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Latest from USIP on Iraq

  • July 14, 2010   |   Event
    High-Value Resource Contracts, Conflict, and Peace in Afghanistan

    Competition for access to, and control of, abundant natural resources often triggers and sustains violent conflict. In Afghanistan, the award of the lucrative Aynak copper mines to the Metallurgical Corporation of China (MCC) in 2007 has raised a number of eyebrows. How could Afghanistan ensure that mining does not foster or fuel conflict?  The panel explored these questions.

  • July 6, 2010   |   Resource
    Iraq is Spinning Its Wheels, But in the Right Direction

    The emerging Iraq is starting to look like other parliamentary democracies, measuring itself with democratic yardsticks, with internal sectarian and ethnic frictions still strong but being worked out through politics, and with neighbors who won’t leave it alone. This is far from the Bush administration’s beacon of democracy, but it may be something the Obama administration will be able to call a foreign policy success come November 2012.

  • June 24, 2010   |   Resource
    The Premiership

    The institution of Iraq's prime minister has evolved since the previous national government was formed in 2006. The success of incumbent Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki in building an independent power base around the office and the diminishing U.S. presence in Iraq have transformed the perception and stature of Iraq's chief executive.

  • June 1, 2010   |   News Releases
    U.S. Institute of Peace Announces Promotion, New Member of Iraq Team

    The United States Institute of Peace announces two changes to its Iraq team, affecting operations in its Washington, D.C. and Baghdad offices. Effective immediately, Manal Omar has been named director of USIP's Iraq program, and Sean Kane has joined the team as program officer. Both will be based in the Institute's Washington, D.C. office and travel to Iraq several times a year.

The Current Situation

The overall security situation in Iraq has improved dramatically over the past two years as violence has fallen to levels not seen since the first months of the war. Moreover, political space has opened: 2009 provincial elections, though imperfect, were largely viewed as free and fair, incumbents were turned out, and a broad range of parties participated. In the run-up to January 2010 national elections, sectarian political mobilization on the scale experienced during and after the 2005 round has yet to materialize, despite grave concerns over the capacity of Iraqi forces to maintain security in the wake of U.S. withdrawal.

Take a more in depth look at the current situation in Iraq.

The Baghdad Office

Since 2004, USIP has maintained a permanent field mission in Iraq, with an outstanding Iraqi and American staff who provide essential on- the-ground support to USIP’s programs.

Going Forward: USIP Goals in Iraq

USIP experts in Baghdad and Washington are working diligently toward peace and stability by implementing projects aimed at:

Multimedia

  • Watch Salam Shabab (Peace Youth) and learn about USIP's work with media, youth, and conflict
  • Watch Program Officer Manal Omar analyze the Iraqi elections and read more about USIP's work on the elections.
  • Watch Matt Levinger discuss the Obama administration’s policy toward Iraq and how the “Responsibility to Protect” doctrine could be invoked to help prevent violence in northern Iraq. 
  • Watch and listen to Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki's speech at an exclusive event at USIP in July 2009.
  • Watch Sam Parker discuss U.S. – Iraqi relations.

The Iraq Study Group

USIP was the facilitating organization for the Iraq Study Group, which made a forward-looking, independent assessment of the current and prospective situation on the ground in Iraq and how it affects the surrounding region as well as U.S. interests.

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