Expert Reactions to President Obama’s Speech on ISIS

Dispatches
Dec 10, 2025

Dispatch from Iraq: The biggest challenge awaiting the country’s next prime minister

By
Victoria J. Taylor 

A recent visit to Iraq following parliamentary elections reveals a growing divide between the political elite and the people.

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Expert Reactions to President Obama’s Speech on ISIS

New Atlanticist
Nov 14, 2025

Experts react: How will Iraq’s parliamentary election shape the country’s politics?

By
Atlantic Council experts

Our experts examine what the results of Tuesday’s elections mean for the future of Iraqi politics and Baghdad’s regional role.

Civil Society
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Expert Reactions to President Obama’s Speech on ISIS

Dispatches
Nov 10, 2025

Dispatch from Baghdad: Don’t confuse the calm around Iraq’s election with stability

By
Yerevan Saeed

Iraqi society faces several slow-burning stressors, from water and climate problems to over-centralization and narcotics trafficking.

Democratic Transitions
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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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Victoria J. Taylor 


Director, Iraq Initiative

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Nibras Basitkey


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William F. Wechsler


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Ahmed Tabaqchali


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Rend Al-Rahim


Nonresident Senior Fellow

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Yerevan Saeed


Nonresident Senior Fellow

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Akeel Abbas


Nonresident Senior Fellow

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Safwan Al-Amin


Nonresident Senior Fellow

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Content

MENASource

Sep 11, 2014

Expert Reactions to President Obama’s Speech on ISIS

President Barack Obama has faced tremendous pressure to respond to the stunning growth of the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS, ISIL, or Islamic State). The group’s videos, showing the beheading of two American journalists, brought the conflict to bear directly on the United States in a way that captured domestic attention as never […]

Iraq
Syria

MENASource

Sep 10, 2014

PM Haider al-Abadi: A New Era in Iraq?

By Daniel R. DePetris

The announcement of a new government in Iraq represents perhaps the best news out of the country since former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki relinquished power peacefully. Political players set aside a highly partisan dynamic, in part to address the existential terrorist threat facing Iraq.

Iraq

In the News

Sep 9, 2014

Mardini on Government Formation in Iraq

By Ramzy Mardini

The Associated Press quotes Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Fellow Ramzy Mardini on the challenges facing new Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi: 

Iraq

In the News

Sep 9, 2014

Mardini on Iraqi Government Formation

By Ramzy Mardini

The Financial Times quotes Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Fellow Ramzy Mardini on the surprise announcement of Iraq’s next government: 

Iraq

In the News

Sep 3, 2014

Itani on the Threat of ISIS

By Faysal Itani

Rafik Hariri Center Resident Fellow Faysal Itani joins the Diane Rehm Show to discuss the death of journalist Steven Sotloff at the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham: Listen to the full interview.

Iraq

In the News

Sep 3, 2014

Slavin: US Official Says ISIS Threatens to Outpace al-Qaeda

By Barbara Slavin

South Asia Center Nonresident Fellow Barbara Slavin writes for Al-Monitor on an address given by National Counterterrorism Center Director Matthew Olsen on the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham:

Iraq
Syria

In the News

Sep 2, 2014

Benitez on ISIS: They are Using “Hearts and Minds Strategies”

By Jorge Benitez

NATOSource Director and Brent Scowcroft Center Senior Fellow Jorge Benitez joins Voice of America to discuss the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham:

Iraq

Article

Aug 31, 2014

Column: Saudi-Iran Meeting Could Boost Fight Against Islamic State

By Barbara Slavin

To say that there are a lot of moving pieces in the Middle East these days is certainly an understatement. From Libya to Yemen, Gaza to Iraq, outside powers are intervening in complex confrontations that pit religious fundamentalists against secularists, dictators against democrats and ethnic minorities against each other.

Iraq
Libya

Article

Aug 29, 2014

“Why do some hostages die, and some are released?”

By Nicholas Burns

THIS LAST week’s deeply contrasting stories of two New Englanders caught in the Middle East’s maelstrom of violence — the savage murder of James Foley and the joyous release from captivity of Peter Theo Curtis — point to a central question: Why do some hostages die while others are released?

Iraq
Syria

In the News

Aug 28, 2014

Itani: Is Assad Really Better Than ISIS?

By Faysal Itani

Rafik Hariri Center Resident Fellow Faysal Itani writes for the the Hill on the dangers of collaborating with the Assad government to combat the threat of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham:

Iraq
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Elliot Ackerman

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Arabic Human Rights

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