Iraq
Iraq is recovering from cycles of warfare, which displaced millions of people and caused massive destruction. As the country rebuilds, stabilizes and reintegrates into the region and the international community, it also needs to improve governance, diversify its economy and adapt to climate change. Since 2003, USIP has operated uninterrupted in Iraq, providing problem-solving platforms and technical assistance to civic groups and local and national government institutions involved in peacebuilding efforts. Current initiatives include helping Iraqis mediate and resolve complex return and reintegration issues in ISIS-liberated areas, especially addressing stigma associated with returns from al-Hol Camp in Northeast Syria and supporting ethnic and religious minorities to recover from ISIS’s genocide; advancing implementation of UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security; and supporting governance and adaptation to climate change.
Learn more in USIP’s fact sheet on The Current Situation in Iraq.
Featured Publications
Baghdad Is Ready for a New Chapter in U.S.-Iraq Relations
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani met last week with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House as part of a weeklong visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations. The visit occurred amid several historic anniversaries and dangerous developments in the Middle East. April marks the 21st anniversary of the toppling of Saddam Hussein. Since 2003, the U.S.-Iraq relationship has witnessed many ups and downs. Even as tensions persist, particularly in relation to the U.S. troop presence in the country, al-Sudani’s visit — which featured the largest delegation Iraqis have brought to Washington — demonstrates Iraqi will to start a new chapter in the strategic partnership that goes beyond security.
Is the Middle East on the Verge of a Wider War?
Three months after the Hamas terror attack on Israel, reverberations from the ensuing conflict in Gaza threaten to engulf the region in a wider war.
Iraq’s Provincial Council Elections: The Way Forward in Nineveh Province
On December 18, Iraqis will elect members of the provincial councils, the highest oversight bodies of subnational government and key providers of public services. The elections are the first at the provincial level in over a decade and come in the wake of the 2019 anti-government protests that resulted in the dissolution of the provincial councils following demands from the protesters who accused them of corruption. Recent findings from the U.S. Institute of Peace’s Conflict and Stabilization Monitoring Framework in Nineveh Province reveal that candidates are facing a distrustful electorate that is lacking confidence in state institutions.
Current Projects
مرصد النزاع وإعادة الاستقرار
إن مرصد النزاع وإعادة الاستقرار (CSMF )، يشار إليه لاحقاً "المرصد"، هو أداة لجمع البيانات جرى تكييفها لتلائم السياق العراقي وهي مستمدّة من إطار معهد الولايات المتحدة للسلام لقياس مدى التقدّم المحرز في بيئات النزاع. يقوم هذا المرصد بجمع البيانات مباشرة من المجتمعات المحلية المتضررة من النزاع في العراق باستخدام مجموعة من 92 مؤشراً مرتبطة بخمسة مواضيع أساسية وتحقيق الاستقرار وهي الحوكمة؛ والمصالحة والعدالة؛ والتماسك الاجتماعي والرفاه؛ وسيادة القانون؛ والسلامة والأمن. ولقد تم إجراء جلسات التحقق مع أعضاء المجتمع باستخدام بيانات من الجولة الرابعة، وتم استكمال البيانات من الجولتين الرابعة والخامسة بمقابلات المخبرين الرئيسيين مع صانعي القرار المحليين. ويؤسّس هذا المرصد قاعدة أدلة قوية لبناء السلام في العراق باستخدام بيانات نظامية وطولية عبر فترات زمنية مختلفة. وتُوفّر هذه البيانات رؤى دقيقة يمكن أن تسترشد بها الجهود المبذولة للتخفيف من حدّة النّزاع العنيف وفي بعض الأحيان تسائل الافتراضات الشائعة بشأن العوائق التي تحول دون تحقيق السلام.
Conflict and Stabilization Monitoring Framework
The Conflict and Stabilization Monitoring Framework (CSMF) is a data collection tool adapted to the Iraq context from USIP’s Measuring Progress in Conflict Environments framework. CSMF collects data directly from Iraq’s conflict-affected communities using a set of 48 indicators tied to four core conflict and stabilization dynamics: community security, rule of law, governance, and livelihoods. The CSMF was created to establish a robust evidence base for peacebuilding in Iraq using systemic, longitudinal data.
Religious Landscape Mapping in Conflict-Affected States
Diplomats and peace practitioners often cite lack of familiarity with the religious landscape as a barrier to their engagement of religious actors. In 2013, USIP launched an initiative to address this need by developing a methodology for systematically mapping and assessing the religious sector’s influence on conflict and peace dynamics in discrete conflict settings. These mappings, which have been done or are underway in Libya, South Sudan, Iraq and Burma, help illuminate recommendations for effective partnerships within the religious sector for peacebuilding.