Iraq

Iraq in Between Iran and the United States
  • Podcast

    • Iraq in Between Iran and the United States

    Hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow Amb. (ret.) Robert S. Ford to examine what is at stake for Iraq in the Iran war. The only country to have been hit by both sides, Iraq is caught in the middle of a regional conflict, with the local Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) carrying out attacks on American interests and personnel — and the US responding. This escalation comes at a period of internal political transition in Iraq, which has been locked in negotiations to form a new government since the November 2025 elections. Ford, who served as Deputy and later Acting Ambassador in Baghdad from 2008 until 2010, unpacks how Iraq is navigating the current moment, how the Kurdistan region fits into this equation, and what this all means for the future of US-Iraqi relations.

    April 9, 2026

    Alistair Taylor, Matthew Czekaj

    Iraq’s oil paralysis: A self-inflicted wound and a gift to Tehran
    Photo by Ismael Adnan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
  • Commentary

    • Iraq’s oil paralysis: A self-inflicted wound and a gift to Tehran

    With the Strait of Hormuz closed and oil production from Iraq’s south in free fall, Baghdad’s failure to maximize the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline is no longer a policy dispute. It is a national emergency.

    March 16, 2026

    Yerevan Saeed

    The Transatlantic Alliance Will Survive Just Fine
  • Commentary

    • The Transatlantic Alliance Will Survive Just Fine

    Media and politicians on both sides of the Atlantic are hyping the idea that President Trump’s attempt to gain sovereign control of Greenland has caused unprecedented and irreparable damage to the over 75 year-old Transatlantic Alliance.  This “analysis” stems from multiple sources.  On both sides of the ocean, there are those who pounce on any deviation from the norm by Trump as evidence the world as we know it is ending. And in Europe, there is the human but unattractive reaction of weak, dependent states against their one powerful ally when it rejects Europe’s preferred script. Much of the US media criticism is summarized by the concept that our other NATO allies can never again “trust” the US.

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    The Iraqi Factor in the Syrian Crisis: Catalyst or Inhibitor?
    Middle East Institute
  • Analysis

    • The Iraqi Factor in the Syrian Crisis: Catalyst or Inhibitor?

    Iraqis who cast their votes in postponed local elections in Anbar and Nineveh on 20 June had a lot on their plates. Beyond issues relating to the provision of services locally, the last weeks before the elections saw massive protests against the central government in Baghdad. The many angry slogans on display included calls for greater autonomy for the Sunni-majority areas of Iraq as well as expressions of solidarity with the mainly Sunni Syrian opposition movement.

    July 18, 2013

    Reidar Visser

    Panel 4: The Turkey-Iran-Iraq Nexus
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • Panel 4: The Turkey-Iran-Iraq Nexus

    The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 4: The Turkey-Iran-Iraq NexusHenri J. Barkey, Lehigh UniversityAlireza Nader, RAND CorporationDenise Natali, National Defense UniversityModerator: Phebe Marr, Author and HistorianJune 14, 2013  3:30pm-5:00 pm

    June 17, 2013

    Panel 4: The Turkey-Iran-Iraq Nexus
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • Panel 4: The Turkey-Iran-Iraq Nexus

    The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 4: The Turkey-Iran-Iraq NexusHenri J. Barkey, Lehigh UniversityAlireza Nader, RAND CorporationDenise Natali, National Defense UniversityModerator: Phebe Marr, Author and HistorianJune 14, 2013  3:30pm-5:00 pm

    June 17, 2013

    Panel 4: The Turkey-Iran-Iraq Nexus
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • Panel 4: The Turkey-Iran-Iraq Nexus

    The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 4: The Turkey-Iran-Iraq NexusHenri J. Barkey, Lehigh UniversityAlireza Nader, RAND CorporationDenise Natali, National Defense UniversityModerator: Phebe Marr, Author and HistorianJune 14, 2013  3:30pm-5:00 pm

    June 17, 2013

    Panel 4: The Turkey-Iran-Iraq Nexus
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • Panel 4: The Turkey-Iran-Iraq Nexus

    The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 4: The Turkey-Iran-Iraq NexusHenri J. Barkey, Lehigh UniversityAlireza Nader, RAND CorporationDenise Natali, National Defense UniversityModerator: Phebe Marr, Author and HistorianJune 14, 2013  3:30pm-5:00 pm

    June 17, 2013

    Panel 4: The Turkey-Iran-Iraq Nexus
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • Panel 4: The Turkey-Iran-Iraq Nexus

    The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 4: The Turkey-Iran-Iraq NexusHenri J. Barkey, Lehigh UniversityAlireza Nader, RAND CorporationDenise Natali, National Defense UniversityModerator: Phebe Marr, Author and HistorianJune 14, 2013  3:30pm-5:00 pm

    June 17, 2013

    Learning from SIGIR's Final Report on Iraq Reconstruction
  • Analysis

    • Learning from SIGIR's Final Report on Iraq Reconstruction

    The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) recently published a final report on U.S. efforts in Iraq from 2003-2012. It provides an impressive level of detail on the thousands of projects and over $60 billion spent over those years. Until recently, when it was surpassed by the ongoing effort in Afghanistan, the U.S. project in Iraq was the single largest reconstruction effort in American history.

    June 12, 2013

    David Alpher

    Learning from Iraq: A New Model for Stability and Reconstruction Operations
  • Podcast

    • Learning from Iraq: A New Model for Stability and Reconstruction Operations

    Tue, 5/21/2013 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm The Middle East Institute is pleased to welcome Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, to discuss his proposals for how best to conduct Stability and Reconstruction Operations. Stability and Reconstruction Operations, or (SROs), entail governmental efforts to rebuild crucial infrastructure, implement rule of law, and ensure security in developing countries before, during, and after armed conflict. As Mr.

    May 22, 2013

    Learning from Iraq: A New Model for Stability and Reconstruction Operations
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • Learning from Iraq: A New Model for Stability and Reconstruction Operations

    Tue, 5/21/2013 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm The Middle East Institute is pleased to welcome Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, to discuss his proposals for how best to conduct Stability and Reconstruction Operations. Stability and Reconstruction Operations, or (SROs), entail governmental efforts to rebuild crucial infrastructure, implement rule of law, and ensure security in developing countries before, during, and after armed conflict. As Mr.

    May 22, 2013

    Learning from Iraq: A New Model for Stability and Reconstruction Operations
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • Learning from Iraq: A New Model for Stability and Reconstruction Operations

    Tue, 5/21/2013 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm The Middle East Institute is pleased to welcome Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, to discuss his proposals for how best to conduct Stability and Reconstruction Operations. Stability and Reconstruction Operations, or (SROs), entail governmental efforts to rebuild crucial infrastructure, implement rule of law, and ensure security in developing countries before, during, and after armed conflict. As Mr.

    May 22, 2013

    Learning from Iraq: A New Model for Stability and Reconstruction Operations
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • Learning from Iraq: A New Model for Stability and Reconstruction Operations

    Tue, 5/21/2013 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm The Middle East Institute is pleased to welcome Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, to discuss his proposals for how best to conduct Stability and Reconstruction Operations. Stability and Reconstruction Operations, or (SROs), entail governmental efforts to rebuild crucial infrastructure, implement rule of law, and ensure security in developing countries before, during, and after armed conflict. As Mr.

    May 22, 2013

    Learning from Iraq: A New Model for Stability and Reconstruction Operations
    Middle East Institute
  • Podcast

    • Learning from Iraq: A New Model for Stability and Reconstruction Operations

    Tue, 5/21/2013 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm The Middle East Institute is pleased to welcome Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, to discuss his proposals for how best to conduct Stability and Reconstruction Operations. Stability and Reconstruction Operations, or (SROs), entail governmental efforts to rebuild crucial infrastructure, implement rule of law, and ensure security in developing countries before, during, and after armed conflict. As Mr.

    May 22, 2013

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