We will continue to monitor and assess the prospects for US-Iraq relations, and for Iraq’s re-integration in the Middle East. Supporting the development of Iraqi civil society and independent analysis in Iraq on security issues is an enduring interest of the Southwest Asia program. We have conducted workshops for Iraqi think tanks and NGO leaders, and plan to host Iraqi interns and visiting fellows in 2011 and beyond.
Project News:
Ellen Laipson meets with Iraqi Diplomats in May 2010 to discuss the future of US Iraq relations.
Publications:
The Future of US Iraq Relations, April 2010
An important transition is underway in the official relationship between the United States and Iraq. Since late 2008, relations have been governed by two agreements: one related to the planned withdrawal of US forces from Iraq by 2011, and one that sets a strategic framework for the future of US-Iraq relations and for broad cooperation in fields including education, health, environment, and trade. This report examines the recent trends in US-Iraq relations …Read More »
Iraq’s New Reality Series (I-IV), 2009
At this critical juncture in Iraq’s history, the Stimson Center and the Centre for International Governance Innovation are partnering to explore the linkages between Iraqi reconstruction, security and a political process of national reconciliation involving all Iraqis.This project, entitled Iraq’s New Reality, includes a series of workshops held in Canada and the United States, gathering leading experts to examine a set of key issues.
Iraq, its Neighbors, and the Obama Administration: Syrian and Saudi Perspectives, February 2009
A group of experts sponsored by USIP and the Stimson Center traveled to Syria and Saudi Arabia to interview government officials-including President Assad of Syria and Prince Turki al-Faysal of Saudi Arabia-and a range of others about their views of Iraq. Syria and Saudi Arabia do not look at Iraq in isolation, nor do they assign it top priority among their foreign policy concerns. For them, Iraq is merely one element in a comprehensive view encompassing other regional players (including the U.S. and Iran) and
other regional crises, particularly the Arab-Israeli conflict. The top concern for both Riyadh and Damascus remains blowback from Iraq: the ascendance of ethnic and sectarian identity and the spread of Islamic militancy…read more
Analysis
Iraq’s Transition in the Shadow of Egypt, February 07, 2011
By Ellen Laipson
Moving Forward in Iraq: the US Civilian Mission and Security, October 26, 2010
By Peter Alsis
The Iraq-Kuwait Border Issue: A Step in the Right Direction or More Empty Rhetoric? September 13, 2010
By Lillian Frost
Iraq in Focus: Homeland Security Policy Institute, August 30, 2010
By Ellen Laipson
Events
The Future of US-Iraq Relations, Monday, May 17, 2010
Iran’s Stakes in the New Iraq: Dilemmas for the Region and for Washington, Friday, May 1, 2009
Hide and Seek: The Search for Truth in Iraq, Monday, February 23, 2009
Bad Days in Basra, Tuesday, May 20, 2008