Can Erbil cope?

Available for over a year

Peace and security has made Erbil in Iraqi Kursdistan an attractive place for shoppers and holiday makers from Baghdad and other Iraqi cities facing security issues. A leading property agent in the city, tells Ed Butler that businesses have also relocated there, drawn by this so-called safety dividend. But it’s also attracted refugees from the region escaping the advances of Islamic State. And now the collapse in the oil price and a budget dispute with Baghdad is leading to rising unemployment and an exodus of foreign investors. (Photo: Erbil market, Credit: Ali Al-Saadi/AFP/Getty Images)