Off-the-grid

I see this as proof that Iran has terrorist agents in Iraq to advance Iran's interests. How else could an attack occur THE NEXT DAY. At the very least, I believe Iran will do anything it can to keep Iraq from becoming the economic powerhouse it can be with its tremendous wealth of natural resources. I also strongly suspect that Maliki is way to close to Iran, and this is the real reason he is keeping the HCL from happening by fighting the Kurds. Peace and Prosperity and a new PM

I wonder if the Middle Eastern mindset will ever truly embrace democracy. They have been ruled by totalitarian emperors, kings and sheiks since time immemorial, so every chief executive they elect wants and expects that kind of power and too many of the sheeple expect it also. Plus, whichever clan the leader belongs to expects to lord it over everyone else and get all the government jobs, etc. What we view as the worst kind of corruption they view as the normal way of doing things. They only complain it it isn't their clan in power. I have no idea how long it will take to change this. Peace and Prosperity

I know the oil profit sharing involves money to Erbil's budget (how much is the ongoing "negotiation"), but I'm not sure there is any profit sharing directly to the public. The percentage per individual would have to be miniscule to the point of "why bother." Just saying, since I occasionally see a reference by fellow dinarians to disbursements to individuals. Of course I wouldn't put it past the politicians to promise such for re-election purposes without revealing it would only be a coupla bucks per year. Peace and Prosperity, and friggin' RV already

Perhaps not so subtle a way of saying "Accept Baghdad's HCL deal and stop being a greedy SOB." No more access for you! Peace and Prosperity (and an end to this ride)

My concern is that the IQD on the cards DOES count as outstanding currency, just as IQD in bank accounts will affect how high they can RV. All willl still result in a wealth increase for the holder. Peace and prosperity.

If the ration cards are going to be stocked with electronic IQD, are they going to substitute dollars for the payouts just before the RV to keep the IQD supply down? Or will they be stocked with dollars only until after the RV? Maybe they will push through the RV before releasing the cards or delay the release of the ration cards until after the RV so they can be in IQD without increasing the pre-RV outstanding currency. Just sayin'. Peace and Prosperity

This method of pulling in Dinar makes sense to me. Those with more cash may convert a fair persentage of it to gold. Then an RV will not benefit them as much as if they had kept their Dinar, and the outstanding quantity of IQD goes down pre-RV. Hopefully the corrupt GOI members and other officials will get greedy and buy a lot of gold so the CBI can RV without enriching the bastards so much! Peace and Prosperity

I think this current behavior is consistent with a personality that would fire mortars across a border, without orders, on his own, because he "feels" Saudi is a threat. His turban is wound a bit too tight.

I have a solution for them: Maliki and the GOI stop stealing money from Iraq and they can afford to have the Kurds keep a larger share of the oil profits generated from their land. What's the hold up? Peace, Prosperity, and the friggen' HCL already!

But this is just the Federal side. Nothing about Kurdistan accepting this. Just more posturing and sabre rattling. How bad are things going to have to get before these two sides finally compromise, or is all this just a front to keep the world thinking they don't have their act together while they cook up something special? I'm about at the point where I completely ignore the "news" articles from Iraq. They will print anything they are given. No fact checking or due diligence at all as far as I can see. No REAL news, just rampant yellow journalism. Peace, Prosperity and an end to this Frustration

I remember Noriega. I wish I could tell who is telling the truth. I hope our govmtn's intel is good and they act on it with integrity and higher purpose. Peace and Humanity

This is a good but tuff question. Ultimately I want to help design and have built a different style off-the-grid home on more land that I can own outright to minimize the chances of a reversal of fortune costing me my home. As to where, I think I'll rent in a few places the first few years to be sure I really like it there before settling down. How high the RV is will be a huge factor of course. I may have to settle for a condo, or maybe condos in a few different areas and move seasonally. There would have to be good golf courses, and I am not a winter person, so one condo would have to be southerly, maybe on an equatorial island. Peace and Prosperity

I basically ignore the "remove 000" articles. If a bunny ear is the true intention, there is nothing we can do about it. HOWEVER, if an RV really is the plan, not a single one of the politicians or economists being quoted HAS A CLUE! They have to have been told it is going to be no more than a redenomination, because THEY CANNOT BE TRUSTED WITH THE TRUTH! They would blab and line their pockets with paper currency to profit as much as possible. I therefore suggest that analyzing these articles is pointless. They can't even know the real timing of the event since the CBI has to know about us (dinar speculators) and won't tell these schmucks when they are going to pull the trigger. So everyone just chill and watch for the HCL, like Adam says. Peace, Prosperity and Peace of Mind

I wonder if the GCC is pressuring Iraq to to make their currency changes within the same time frame? Maybe yes or no, and maybe Iraq couldn't care less, but any currency change talk is kinda exciting. Peace and Prosperity

Things do seem to be coming to a boil at long last. I'm with LGDaddy ... Qi Cards, HCL, Budget ... RV? Peace and Prosperity

OK, I was gonna say "What about the tri-partite committee mentioned in an earlier article?" but the meat of this article makes it sound like that committee will be involved in this process. Having a huge oil deal pending now could be great news for the HCL being finalized "soon." Really soon. Peace and Prosperity

Not as good as binding arbitration, but this is still a big step trying something completely new to get the HCL done. One thing we don't know is if this new body has a timeline to get this done. A preset and firm date to get-r-done would be much better, but not something we will likely be told about, unless those currently in power think it will help them get re-elected if this isn't going to be done before then. Peace and Prosperity, and the friggin' HCL

I would like to see the United Nations step in on this. "No oil out of Kurdistan until the HCL is settled." Ban all countries and companies from exporting Kurdish oil, and I am sure all parties involved will finally agree on a compromise to get the money flowing in again. I believe the real problem stems from the issue as stated by a Kurdish friend I met in Wyoming: the goal is a nation of Kurdistan, as promised by the Allies during WWII before the huge oil reserves were discovered. Everything the Kurds do politically is geared towards this goal of reuniting the three Kurdish regions in Iraq, Iran, and Turkey under their own flag. I strongly empathize with this sentiment, and since so much of the oil is under that land, they will be a powerful nation. However, we need that to wait until after the RV!!! Let me cash in first dammit! I think the international community does not want one country to control that much oil, and I guarantee that Iraq, Iran, and Turkey have no intention of losing those resources. So add this reason for conflict to the Shiites vs. Sunis and ethnic Kurdish vs. Arabs and the Talliban and Iran vs. the world and Israel feeling vulnerable. Its crap like this that makes a single world government look like a reasonable solution. As long as I'm running it! Peace and Prosperity

The key to this article lies in the details of the translation. My view is that at outside group is proposing TO the CBI that they would like to see 50,000 dinar notes printed, since the dinar is currently worth so little. Clearly, this group is not expecting an RV, and is promoting larger notes instead of the expense of redenominating (bunny-earing). I do NOT read this article as coming from the CBI itself. Hence the confusion. Peace and Prosperity

I'm liking the talk about the US or Turkey, or anyone for that matter, being permitted to mediate between Bagdad and Erbil. Although I believe binding arbitration would be even better to settle those issues once and for all. That way the Iraqi officials could wash their hands of the details as far as the voters are concerned and real progress could then be made. I welcome your thoughts if not already part of your update. I check this site daily at least.

I have not served. The closest I came was being in the first graduating class of 18 year olds to register with the Selective Service in the late 70's. However, I wish to honor my late father who served in the Navy and was assigned a ship immediately following the end of WWII, and my eldest brother who served as a Captain in the Air Force in a Kansas missile silo during the seventies. There were many accidents in the silos those days, especially fatalities involving fueling and de-fueling ops during drills. The Air Force tried to write them off as servicemen error and not compensate the surviving families, but my brother helped justice to prevail by testifying before congress as to the inherent dangers and design (and equipment) flaws that made those "accidents" difficult to avoid. His actions did not bring him notoriety back home. In fact, the republican party endorsed him for an unsuccessful bid for US Senator (against a very popular democrat incumbent) a few years later. His name is James Paul Litsey, and I am very proud of him, regardless of the fact that our views on pretty much everything are diametrically opposed. He deserves to be remembered for taking on Goliath to preserve the honor and benefits due his fallen comrades in arms. Good job bro (who is still very much with us), and Bless Our Troops, past and present. Peace and Prosperity with Honor

I checked the replies in the hope that someone had info about the site the link connects to. Could it just be a Korean or whatever pumper site like OOM, etc? They claim that the CBI has confirmed that a 25,000 IQD note will still be worth 25,000 Dinar after dropping the zeros and for at least 3 years. I have seen NewsHound articles and chats with this same info, but I don't remember a definiteve statement from the CBI to this effect. Of course, I don't really expect an announcement of this UNTIL the RV has happened for obvious, anti-speculation reasons. Peace and Prosperity, and an end to this ride before I'm too old to enjoy it!

Tqueezy - not counterfit NEW dinars, but trading in fake OLD dinars to convert them into "real" money. All the CBI needs to do is limit the number of exchange sites to however many they can equip with the necessary detection gear and well trained personnel to check the incoming currency. It is not likely to be a super-brief exchange period. The CBI in the past made comments of the two currencies co-existing for 2 years, but even a few months would give everyone time to exchange, even with only a relative few sites to do so. Peace and Prosperity

The Oil Minstry is making noises about better contracts, but how can they be planning anything substantial without the HCL in place? Just sayin' ... Peace and Prosperity

I'm definitely with the judge! Pray that the doctors can save your child, not that you don't need the doctors and if the child dies it is simply God's will. Maybe it was God's will that YOU TAKE YOUR KID TO THE DOCTOR! It is perfectly fine to make a medical decision FOR YOURSELF to not seek medical help, but making that decision for your kid is reprehensible, and borderline CRAZY! Do they really believe that seeking medical attention is an affront to God?? That they must prove the strength of their faith this way? TWICE???? After the first kid died??? This is a very unfortunate example of how people can mess up faith. Peace and Parental Resonsibility