Policy Analysis

The concept of the civilizational state helps explain how Iran is challenging the liberal international system and weakening Iraqi sovereignty.

The international community should push for free and fair elections in Iraq as a way to diminish the influence of armed militias on Iraqi politics.

The pope's visit in Iraq highlights Iranian-back militias' failure to successfully depict themselves as saviors of Iraqi Christians.

Societal transformation in Iraq requires motivated, capable young people who can redefine the status quo in their country.

New polls show that Iraqis want institutional change, but they are losing faith in elections as a real means towards reform.

Given our perpetual crises, we Iraqis rarely look back. But unless Iraqis collectively understand the past and decide how to avoid repeating its mistakes, we are bound to pay these crimes forward as we have in the past.

Good relations with Iraqi Kurdistan are a valuable strategic asset for the United States, but support from the Biden administration should not be unconditional.

Iraq's Yazidis need assertive international support to protect their rights and well-being. ​

Facing Turkish, Iranian, and Islamist threats, Kurds in Iraq and Syria are hoping for more U.S. support than they saw under the Trump administration.

ISIS publications reveal the geographic location and concentration of its counter-espionage operations.

Increasing natural gas production and enhancing the oil industry are critical to reviving Iraq's economy.

Shia militias in Iraq are losing control of their own narrative, and their true motives are becoming visible.

Iran views a successful, democratic government in Iraq as a threat to its existence.

Conflict over Iraq's Sinjar district has left Yazidis adrift in the complexities of Kurdish politics.

Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces, and thereby Iran, have gained increased influence in Kurdish areas around Kirkuk.

Optimism on Biden in Iraqi Kurdistan is driven by historical ties. But contemporary political views on U.S. policy in the region may shape the Biden presidency in new, less comfortable ways.

The Iraq-based Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) is diligently and meticulously working to achieve hegemony among Iran-backed 'resistance' militias in Iraq. The group is positioning itself as the 'true resistance' faction and obliging other Iran-backed groups to follow its lead. In order to achieve this goal, KH is operating on military and

In the midst of ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which partially stems from competition for energy sources, the role of energy transportation lines like pipelines in regional geopolitics can be a double-edged sword. While often a source of conflict and disagreement, the role of pipelines in the region appears

On August 27, the government of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi formed a committee to investigate major cases of corruption in Iraq, acknowledging the ongoing frustration among Iraqis with the rampant corruption that has plagued the country. Successive Iraqi governments after the U.S. invasion and the fall of Saddam have proved

During the first half of 2020, global markets saw a significant decline in crude oil prices as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Though the price of crude oil has since stabilized at a little less than $40 a barrel, crude oil remains at just 40 percent of what it