January 2007 PeaceWatch

In 2007 the Institute's Baghdad office facilitated a remarkable reconciliation conference entitled "Mahmoudiya: Cornerstone of Unity and National Accord." The event convened 31 tribal sheikhs -- 18 Sunni and 13 Shia -- from Mahmoudiya, a district south of Baghdad that has come to be known as the "Triangle of Death" due to its recent history of violence. The U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division asked the Institute to help the local sheikhs develop common goals and courses of action to restore stability to their troubled region.