If one looks back on the U.S.-led military intervention in Afghanistan in 2001, and the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the U.S. can claim many tactical successes in fighting terrorism and violent opposition movements. It also “won” one of its wars. While the U.S. was ultimately defeated in Afghanistan, it did win a kind of victory in its two wars in Iraq: first against hardline Sunn
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17 March 2023 Shivan Fazil and Dr Alaa Tartir Over the past two decades Iraq has been affected by several waves of intense conflict and violence. The 2003 invasion of Iraq by a multinational coalition led by the United States and United Kingdom toppled the Ba’athist regime of Saddam Hussein. It also ushered in years of chaos and civil war, as a variety of armed groups vie
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Gallup started listening to the voices of the Iraqi people shortly after the invasion and has been back to interview them every year since 2008. On the 20th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, we explore how Iraqis see their lives now and how their views have evolved over time. The question of whether life in Iraq is better or worse now than 20 years ago has no definit
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As part of a continued collaboration with the Middle East Peace and Security Forum held in Iraqi Kurdistan at the American University of Kurdistan, the Middle East Institute and the Iraq Policy Group held a workshop on Nov. 15, 2022 focusing on challenges of economic diversification, energy transition, and impacts on labor markets in Iraq and the Gulf region. Our one-day worksh
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In the past week, a series of court orders were issued against me including freezing of my assets and the issue of a warrant for my arrest. These measures were related to the so-called theft of the century. The charge against me was specifically for “facilitating the theft of the trust accounts of the tax authority.” I have no detailed information as to what these charges are b
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