BASRA, Iraq—There is perhaps nowhere else where the high hopes of the new Iraq were so dashed as in its second city, Basra. It is not an easy job to deliver any progress in Basra against such a difficult political and economic environment. The oil ministry and Iraq’s partners among international oil companies are promising more progress in the coming years. Iraqis are learning to build the internal relations and trust between major political parties and leaders, including across ethno-sectarian lines. Further readingImage: A farmer carries freshly harvested dates in an orchard along the banks of the Shatt al-Arab, where rising salinity and water shortages are threatening Iraq’s date production, in Basra, Iraq, July 30, 2025.