Iraq

The United States and Iraq are strategically tied through mutual interests related to the stability and security of the region. Iraq plays an important role in securing energy resources, combating extremist groups such as ISIS, and managing regional tensions. In the aftermath of the US invasion in 2003, Iraq continues to face significant challenges in attracting investment, improving governance and service delivery, balancing relations with its neighbors, and raising the quality of life of everyday Iraqis. A strong US-Iraqi relationship depends on continued cooperation on security, economic and regional affairs.

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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

Apr 23, 2014

Slavin: Iraqi Ambassador Predicts Delay in Government Formation

By Barbara Slavin

South Asia Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Barbara Slavin writes for Al Monitor on Iraqi Ambassador Lukman Faily’s predictions for next week’s parliamentary elections: 

Iraq

MENASource

Apr 21, 2014

A Crash Course in Iraq’s Electoral Politics

By Adam Simpson

On April 30, Iraq will hold parliamentary elections featuring a total of 9,040 candidates from 142 parties, including forty-one blocs and coalitions, all competing for just 328 parliamentary seats. The result of the 2010 parliamentary elections carried Iyad Allawi’s Iraqiya bloc to a narrow electoral victory, but was eventually defeated by a coalition of majority-Shia […]

Iraq

In the News

Mar 17, 2014

Mardini on Upcoming Iraqi Parliamentary Elections

By Ramzy Mardini

Reuters quotes Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Fellow Ramzy Mardini on Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s political campaign: 

Iraq

In the News

Feb 13, 2014

Mardini Talks Iraqi Sectarian Divide

By Ramzy Mardini

Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East Senior Fellow Ramzy Mardini is quoted by the Associated Press on sectarian tension in Iraq:

Iraq
Canadian soldiers in Kabul, Sept. 11, 2011

NATOSource

Feb 6, 2014

After Afghanistan, How Will We Fight the Next Multination War?

By Stephen Saideman, Globe and Mail

As 2014 seems to be the year that we look back and ponder what the Afghanistan war means for the future, the question becomes: what of NATO?

Afghanistan International Security Assistance Force

MENASource

Jan 10, 2014

Anbar Awakening 2.0?

By Ramzy Mardini

The insurgency in Iraq had never truly ended. While its intensity was low for years, the progression of a neighboring insurgency in Syria was bound to spillover into Iraq, most especially Anbar province—the epicenter of the Sunni insurgency in Iraq, which borders Syria.

Iraq

In the News

Jan 9, 2014

Slavin: Obama Admin. Uses Anbar Crisis to Push Maliki

By Barbara Slavin

Barbara Slavin reports for Al Monitor on the violent flare-up in Iraq’s Anbar province and how the Obama administration is pressuring Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to defuse the crisis:

Iraq

MENASource

Nov 17, 2013

New Shia Politics and the Maliki-Sadr Competition in Iraq

By Harith Hasan

The reciprocal criticisms between the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his Shia rival, Moqtada al-Sadr, reflect the changing dynamics of Shia politics in Iraq. On several occasions, Sadr, the leader of the Iraqi Islamist Sadrist Movement, warned of a possible “return to dictatorship” in Iraq while denouncing the government’s “exclusionary” policies.

Iraq

New Atlanticist

Nov 15, 2013

US Ambivalence and Security Assistance

By Derek S. Reveron

Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wrote recently in the New York Times, “In spite of the terrorist threats we face, we are not asking for American boots on the ground. Rather, we urgently want to equip our own forces with the weapons they need to fight terrorism, including helicopters and other military aircraft so that […]

Iraq

New Atlanticist

Jul 30, 2013

Hezbollah, Iran Pay Price for Syria Role

By Barbara Slavin

Two years after President Barack Obama confidently predicted a swift demise for Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president seems relatively secure. Pro-regime forces have clawed back swaths of key territory as the opposition splinters into hundreds of rebel groups.

Iran Iraq

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