Articles & Multimedia
Showing 1-20 of 157 Publications
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Iraq’s persistent fault line: The dangers of escalating tensions in Kirkuk
Commentary
While Kirkuk remains contested, risks of destabilisation will continue to hang over Iraq and the Sudani government....
By Hamzeh Hadad
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Washington’s Security Strategy in Iraq Was Deep-frozen. This Week Might Bring an Overdue Thaw.
Commentary
It will require immense political will and courage to reform an Iraqi defense establishment that continues to perpetually hollow itself through corruption, indifference, and o...
By Jonathan Lord
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A golden opportunity: How Iraq can benefit from regional calm
Commentary
Leaders are concerned with the economic wellbeing of their citizens in a transforming, and less oil reliant, world....
By Hamzeh Hadad
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Jonathan Lord on the DoD and Kurdish Air Support
Video
Jonathan Lord joins AL-Hadath to explain some of the challenges facing United States Department of Defense in providing air defense systems to the Kurdistan Regional Governmen...
By Jonathan Lord
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Analysis: Iraq’s new budget may hamper more than it helps
Commentary
Government offices are overcrowded and disorganised, slowing bureaucracy down further. Big hiring this year will also burden future governments with pensions....
By Hamzeh Hadad
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From shock and awe to stability and flaws: Iraq’s post-invasion journey
Commentary
Twenty years after the US-led invasion of Iraq, the country is now run by its eighth government, which took power in October 2022. Despite continuous fears of implosion, the p...
By Hamzeh Hadad
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Two Decades of Uneven Federalism in Iraq
Commentary
Beyond the political obstacles and resistance by the central government to give up control over revenue-generating resources, Iraq lacks the institutions for decentralized gov...
By Hamzeh Hadad
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Al-Sudani's First 100 Days
Commentary
The first 100 days of the government of Prime Minister Mohammed Shiya al-Sudani are a model of appeasement....
By Hamzeh Hadad, Erwin van Veen & Folkert Woudstra
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Uncertainty Hangs over Iraqi Kurdistan in 2023
Commentary
Ensuring stability in Iraqi Kurdistan is important for the U.S. and its allies....
By Hamzeh Hadad
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Climate of Opportunity: Iraq’s New Government as Regional Conciliator
Commentary
Iraq finally has a new government. A little over a year since the parliamentary election and amid ongoing instability and violence, Mohammed al-Sudani – the preferred choice o...
By Hamzeh Hadad
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9/11 swallowed U.S. foreign policy. Don’t let the coronavirus do the same thing.
Commentary
For two decades, American foreign policy has been shaped by the 9/11 attacks. The catastrophic wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, our failure to see the full threat posed by Russia...
By Ilan Goldenberg
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Big Ideas for NATO’s New Mission in Iraq
Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s calls for America’s allies to “get more involved in the Middle East,” NATO defense ministers last month agreed to “enhance” the Atlanti...
By David H. Petraeus & Vance Serchuk
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The American Public Wants a Sustainable Middle East Policy
Commentary
After the U.S. strike on Qasem Soleimani, Americans feared the United States was on the brink of war with Iran. “World War III draft” memes circulated around the internet, and...
By Kaleigh Thomas & Emma Moore
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The Iranian Missile Strike Did Far More Damage Than Trump Admits
Commentary
Over 100 American soldiers have been treated for traumatic brain injuries following Iran’s missile strike on Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq. The strike came in retaliation f...
By Loren DeJonge Schulman & Paul Scharre
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Grappling With the Costs of Combat
Podcast
Kayla Williams joins Ilan Goldenberg to discuss her time serving as an Arabic linguist in the U.S. Army and the human costs of armed conflict....
By Ilan Goldenberg & Kayla M. Williams
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Stories from the Backchannel: Season Two Trailer
Podcast
Now more than ever, Americans are interested in the people working behind the scenes on consequential national security decisions. In Season Two of Stories from the Backchanne...
By Ilan Goldenberg, Richard Fontaine, Susanna V. Blume, Kayla M. Williams, Price B. Floyd, Kurt Campbell & Kara Frederick
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Sending Troops Back to the Middle East Won’t Stop Iran
Commentary
The Trump administration’s decision to kill Qassam Soleimani is the latest in an escalatory “maximum pressure” Iran strategy that is shifting American foreign policy attention...
By Chris Dougherty & Kaleigh Thomas
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Congress has to figure out whether Trump's four embassy claim is real
Commentary
The targeted killing of Qasem Soleimani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, carried with it significant potential to serve as a catalyst for a br...
By Carrie Cordero
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Why did the Pentagon ever give Trump the option of killing Soleimani?
Commentary
Sending the U.S. military to use force is among the most consequential decisions presidents can make. Matters may get out of control even with the most careful and deliberate ...
By Alice Hunt Friend, Mara Karlin & Loren DeJonge Schulman
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How will Iran respond to Soleimani’s killing — and where will the escalation end?
Commentary
After the U.S. drone strike last week that killed powerful Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, many thoughtful analyses have discussed what might come next. Response is inevita...
By Elisa Catalano Ewers & Ariane Tabatabai
