Iraq’s Nuclear Energy Agenda

Falling crude oil prices in 2020 caused Iraq's long-neglected infrastructure investments to be further delayed. The war and conflict environment in Iraq has not only stalled the necessary infrastructure investments but also rendered the infrastructure even more unusable, resulting in serious problems in the energy and electricity systems of Iraq. Demonstrations took place in protest of power cuts, along with other variables such as economic instability, social problems, and security concerns, which led to the resignation of Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi. The Iraqi government is working on a plan to build nuclear reactors as it tries to tackle widespread power outages that have caused social unrest. The nuclear energy agenda of Iraq means a lot more than just energy investments, as it is a multidimensional issue that requires various considerations such as Iraq's domestic and foreign policy, military priorities, potential activities of foreign forces currently in the country (or expected to be), social problems caused by electricity shortages, and the contribution of nuclear energy to the Iraqi economy.