Iran and Iraq
| Date | Friday, June 20, 2008 |
| Location | Senate Capitol, Room S 120 |
Barbara Slavin, senior diplomatic reporter for USA Today will join us for a discussion on the relationship between Iran and Iraq. Over the past five years, Iran’s role in the region has expanded considerably, due both to the toppling of Saddam Hussein as well as the rise in oil prices. Iran
was the first Iraqi neighbor to send an official delegation to meet
with the Iraqi Governing Council in 2003, and until May 2008 was the
only neighbor to send an Ambassador to Baghdad. Iran has deepened its ties to militant factions in Iraq
and has a web of complex social, political and military relationships
with different actors to maintain its interests there. Many writers
see a Shiite revival underway in Iran, Iraq, and throughout the wider Middle East. What are the historical, social and religious ties between Shiites in the region? What are Iran’s motivations and interests in Iraq? What can the US do to contain harmful Iranian interests in the region?
This briefing is the fifth in an ongoing series on the US and Iran that Security for a New Century has developed in partnership with the US Institute of Peace.
The series aims to explore a wide range of political, economic, social
and cultural issues which influence US - Iranian relations.
Security for a New Century is a bipartisan study group for Congress. We meet regularly with U.S.
and international policy professionals to discuss the post Cold War and
post 9/11 security environment. All discussions are off-the-record. It
is not an advocacy venue. Please call (202) 223-5956 for more information.
