Winthrop Rodgers
Journalist and Analyst based in Edinburgh and Sulaymaniyah
Geographically focused on Iraq and Kurdistan
Topically focused on politics, human rights, security, press freedom, political economy, and culture
Past work has appeared in Foreign Policy, the Index on Censorship, Thompson Reuters, New Lines Magazine, Al-Monitor, Inkstick, The Dial Magazine, and Rest of World
Winthrop Rodgers is a journalist, analyst, and photographer. The son and grandson of US diplomats, he was born and raised in Virginia. He has a BA in Political Science from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine and an MA in International Relations from Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland.
In 2018, he moved to Sulaymaniyah in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region when he became Senior English Editor for NRT, a local Kurdish television station. He went fully freelance in 2021 and his work has appeared in numerous international and Kurdish outlets.
In addition to his public-facing journalism, he also works as a freelance editor and analyst.
Rodgers splits time between Edinburgh and Sulaymaniyah. Not often enough, you will find him in a boat or on a hiking trail.
Recent Articles
Index on Censorship, Further into the information void
Inkstick Media, Book Review: Staring Climate Violence in the Face as the World Burns
The New Arab, A decade after the Islamic State, what lies ahead for the Iraqi Kurdistan region?
The Dial Magazine, Saving Yazidi Song
Draw Media, فایلی ئیلۆن ماسك له داگیركاری مهریخهوه بۆ ئیدارهی ترهمپ لهسهر زهوی (Kurdish translated version of “How did Trump win and what is next for the Kurdistan Region?”)
The New Arab, Will KDP-PUK tensions threaten Iraqi Kurdistan's unity?
Chatham House MENA, Contentious government formation in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region could scupper reform efforts
Inkstick Media, In Iraqi Kurdistan, Upcoming Elections Do Little to Inspire Voters
Stand-out Articles
The Middle East Institute, Kurdish elections arrive — finally, and with challenges, October 17, 2024
Amwaj.media, Less international monitoring as Iraqi Kurdistan holds elections, October 17, 2024
Amwaj.media, Ahead of regional polls, ‘change’ seen as faltering in Iraqi Kurdistan, September 20, 2024
Fikra Forum, Free and Fair? Setting Expectations for the KRI’s October Elections, September 18, 2024
The New Arab, All The Mountains Give: Arash Rakhsha's empathetic exploration into the dangerous laborious lives of Kolbars, September 20, 2024
Draw Media, “ویلایەتە خۆڵەمێشییەکان” هەڵبژاردنی ئەمریکا یەکلا دەکەنەوە (Kurdish translated version of “The US election will come down to the “swing states,” but Harris has an advantage over Trump”), September 18, 2024
Holyrood Magazine, US Election: The contest between Trump and Harris will be won and lost in seven swing states, September 16, 2024
Inkstick Media, Ahead of Elections, Iraqi Kurdistan’s “Shadow Media” Ramps Up, August 28, 2024
The Middle East Institute, No real alternative: The failure of opposition parties in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, June 20, 2024
Al-Monitor, Indian teachers gravitate to Iraq's Kurdistan as New Delhi's soft power grows, June 2, 2024.
Amwaj.media, How reporting on violence against women in Iraqi Kurdistan is getting tougher, May 28, 2024
The New Arab, Why Iraq wants the UN's political mission to wind down, May 23, 2024
The New Arab, Iraq's boat clubs: Preserving heritage and connecting with the land, May 22, 2024
Inkstick Media, “The Teachers Building a New Labor Movement in Iraqi Kurdistan,” May 15, 2024
Foreign Policy, “Iraqi Kurdistan’s Ethnic Minorities Are Under Attack,” May 1, 2024
RUSI, “Kurdistan: The Pressing Need for Free and Fair Regional Elections,” April 30, 2024
New Lines Magazine, “The Vision Behind the US Consulate in Erbil Is Dissolving,” February 15, 2024
Amwaj.media, “Complex politics, shortages hinder Kurdish air defenses in Iraq,” February 1, 2024
Thompson Reuters Foundation/Openly, “Doski Azad: Murder of trans woman still haunts LGBTQ+ Iraqi Kurds,” January 30, 2024
The Middle East Institute, “Partisan press: The dominance of party-backed media in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region,” January 26, 2024
Al-Monitor, “In Iraq's Kurdistan Region, teacher strikes highlight schooling crisis,” January 15, 2024
Al-Monitor, “Exclusive: US reduces peshmerga funding amid Iraqi Kurdish political tensions,” January 4, 2024
Index on Censorship, “A sinister news cycle,” Winter (December) 2023 Issue
The Assyrian Journal, “Assyrian blacksmith forges knives, axes in northern Iraq,” December 10, 2023
RUSI, “Equal No More: The Breakdown of Power-Sharing in Iraqi Kurdistan,” September 11, 2023
The Middle East Institute, “Peshmerga reform hangs in the balance in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region,” August 17, 2023
New Lines Magazine, “The Road That Embodies Iraqi Kurdistan’s Dysfunctional Politics,” October 10, 2023
The New Arab, “'Tomorrow it will be you': A dark future for press freedom in Iraqi Kurdistan,” August 9, 2023
Raseef22, “Thirsty for solutions: Erbil's escalating water crisis amidst rapid urbanization and climate change,” August 2, 2023
The Dial, “The End of the Mesopotamian Basin,” July 25, 2023
The Kurdish Center for Studies, “Brawling over power sharing in the KRG,” May 27, 2023
Rest of World, “The mission to preserve Sorani Kurdish by getting it onto Google Translate,” May 15, 2023
Foreign Policy, “Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing,” March 23, 2023
The Middle East Institute, “Bafel in Baghdad: Finding the contours of the PUK’s strategy in federal Iraq,” March 13, 2023
Al-Monitor, “Artistic heart of Iraq's Kurdistan thrives, but wants more public engagement,” February 25, 2023
Rest of World, “Why cash is still king in Iraq,” February 8, 2023
Washington Institute for Near East Policy, “The ‘Full Barzani’: How Diplomatic Meetings with the Barzani Family Are Shaping Iraqi Kurdish Politics,” April 8, 2022
Columbia Journalism Review, “A kind of hell for journalists,” April 6, 2022
Al-Monitor, “Halabja anniversary takes a political turn,” March 23, 2022
New Lines Magazine, “The Exodus of Iranian Kurds,” December 22, 2021
The Middle East Institute, “Simmering frustration and a demand for change: Public service protests in the Kurdistan Region,” November 10, 2021
The Independent, “What about our future?: The Iranian Kurds trapped in Iraq and forgotten by the international community,” August 21, 2021
Los Angeles Review of Books, “This Unhallowed Ground,” January 24, 2021
Quoted/In the media
The Dial, The Reporter's Notebook: Stories from the Kurdistan Region, November 19, 2024
Der Standard, Die PKK ist nach Einschätzung von Experten noch nicht völlig besiegt, August 14, 2024
