.

TRT World • 10th October 2022

Iraq without government one year after elections

Monday marks one year since Iraqis went to the polls. But as the country's political class vies for power, a functioning government is still yet to be formed. Alannah Travers has more from Baghdad...

3rd October 2022

Iraqis mark third anniversary of October 2019 protests

Hundreds of Iraqis gathered in Baghdad's Tahrir Square on Saturday to mark the third anniversary of the October 2019 Tishreen protests, which saw around 600 protesters killed as they demonstrated against the government for the end of corruption, better public services, greater employment opportunities, and a change of the existing political system.

BBC • 29th September 2022

Newsday - Hurricane Ian devastates communities in Florida - Sounds

From around 27 mins, speaking on latest events in Iraq and Kurdistan Region.

TRT World • 25th September 2022

TRT World - Crisis failing Iraq's youth

A protracted political crisis is failing Iraq's younger generation. Next month marks one year since the elections, but there's still no sign of a functioning government. Alannah Travers reports from Baghdad.

Al Jazeera • 20th September 2022

Young Iraqi activists despair as political crisis continues - Al Jazeera

Clashes in August brought rival armed factions to the streets of Baghdad, leaving Iraq’s young activists stuck in the middle.

BBC • 7th September 2022

BBC World Service - Iraq impasse

I was on the BBC World Service today at the crack of dawn, speaking about the ongoing political impasse in Iraq and the technical committee set up to look at a roadmap to early elections... and if that is possible...