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The pandemic of COVID-19 crisis suddenly appeared worldwide, and there were no proper crisis management procedures taken in advance to contain such a problem. Moreover, it has had harmful and unmeasured consequences on most life sectors, including construction, which has been severely impacted during the pandemic. This paper aims to review factors with a high-risk impact on hospitals' construction projects during the outbreak of COVID-19 in developing countries by considering the case of Iraq's construction sector. A mixed methodology of qualitative and quantitative research approaches was used. The qualitative method involved (1) a literature review and (2) semi-structured interviews to identify high-risk factors that affect construction projects during the outbreak of COVID-19. The quantitative method involved (1) collecting survey data from 205 industry professionals and experts to determine each risk factor's importance and influence. Cronbach's alpha test to check the reliability of the collected data set, and (3) a fuzzy inference system method was used to assess the impact of each factor on construction projects during the pandemic. The findings of this study indicate that the construction industry has been hit severely during the COVID-19 in Iraq. Moreover, 17 high-risk sub-factors under six main construction factors involve health and safety, risk management, management deficiency, financial, supply chain management and contractual impact hospital construction projects. Furthermore, the most significant risk factors had impacted hospital construction projects by calculating their means were (1) commitment to safety and health recommendations with a level of impact equal to 4.81; (2) risk management procedures with a level of impact equal to 4.63; (3) equipment delivery delays with a level of impact equal to 4.54; (4) worker acceptance of COVID-19 vaccination with a level of impact equal to 4.36; (5) increase of price material with a level of impact equal to 4.18; (6) lack of use of the latest technology with a level of impact equal to 4.09; (7) delay in payments with a level of impact equal to 3.90; and (8) lack of training to deal with the pandemic with a level of impact equal to 3.81. As such, this paper contributes by providing effective policies and measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on hospital construction projects in Iraq. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main challenges and barriers facing the effective implementation of risk management (RM) practices in the construction industry have increased the ceiling of challenges associated with the implementation of construction projects during the COVID-19 era. The aim of this paper is to assess the level of significance of risk management implementation challenges and barriers (RMICB) and the level of efficacy of construction RM practices during COVID-19 by considering the case of Iraq. A multistage research methodology was adopted, including semistructured interviews with construction experts to identify the main RMICB and RM practices indicators; surveys to assess the identified RMICB and RM practices indicators; analytical hierarchy process–based and fuzzy-based models to quantify RMICB level of significance, and RM practices level of efficacy. Based on the adopted methodology, the authors identified a total of 34 RMICB grouped under four categories, namely analytical approach–related, behavior-related, management-related, and team-related RMICB. Moreover, the assessment of the current construction RM practices during the COVID-19 era indicated a low level of RM practices efficacy. This study significantly contributes to the body of knowledge by helping construction practitioners and researchers to better understand the RMICB that are hindering effective implementation of RM strategies for construction projects during the COVID-19 era. Furthermore, it provides valuable information to decision-makers regarding the current construction RM practices efficacy during extreme conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1987–1988 Anfal Campaign during which the Iraqi Baath regime massacred some 180,000 Kurdish Iraqis, 5,000 of whom killed by chemical weapons in the town of Halabja, is considered one of the major traumas in modern Kurdish history. Yet a few decades later, the Kurds appear to have risen from their proverbial ashes, embarking against great odds on an ambitious state building project in northern Iraq. With this story of "trauma and redemption" as background, this paper considers the lessons learned from this Kurdish experiment; lessons drawn not only by the Kurds themselves, but by all those who willy-nilly accompanied them on this journey; the Iraqi state, the international community, and the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]