Iraq

According to press reports, one of the principal policy recommendations of the congressionally mandated Iraq Study Group will be that Washington should engage Iraq’s neighbors—particularly Syria and Iran—in its efforts to staunch the ongoing violence in Iraq. However, both historical precedent and current conditions on the ground in Iraq suggest

The production of plans, options, and proposals for Iraq has become a cottage industry. As the plans roll out, by what criteria should they be evaluated? What makes one plan or set of plans qualitatively better than another? General Criteria Several criteria that all plans or proposals should include are

Even the most optimistic observers have come to see Iraq as a violent place; the level of violence—and resulting death rate—has only increased. Estimates of the numbers killed since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s regime continue to rise. Incident levels, another important measure of violence, have also increased over the

Soner Cagaptay appeared on CNN-Turk's Burasi Washington, ("This Is Washington") on October 15. In an extended interview with CNN-Turk correspondent Yasemin Congar, Mr. Cagaptay discussed issues of critical importance to U.S.-Turkish relations. These included secularism in Turkey, terrorist activity by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, and the

Iraqi Shiite cleric Ali Hussein al-Sistani has achieved tremendous popularity in recent years, becoming the greatest marja, or independent religious authority, in the Shiite world. But how does his influence compare to that of Iran's Supreme Leader, who can draw upon the considerable resources of the Iranian state? In this

Sectarian violence has now surpassed the insurgency as the main security challenge in Iraq. Quelling this violence—which threatens to derail that country’s troubled political transition, devastate the Iraqi people, inflict lasting harm on the country’s social fabric and economy, erode flagging U.S. domestic support for the war effort, and heighten

Institute senior fellow Michael Eisenstadt contributed an essay to the book, Iraq and America: Choices and Consequences (Stimson Center, 2006), edited by Ellen Laipson and Maureen S. Steinbruner. The following is an excerpt from Mr. Eisenstadt’s essay. Download the full text in PDF format. Much of the current public debate

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) and the most wanted man in the country, died violently and fittingly in a coalition airstrike June 7. His death represents a case of justice delayed, but justice done, and constitutes an important victory for the coalition and the Iraqi

On May 18, 2006, Ambassador James Jeffrey and Maj. Gen. William McCoy addressed The Washington Institute’s Special Policy Forum. Ambassador Jeffrey is senior advisor to the secretary of state and coordinator for Iraq policy at the U.S. Department of State. He previously served as deputy chief of mission and charge