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The Iraq Initiative provides transatlantic and regional policy makers with unique perspectives and analysis on the ongoing challenges and opportunities facing Iraq as the country tries to build an inclusive political system, attract economic investment, and encourage a vibrant civil society.

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MENASource

Nov 30, 2016

Iraqis Sheltering in Mosul Create Fresh Hurdles for Aid Agencies

By Campbell MacDiarmid

Abu Mohamed stood outside his shrapnel-scarred gate in the eastern Zahra district of Mosul and pointed to where a mortar round had exploded the day before, killing two of his neighbors.

Iraq

MENASource

Nov 29, 2016

Every Street Corner is the Front Line in Mosul

By Mustafa Habib, NIQASH

Wisam al-Zubaidi is a member of one of Iraq’s elite counter-terrorism troops. But right now he isn’t fighting, he is in a Baghdad hospital nursing a bullet wound in his foot. At a battle east of Mosul, he and his battalion were ambushed by the extremist group known as the Islamic State, which Iraqi forces […]

Iraq

Defense Industrialist

Nov 28, 2016

Advice to the Trump Administration on the evolution of war

By James Hasik

Technological developments and actual financial constraints demand top-to-bottom rethinking of the business of defense. As I wrote earlier this month, Donald Trump’s unpredicted electoral victory has brought the possibility for real change in the enterprise of national security. To borrow Paul Ryan’s phrase, thoroughly rethinking the business of defense could create a military that moves closer to […]

China Defense Industry

MENASource

Nov 16, 2016

Factbox: On the IMF Loan to Iraq

By Sali Mahdy

In late September, the Iraqi parliament voted to dismiss Finance Minister Hoshyar Zebari over corruption allegations. Zebari had led Iraq’s efforts to secure aid to manage its economic crisis, and most recently, successfully negotiated an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan for Iraq. A day after the vote, the IMF reaffirmed its commitment to work with […]

Iraq

New Atlanticist

Nov 16, 2016

Governance Battle Crucial in Iraq, says Retired Gen. David H. Petraeus

By Ashish Kumar Sen

This is Part 2 of a two-part interview. Retired Army Gen. David H. Petraeus believes that the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, while a “generational” one, will eventually be won. The more consequential battle, he contends, is the war that will follow: for governance. In Syria, Petraeus said, while Russia’s military […]

Iraq Syria

MENASource

Nov 14, 2016

Tal Afar: Prospect for Escalation

By Ramzy Mardini

The international media often describes the city of Mosul, the capital of Ninawa province, as the Islamic State’s (ISIS) last remaining stronghold in Iraq. However, there is another major stronghold that may soon be a flashpoint between rival factions of the anti-ISIS coalition. In late October, Iraq’s Shia militias opened a new front in the […]

Iran Iraq

In the News

Nov 13, 2016

Ashooh Joins Pacific Council to Discuss the Future of Mosul

By Jessica Ashooh

Read the full article here.

Iraq

Defense Industrialist

Nov 10, 2016

Big guns but no bullets?

By James Hasik

The US Navy has at least three options for fire support ashore, and should move out smartly with more than one. As James Holmes of the Naval War College wrote on The National Interest last month, “the US Navy has an image problem.” Perhaps, as Steven Wills of Ohio University (aka. Lazarus) argued in the comments, it’s merely that ships […]

Afghanistan Defense Industry

MENASource

Nov 10, 2016

What a Donald Trump Presidency Means for the Middle East

By MENASource

On November 8, Donald J. Trump was elected the forty-fifth president of the United States. In transcribed interviews, Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East experts weigh in on what a Donald Trump presidency means for the Middle East.

International Organizations Iraq

MENASource

Nov 8, 2016

What the Loss of Mosul Will Mean for ISIS

By Mona Alami

As Iraqi forces continue to push further into the Islamic State’s bastion in Mosul, the looming loss of this key city heralds the end of the Islamic caliphate as a pseudo state. The organization, however, may survive as an insurgency and more importantly through the continuity of its “ideological caliphate.”

Iraq Syria

Experts