The Atlantic Council’s Iraq Initiative invites you to a discussion on March 20, 2023, from 10:00 – 11:30 am ET with a number of young Iraqi civil society activists and prospective leaders to reflect on the 20th anniversary of the 2003 Iraq invasion.

The discussion will feature diverse viewpoints from young Iraqis, particularly those born after 2003. It will explore their future aspirations, the role of the US and the international community in shaping the country’s trajectories, and how their political identity was formed and redefined in the past two decades. The panel will also investigate the reasons behind the decline of sectarian and ethno-nationalistic affiliations among Iraqi youth and the rise of national movements that transcend tribal and cultural boundaries. The panel will examine the driving forces behind these movements and their implications for Iraq’s future in the decades ahead.