A government is a body that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws within a civil, corporate, religious, academic, or other organization or group. In its broadest sense, "to govern" means to administer or supervise, whether over a state, a set group of people, or a collection of assets.

The word government is derived from the Greek Κυβερνήτης (kyvernites), which means "steersman", "governor", "pilot" or "rudder".

Typically, "the government" refers to the executive function. In many countries (particularly those having parliamentary systems), the Government refers to the executive branch of government or a specifically named executive, i.e. the Blair Government (compare to the administration as in the Clinton administration in U.S. usage). The Welsh Assembly Government is the name of the executive branch of Wales, and Scottish Government is the unofficial term to describe the Scottish Executive. In countries using the Westminster system, the party in government will also usually control the legislature.

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The Economist: Iraq's troubles

Iraq and Afghanistan: Petraeus's next war
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:11:45 -0000
After success in Iraq, can America’s favourite general win in Afghanistan?IN LESS than two years General David Petraeus has become the most admired American general of recent times. His success in overseeing America’s military surge in Iraq, reversing the country’s descent into a sectarian bloodbath, has earned him praise from both contenders in America’s presidential race. He is a “great general” in the view of John McCain, and has “done a brilliant job” according to Barack Obama. Given his intelligence, ambition and deft handling of the media, the general is talked of as a possible future president.First, though, he has some more soldiering to do. As he has left Iraq to take over Central Command later this month, presiding over operations from Egypt to Afghanistan, his views will do much to shape the course of the “war on terror” under the next president. He faces a persistent question: can his Iraqi success be replicated in Afghanistan? ...
Repatriating refugees: Managing the right of return
Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:30:35 -0000
On paper, people who flee war and persecution have an unconditional entitlement to go back to their homeland. In reality, lots of other factors come into play THE scenes look encouraging. Since the beginning of August, hundreds of Iraqi refugees living in Egypt have gone back to their homeland on flights sponsored by the Baghdad authorities. The Iraqi government hails these returns as a sign that things are getting back to normal in a country where more than 2m people have fled abroad, and even more were internally displaced, as a result of the chaos that followed the American-led invasion of 2003. But away from the fanfare, the feelings of the Iraqis involved in these homecomings are mixed. A few expressed mild optimism that the situation has improved in their home areas. Many more said they were returning because they had little choice: they were unable to work in Egypt and were running out of money. ...
Iraq: Leave as soon as you sensibly can
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:35:36 -0000
Iraqis naturally want their country back, and should have it as soon as they think they are readyIT IS a cheering new sign of confidence that Iraq’s prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, is now demanding an agreement with the United States that would require all American troops to leave the country by the end of 2011. That is a bit later than Barack Obama’s proposal to bring them home by May 2010 and a bit earlier than John McCain’s more tentative hopes for a withdrawal by 2013. But it suggests that the spectrum of serious possibilities is narrowing. It shows that Iraqis are beginning to believe in their ability to stand on their own feet. And it flashes a ray of light at the end of Iraq’s still dismally dark tunnel. Iraq is far less horrible than it was two years ago. The Americans’ surge of extra troops, a series of ceasefires and deals with once hostile Sunni tribes in the west and with Shia militias in the slums of Baghdad, the windfall of extra cash from oil exports: all these things have given the country fresh hope. ...
Iraq on film: Waiting for John Wayne
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:35:36 -0000
American audiences have been staying at home, not tempted by films about an unpopular war. Perhaps the emergence of a new hero may do the trickWITH one exception, films about the Iraq war have done badly in American cinemas. The exception was Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11”, a fiercely anti-war film made the year after the invasion. Though Disney refused to distribute it, the movie still made a fortune. But the films that came after it have mostly bombed at the box office, a fact that has led film financiers to regard the war with a superstition as potent as that which has actors referring to “Macbeth” as “the Scottish play”.Why is this so? Persuading audiences to flock to a film about an unpopular war is obviously difficult. Comparisons with Vietnam don’t really work. Television coverage of the Vietnam war was so intensive that Hollywood did not bother to make many films about it while it was going on. (John Wayne’s “The Green Berets” was released in 1968 as a corrective, it was hoped, to the TV coverage that was turning the country against the war.) But, with Iraq, that situation is reversed. The New York Times has reported that the three major American television networks logged only about 180 minutes of weekday evening reporting on the war in the first half of this year (compared to 1,157 minutes for all of 2007), and that CBS News no longer has a full-time correspondent in Iraq. ...
Iraq: Whose law must mercenaries obey?
Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:47:15 -0000
Private contractors in Iraq operate in a legal limbo. That may changeTHE American federal agency that monitors progress in rebuilding Iraq recently gave warning to Congress that proposed changes in Iraqi law could provoke an exodus of private contractors, who remain a crucial part of the American presence in the country. In particular, proposals by Iraq’s government to end the contractors’ immunity from prosecution in Iraqi courts is a contentious aspect of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that will, among other things, define the Americans’ legal status in Iraq after the UN mandate ceases, at the Iraqis’ request, at the end of this year. This week American and Iraqi negotiators sounded close to an agreement. But it was still unclear whether contractors’ immunity, let alone a date for America’s troop withdrawal, has been nailed down.If all the privateers in Iraq ran scared of the new law, the American coalition’s manpower would be drastically squeezed. The Congressional Budget Office says that 190,000 people work for contractors in Iraq. Some 38,000 are American, 82,000 hail from elsewhere and 70,000-plus are Iraqi. But the law under which the foreigners operate has been murky. “We should have figured out the laws first and then hired the guys,” says Peter Singer of the Brookings Institution, a Washington think-tank. “We did the opposite.” ...
Iraqi oil: Welling up
Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:49:37 -0000
Iraq's oil is flowing a bit more freelyIRAQ'S oil production averaged over 2.4m barrels a day in the second quarter, the highest level since America invaded in 2003. This should boost the country's oil revenues to around $80 billon this year and production should keep on rising as security improves. Iraqi oil is cheap to extract and there are probably new fields to be found. But political uncertainty is hampering the investment needed to overhaul exitisng infrastructure and oilfields that might dramatically boost output in near future. ...

csmonitor.com | Notebook: Iraq


NPR Topics: Iraq

Hurdles Remain In Iraq Security Agreement
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:31:00 -0400
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is making an unannounced visit to Iraq on Tuesday. U.S. and Iraqi officials have been negotiating a deal governing the operation of U.S. troops in Iraq, which expires this year. Iraq's foreign minister says it will take "bold political decisions" to overcome the final hurdles.
New Army Field Manual Is Road Map To Stabilization
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:30:00 -0400
The Army has a new operations manual that emphasizes nation-building over conventional warfare. The Stability Operations Field Manual was put together at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., the home of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center. The new doctrine will drive Army resources, organization and training for many years to come.
Christian Security Forces Growing Stronger In Iraq
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:10:00 -0400
The security forces, organized through local churches, are manning checkpoints in Iraq and working with police. The mystery of where their funding comes from seems to center on a media-shy and reclusive political figure.
The Race For Iraqi Oil
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 09:59:00 -0400
The competition for Iraqi oil is gaining momentum. Later this month, Iraq will host more than three dozen major oil companies. All of them hope to bid and win the account for handling Iraq's massive oil reserves.
Widows Face Challenges, Tough Conditions In Iraq
Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:25:00 -0400
Women in Iraq who have lost their husbands now face the challenge of supporting themselves. Many have turned to government trailer parks, but conditions are dire and much of the infrastructure is shoddy, incomplete or nonexistent.
Popular Iraqi Song Perfect For A Road Trip
Wed, 01 Oct 2008 09:58:00 -0400
Since Iraq has become less violent, it's gotten easier to move around the country. Even in Iraq, there's a need for the right song for a road trip. These days, that song is called "The Shotgun."

Alsumaria TV Iraq, Iraq news | Iraq News | RSS feed

Iran government apologizes for Al Mashhadani
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:00:00 -0000
An Iraqi parliamentary official says the Iranian Government has presented an official apology to Parliament speaker Mahmoud Al Mashhadani as the plane he was onboard has been refused entry into Iran. The source speaking on condition of anonymity added that Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad Hassam ...
Major meeting in Iraq to discuss situation
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:38:00 -0000
Kurdistan Alliance Party senior official Mahmoud Othman revealed that an important meeting will be held in Baghdad within the coming hours gathering Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and his Vice Presidents as well as Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki and political parties’ leaders to discuss the latest ...
Iraq Christians call to re-insert Article 50
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:18:00 -0000
First deputy speaker Khaled Al Attiye warned the presidency council from revoking the local elections law issued few weeks ago in its second version. Al Attiye affirmed that revoking the law would complicate the issue, thus it would be difficult for the Parliament to solve it. He acknowledged ...
Iraqi PM calls on citizens to vote in provincial elections
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:30:00 -0000
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki called on citizens to vote in provincial elections as it is inefficient not to participate in elections. Al Maliki stressed the necessity for the regional government to respect the Constitution’s paragraphs that grant the central government full control on ...
Al Hakim builds up bridges with Iraq tribes
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:58:00 -0000
Ammar Al Hakim, the son of Sayyed Abdul Aziz Al Hakim, is trying to build up bridges with Arab tribal figures in northern Baghdad calling for national unity months ahead of the provincial elections law scheduled before the end of January 2009. Al Hakim visited on Saturday Tikrit, home of former ...
Turkey conducts air raid on PKK in N. Iraq
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:23:00 -0000
The Turkish Army headed to escalation in an air raid against suspected Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq and Turkey when 17 Turkish soldiers were killed in a cross border attack. The incident raised tension between Iraq and Turkey which accuses its neighbor of not doing enough to combat rebels of the ...

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