Getting into Iraq may soon be much easier
Visa-free travel is supposed to woo expats and tourists
GETTING INTO Iraq has never been easy. Saddam Hussein was loth to grant visas to curious Westerners, lest they see evidence of his regime’s brutality. After his overthrow in 2003, the borders opened up, but war kept civilians away. Then Iraq’s new rulers lowered a paper portcullis, demanding fees and the completion of myriad forms. Local middlemen offered to help—for a price, of course. Oil firms coughed up thousands of dollars to get their workers in.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “The doors are opening”
From the April 10th 2021 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Middle East & Africa
France’s bitter retreat from west Africa
The danger is a security void now opens up
Ahmed al-Sharaa declares himself president of Syria
But he has given no details of what kind of state he wants to build
The fall of Goma heralds more bloodshed in eastern Congo
Rwanda’s reckless invasion raises the risk of a wider war
Hamas talks a big game but is in chaos
Look beyond the latest bravado and brutality and it is bitterly split
Iran’s alarming nuclear dash will soon test Donald Trump
There is no plausible civilian use for the enhanced uranium Iran is producing
Syria’s new rulers say they are keen to integrate foreign fighters
Outsiders continue to see them as a threat