On our first podcast, hosts Yesar Al-Maleki and Robert Tollast introduce listeners to the Iraq Energy Institute, reasons for starting this podcast, topics to be covered and lay out an invitation for listeners as well as Iraq and MENA experts to contribute to our research and future episodes.
The discussion expands to cover Iraq’s electricity, oil and gas challenges in addition to a broad overview of the need for economic diversification in the region. Briefly, Iraq’s State Owned Enterprises are discussed mentioning previous Algerian attempts at reforming them in the 1980s.