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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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In the News

Jul 5, 2015

Khoury: The Rise of the ISIS

By Nabeel Khoury

Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Nabeel Khoury writes for The Cairo Review of Global Affairs, reviewing journalist Patrick Cockburn’s book which records his observations on the ground in Syria and Iraq:

Iraq Syria

MENASource

Jun 17, 2015

Protecting Refugees in Protracted Emergencies in the Middle East

By Bill Frelick

Um Ghassan was eleven in 1948 when her family fled Haifa. They joined the Palestinian exodus to Jordan, and later moved to Syria. “They welcomed us like we were their relatives,” she said. Decades later, when fighting broke out in Syria in 2011, Um Ghassan initially stayed in her house. “I would never leave my […]

Iraq Libya

MENASource

Jun 17, 2015

Fading Christianity in Syria and Iraq

By Knox Thames

The quagmires of Syria and Iraq have forced millions to flee, both internally displaced people and new refugees escaping across borders. The international community is failing to meet their needs, with UN agencies announcing cuts in food programs due to a lack of funds.

Iraq Syria

SyriaSource

Jun 16, 2015

The Limits of ISIS Expansion

By Faysal Itani

Shortly after losing Tikrit to Iraqi security forces and militia, the Islamic State seized Ramadi, the capital of Iraq’s Anbar province, and captured the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria just a few days later.

Iraq Syria

MENASource

Jun 12, 2015

ISIL, Iraq, and Syria: The Strategy Challenge

By Frederic C. Hof

Once again, President Barack Obama is taking grief for having committed truth on the subject of strategy: this time acknowledging the incompleteness thereof in the context of training the Iraqi national army.

Iraq Syria

In the News

Jun 1, 2015

Saab on Iraq’s Military Campaign Rebranding

By Bilal Saab

Brent Scowcroft Center Resident Senior Fellow for Middle East Security Bilal Y. Saab joins SiriusXM Radio to discuss Iraq’s rebranding of its military campaign against ISIS:

Iraq

In the News

May 28, 2015

Mardini on Iraqi Troops

By Ramzy Mardini

Military Times quotes Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Fellow Ramzy Mardini on the lack of US-trained troops in the Iraqi army’s Ramadi offensive:

Iraq

MENASource

May 27, 2015

A Better Solution to the Kurdish Arms Issue

By Daniel R. DePetris

Should the United States arm the Kurdish Peshmerga directly, without the consent and participation of the government in Baghdad?

Iraq

In the News

May 27, 2015

Mardini on Iraqi Tribal Rifts

By Ramzy Mardini

The Financial Times quotes Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Fellow Ramzy Mardini on how internal tribal divisions are hobbling Iraq’s response to ISIS:

Iraq

MENASource

May 26, 2015

Turkey’s Weakness in Iraq Tied to Weakness in Nujaifi

By Aaron Stein

The fall of Ramadi has prompted questions about the overarching US plan to degrade and defeat the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL). For neighboring Turkey, the plan remains deeply flawed, owing to the notion that ISIS’s defeat requires the toppling of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Iraq Turkey

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