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News,3 mins

Iraq's sheikhs for rent

Big Boss Interview

Available for over a year

Iraq is a country where faith in the law is pretty thin. In the chaos that gripped the country after the invasion of 2003, many Iraqis relied on their traditional tribal system, and the sheikhs who lead it. They have been the ones to sort out disputes about land or property, without involving the state. But the tribal system like much of Iraq is in a poor sense of repair, and now people are turning to "rental sheikhs" who cost thousands of dollars, but claim to be able to sort things out. Baghdad-based journalist Simona Foltyn told Roger Hearing how it works.

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