Iraq

USIP has been working with Iraqis since early 2004. USIP's objectives in Iraq include:

• Support mediation and dialogue at the local, provicial, and national levels
• Strengthen cross-sectarian links
• Strenghten civil society and the education sector
• Promote tolerance and respect for human rights
• Help create compacts based on equitable sharing of power and resources

USIP has a field office in Baghdad. The Iraq program is a part of USIP's Center for Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations, directed by Daniel Serwer.

Highlights

USIP Iraq Programs Make Significant Security Contributions
April 8, 2008 | News Release

General David Petraeus called Iraq's security situation 'uneven' in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today, saying significant gains made in the last year are 'fragile and reversible'. Addressing the country's remaining security gaps by pursuing peacebuilding at the national, provincial, and neighborhood level will be a crucial part of building a sustainable peace, says the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP), which has led successful peacebuilding programs on the ground in Iraq since 2004.

Iraq After the Surge: Options and Questions
April 2008 | USIPeace Briefing | Daniel Serwer and Sam Parker
The Bush Administration and Congress face difficult choices in Iraq. How can the relative success during the surge be prolonged and solidified? Should the drawdown continue? When will the Iraqi security forces be ready to take over? What can be done to accelerate political progress?

From Gridlock to Compromise: How Three Laws Could Begin to Transform Iraqi Politics
March 2008 | USIPeace Briefing | Jason Gluck
Iraqi lawmakers, breaking a prolonged stalemate, recently passed key legislation on regional powers, amnesty and the national budget. Five years after the U.S.-led invasion, is rule of law starting to take hold?