The Atlantic Council’s Iraq Initiative will host the annual Iraq Dialogue in Washington, DC on Wednesday, May 13 at 9:00 a.m. ET. The Iraq Dialogue is a high-level, full-day conference focused on advancing Iraq’s political stability, economic reform, and regional integration at a pivotal moment for the country.
This year’s theme, “Iraq in a new Middle East,” reflects the shifting regional landscape Iraq must navigate as it confronts government formation, fiscal pressures, energy transition challenges, and evolving regional dynamics. The Iraq Dialogue will bring together senior Iraqi officials, US policymakers, private-sector leaders, and regional experts to examine pathways toward durable stability and growth. Discussions will focus on Iraq’s role within a shifting Middle East landscape.
Building on sustained engagement with Iraqi stakeholders and international partners, the Iraq Dialogue aims to generate actionable policy recommendations and strengthen US-Iraq strategic cooperation across political, economic, and security domains.
Click here to explore the agenda.
:للقراءة بالعربية
ستستضيف مبادرة العراق في المجلس الأطلسي الحوار السنوي حول العراق في واشنطن العاصمة، يوم الأربعاء الموافق 13 مايو، الساعة 9:00 صباحاً بتوقيت واشنطن. يُعدّ حوار العراق مؤتمراً رفيع المستوى يمتد طوال اليوم، ويركز على تعزيز الاستقرار السياسي في العراق، والإصلاح الاقتصادي، والاندماج الإقليمي في مرحلة محورية من تاريخ البلاد.
يتمحور هذا العام حول “العراق في شرق أوسط جديد”، ويعكس المشهد الإقليمي المتحوّل الذي يتعيّن على العراق التعامل معه، في ظل تحديات تشمل تشكيل الحكومة، والضغوط المالية، ومتطلبات التحول في قطاع الطاقة، والتحولات الإقليمية المتغيرة. وسيجمع حوار العراق كبار المسؤولين العراقيين وصانعي السياسات الأمريكيين وقادة القطاع الخاص والخبراء الإقليميين، بهدف استكشاف مسارات نحو الاستقرار الدائم والنمو المستدام. وستتدور النقاشات حول دور العراق في سياق الشرق الأوسط المتغير.
بناءً على حوار مستمر مع الأطراف العراقية الفاعلة والشركاء الدوليين، يسعى حوار العراق إلى صياغة توصيات سياسية قابلة للتنفيذ وتعزيز التعاون الاستراتيجي بين الولايات المتحدة والعراق في المجالات السياسية والاقتصادية والأمنية.
تعليمات جديدة: يُشترط على الحاضرين إبراز بطاقة شخصية عند الوصول، ولن يُسمح بالتسجيل خلال الوصول.
Speakers
Agenda
8:30–9:00 a.m. | Networking breakfast and arrival
Pastries and coffee in the Sky Lobby.
9:00–9:10 a.m. | Welcome remarks
Featuring
Victoria Taylor
Director of the Iraq Initiative & Syria Project,
Atlantic Council
9:10–9:15 a.m. | Opening remarks
Featuring
Jenna Ben-Yehuda
Executive Vice President,
Atlantic Council
9:15–10:35 a.m. | The future of US-Iraq relationship
Speakers
Abbas Al-Ameri
Secretary General,
Coordination Framework and State Administration Alliance
Hoshyar Zebari
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iraq & Special Advisor to Masoud Barzani,
Kurdistan Democratic Party
Ambassador James Jeffrey
Former Deputy National Security Advisor;
Philip Solodz Distinguished Fellow,
The Washington Institute
Victoria Taylor
Director of the Iraq Initiative and Syria Project,
Atlantic Council
Moderated by
Vivian Salama
Staff Writer,
The Atlantic
10:35–11:55 a.m. | Transforming Iraq’s energy economy
Speakers
Raad Alkadiri
Managing Partner,
3TEN32 Associates, LLC
Ziad Daoud
Chief Economist,
Bloomberg
Dunia Chalabi
Managing Director and Company Representative in Iraq,
TotalEnergies
Majid Jafar
Chief Executive Officer,
Crescent Petroleum
Moderated by
Geoffrey Pyatt
Distinguished Fellow, Global Energy Center,
Atlantic Council;
Senior Managing Director, Energy and Critical Minerals,
McLarty Associates
11:55 a.m.–1:10 p.m. | Government formation in Iraq’s new political landscape
Speakers
Akeel Abbas
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Iraq Initiative,
Atlantic Council
Lahib Higel
Senior Analyst for Iraq,
International Crisis Group
Ali Taher Al-Hamood
Managing Director,
Al-Bayan Center for Planning and Studies
Hemin Hawrami
Former Deputy Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament,
Kurdistan Regional Government
Moderated by
Omar Al-Nidawi
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Iraq Initiative,
Atlantic Council
1:10–2:10 p.m. | Lunch break
Please join us for lunch.
2:10–3:25 p.m. | Iraq in the region
Speakers
Mina al-Oraibi
Editor-in-Chief,
The National
Renad Mansour
Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa Program
and Director of the Iraq Initiative,
Chatham House
Ambassador Alina Romanowski
Former US Ambassador to Iraq and
Kuwait & Distinguished Fellow,
Atlantic Council
Qubad Talabani
Deputy Prime Minister,
Kurdistan Regional Government
Moderated by
Ambassador Jonathan Wilks
Former Ambassador to Qatar, Iraq, Oman, and Yemen
& Distinguished Senior Fellow, Transatlantic Project,
Atlantic Council
3:25–4:25 p.m. | Building Iraq’s future: Civil Society, entrepreneurship, and innovation
Speakers
Saif Aljaibeiji
General Partner,
Urth Capital
Yazen Altimimi
Chief Executive Officer,
ZainCash
Zainab Jawad
Lawyer and Human Rights Activist,
Independent
Bilal Wahab
President,
American University of Iraq, Sulaimani
Moderator
Marsin Alshamary
Assistant Professor,
Boston College
4:25–5:00 p.m. | Fireside chat
Featuring
Ahmed Albasheer
Host and Director,
Albasheer show
Moderated by
Safwan al-Amin
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Iraq Initiative,
Atlantic Council
5:00–5:05 p.m. | Final remarks & acknowledgements
Featuring
Victoria Taylor
Director of the Iraq Initiative and Syria Project,
Atlantic Council
5:00–6:30 p.m. | Reception
Please join us for a reception featuring light refreshments and a live performance by an oud musician.
Explore the program
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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