US engagement with Iraq and the region after Operation Inherent Resolve 

  • Thu, September 10, 2026 • 9:00 am ET
  • Atlantic Council Headquarters
  • 1400 L Street NW • Floor 11
  • Washington, DC, 20005

Experts assess the future of US involvement in Iraq and the Middle East following the US military’s final departure from Iraq.

On Thursday, September 10 at 9:00 a.m. ET, the Atlantic Council’s Iraq Initiative will host a discussion on how the conclusion of the US-led Operation Inherent Resolve mission will reshape US engagement with Iraq and the region.

The panel discussion will assess how the US military’s departure, scheduled for September 30, could impact counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), US security cooperation with Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the broader US-Iraq relationship.

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Welcome remarks

Victoria Taylor
Director, Iraq Initiative and Syria Project,
Atlantic Council

Speakers

Amb. Alina Romanowski
Distinguished Fellow, Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East Programs,
Atlantic Council

Devorah Margolin
Blumenstein-Rodan Senior Fellow, 
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Mohammed A. Salih
Non-Resident Senior Fellow, National Security Program,
Foreign Policy Research Institute

Moderated by

Humeyra Pamuk
Senior Foreign Policy Correspondent,
Reuters

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The Iraq Initiative is driving policy-oriented programs and analysis that advance Iraq’s stability and sovereignty, regional integration, and democratic and economic development. It also aims to promote a strengthened US-Iraq partnership.

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