The speaker of Iraq’s parliament, His Excellency Dr. Saleem al-Jubouri, discussed his country’s current challenges in a public forum on June 8, 2015 at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

The address by Dr. al-Jubouri, elected last year to lead Iraq’s Council of Representatives, follows USIP events with Iraq’s Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi in April and Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani in May. After making public remarks, Dr. al-Jubouri responded to questions in a discussion moderated by USIP’s Executive Vice President, Amb. William Taylor.

Dr. al-Jubouri visited Washington to meet with U.S. officials and members of Congress at a critical time for Iraq and its international partners fighting the extremist forces of ISIS (also known as the Islamic State). ISIS’ capture of the city of Ramadi, and its sabotage of the country’s largest oil refinery at Baiji, both in May 2015, underscore the threat the group poses to the Iraqi people and state. Amidst the ongoing war against ISIS, the Iraqi Council of Representatives is considering legislation on topics—such as the National Guard and the federal court system—that are critical to addressing governance and security problems that gave rise to ISIS.

Dr. al-Jubouri has been a member of the 328-seat Council of Representatives since 2005. He was awarded his PhD with distinction in law and was a law professor at Nahrain University in Baghdad.

Continue the conversation on Twitter with #IraqiSpeaker.

Speakers

  • Nancy Lindborg, Opening Remarks
    President, U.S. Institute of Peace
  • H.E. Dr. Saleem al-Jubouri, Public Remarks
    Speaker, Council of Representatives, Republic of Iraq
  • Amb. William Taylor, Moderator
    Acting Executive Vice President, U.S. Institute of Peace

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