HAT TIP:  The IQD Team

By Bernhard Zand

Scott Nelson/ Focus/ DER SPIEGEL
When the US toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, few people imagined that it would take another decade before the Iraqi oil industry was rebuilt. Now, progress is finally being made, and the country’s massive reserves could bring untold wealth. But before that happens, Baghdad needs to improve security and get corruption under control.

There’s a fine line between being snubbed and humiliated — and no one in Iraq knows this better than Hussein al-Shahristani.

Two executives from the world’s largest private energy company, ExxonMobil, are sitting and waiting in the outer office of Baghdad’s most powerful Continue reading →