Report: Iraqi and International Experts Call for Comprehensive Strategy for Managing Iraq's Oil
July 2005
Democracy in Iraq hinges on a comprehensive and transparent approach to the management of its resource wealth, says a group of Iraqi and international stakeholders who met to carve out a strategy for the future of Iraqi oil.

Report: Protecting the Future: Constitutional Safeguards for Iraq's Oil Revenues
May 2005
The people of Iraq endured decades of corrupt and totalitarian rule under Saddam Hussein, who squandered the nation's natural and human resources on unwinnable wars, internal repression, and enriching himself and his cronies. With Saddam gone, Iraqis are now demanding a more just and economically viable future. This report explores ways that Iraqis can avoid many of the problems that can accompany oil wealth - corruption, conflict, and the "resource curse" - by rising above the political rivalries and cronyism that threaten post-Saddam Iraq and embedding measures for accountability into the future Iraqi constitution.

Briefing: Audits Find More Irregularities and Mismanagement of Iraq's Revenues
December 2004
The latest audits by the International Advisory and Monitoring Board for Iraq (IAMB) and the Coalition Provisional Authority Inspector General (CPA-IG) reveal hundreds of irregularities in the U.S.-led occupation authority's management of Iraqi revenues, and identify serious weaknesses in Iraq's financial management systems.

Report: Disorder, Negligence and Mismanagement: How the CPA Handled Iraq Reconstruction Funds
September 2004
Recent audits expose serious failures in American oversight of Iraq's revenues and U.S. reconstruction funds, said a report by the Open Society Institute's Iraq Revenue Watch project.

Briefing: Auditors Find Poor Practices in Management of Iraqi Oil Revenues
June 2004
A preliminary audit of the Coalition Provisional Authority's (CPA) management of Iraqi oil revenues and the Iraqi State Oil Marketing Organization's (SOMO) export sales and barter transactions reveals serious accounting weaknesses and opportunities for corruption.

Briefing: Iraqi Fire Sale: CPA Rushes to Give Away Billions in Iraqi Oil Revenues
June 2004
With international attention focused on the impending transfer of power in Iraq, the Coalition Provisional Authority is committing billions of dollars to ill-conceived projects just before it dissolves, according to a new briefing by the Open Society Institute's Iraq Revenue Watch Project. The briefing, Iraqi Fire Sale: CPA Giving Away Oil Revenue Billions Before Transition, says that the U.S.-controlled Program Review Board in charge of managing Iraq's finances recently approved the expenditure of nearly $2 billion dollars in Iraqi funds for reconstruction projects.

Briefing: New UN Resolution Must Turn over U.S. Control of Iraq's Oil Revenues to Iraqis
May 2004
The new Iraqi interim government should assume sovereign authority over Iraq’s finances when it comes into force on June 30th, says this briefing by the Open Society Institute. As United Nations envoy Lakhdar Brahimi works to reach an agreement on an Iraqi caretaker government, UN Security Council members are drafting a resolution that will define key issues concerning the sovereignty of Iraq’s interim government, the Iraqi Transitional Authority. Although Iraq may lack the capacity to assume control of its own security and military forces on June 30th, it is critical that the interim government has full authority over the country’s oil revenues and reconstruction process.

Report: Racing the Deadline: The Rush to Account for Iraq's Public Funds
April 2004
The monitoring group in charge of overseeing Iraq's oil revenues has less than three months to account for billions of Iraqi funds spent by the Coalition Provisional Authority, says this report by the Open Society Institute's Iraq Revenue Watch project. The report warns that the International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB) cannot provide accurate accounting for this money unless it is able to work beyond June 30th, when the Coalition Provisional Authority is scheduled to hand over power to an Iraqi interim government.

Report: Opening the Books: Transparent Budgeting for Iraq
April 2004
This report, the fifth in a series by Iraq Revenue Watch, evaluates the level of transparency in budget reporting by the Coalition Provisional Authority. On the eve of the transition to a new Iraqi government, the report finds that although Coalition Provisional Authority financial procedures and documents have improved, they still fail to meet internationally recognized standards for fiscal decision-making and reporting. The report calls upon the CPA and the Governing Council to make further improvements in accordance with these standards. Budgetary transparency and accountability can help assure that Iraq does not revert to the tyranny of secrecy practiced under Saddam Hussein.

Report: Controlling Iraq’s Skies: The Secret Sell-off of Iraq’s Air Industry
February 2004
In this report, part of a series on the restructuring of Iraq’s economy, Iraq Revenue Watch looks at the national air transport sector, presently under foreign authority. The report examines how Iraqis can regain control of this sector and its revenues. The official story is that American consultants are working to launch a modernized national carrier while the industry remains mired in Saddam-era litigation. IRW has discovered, however, that behind closed doors a contract has already been signed, selling off 75 percent of Iraq’s air transport sector to a single family without competitive bidding or public notice. This report serves as a cautionary case study for other state-owned enterprises whose fates are being determined in the chaotic aftermath of war.

Briefing: Oil Revenue Accountability in Iraq: Breaking the Resource Curse
February 2004
Svetlana Tsalik, director of the Open Society Institute ’s Revenue Watch program,told the U.S. Institute of Peace on January 22 that Iraq ’s oil revenues are likely to become a source of instability if they are not managed in a transparent manner by a government that the Iraqi people see as legitimate. This briefing summarazes Tsalik's presentation.

Briefing: Open Society Institute Supports the Establishment of New Monitoring Board in Iraq; Calls for Vigilant Oversight
December 2003
(PDF File)
Prospects for the independent oversight of how the Coalition Provisional Authority manages Iraqi oil revenues were improved Friday with the first meeting of the International Advisory and Monitoring Board, says Iraq Revenue Watch, a program of the Open Society Institute.

Briefing: Open Society Institute Calls for Vigilant Monitoring of Iraq Supplemental Spending
November 2003
(PDF File)
The Iraq Supplemental bill President Bush signed today goes far in addressing key concerns regarding transparency of U.S. governance in Iraq, but close scrutiny is required, say OSI and Iraq Revenue Watch.

Report: Keeping Secrets: America and Iraq's Public Finances
October 2003
Iraq's public finances fall short of international standards of accountability. Iraq Revenue Watch calls for greater transparency in the management of the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI), the central repository for Iraqi oil and gas revenues. The Coalition Provisional Authority has refused to disclose basic information about large purchase contracts and DFI expenditures, and the Iraqi public, as well as members of the United Nations Security Council, have been left in the dark about how the Fund works. This report calls on the Coalition Provisional Authority to reverse these trends and offers a set of recommendations, including increased Iraqi involvement in the DFI, the establishment of the International Advisory and Monitoring Board, and better public access to information.

Briefing: Increased Costs of Iraq Demand Increased Accountability
September 2003
The White House has appealed to Congress for an additional $87 billion in spending for the continued occupation and reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan in 2004. It is now apparent that what was once billed as a quick yield investment in the reconstruction of Iraq has become a heavy burden for American taxpayers. Those taxpayers deserve to know up front the full cost of Iraq's reconstruction, and not be surprised with requests for supplemental appropriations throughout the year. This briefing recommends principles that must be included by any sound funding strategy for Iraq.

Report: Iraq’s Reconstruction Contracts: Telecommunications
August 2003
(PDF File)
In late July, the Coalition Provisional Authority announced a tender to provide wireless telecommunications services for two years to Iraq. Expanding telephone access is a critical step toward improving Iraqis' lives. Telecommunications contracts also provide lucrative opportunities for providers. If the U.S. is to succeed in its goal of building a capable and transparent public administration in Iraq, it is important that Iraqis are included in the contracting process and that the terms of the tender are not designed to preference U.S. companies. This report describes some concerns with the mobile phone tender, and provides recommendations on how to improve the transparency and inclusiveness of subsequent tenders.

Report: Iraq's First Public Budget
August 2003
(PDF File)
On July 7th, Ambassador Paul Bremer announced to the Iraqi people and the world a national budget for Iraq for the remainder of 2003. The adoption and publication of a budget is an important step for a country where budgets have traditionally been closely guarded state secrets and it was a crime to report on them. This report summarizes the main points of Iraq’s 2003 budget, and provides recommendations on how to make the budgetary process more transparent and participatory.
Read the budget (PDF File)

Briefing: Iraq's Governing Council Assumes Broad Authority
July 2003
(PDF File)
Julie McCarthy
On July 13th, 2003 the Coalition Provisional Authority officially inaugurated a 25-member Iraqi Governing Council of prominent Iraqis from diverse political and religious backgrounds. In an extraordinary reversal of Coalition Provisional Authority policy, this new governing council will have the right to set policies and make decisions (in cooperation with the coalition) in every area of national policy, including financial and economic reform, education, electoral law and health. In this briefing, Iraq Revenue Watch provides important background information on the governing council.