Publications
Articles, publications, books, tools and multimedia features from the U.S. Institute of Peace provide the latest news, analysis, research findings, practitioner guides and reports, all related to the conflict zones and issues that are at the center of the Institute’s work to prevent and reduce violent conflict.
Weak Viability: The Iraqi Federal State and the Constitutional Amendment Process
How does constitutional instability contribute to the cycle of violence in Iraq? Jonathan Morrow makes recommendations for Iraq's upcoming constitutional amendment process that could help stop the current decline in the country's security situation.
Who Are Iraq's New Leaders? What Do They Want?
USIP's ongoing examination of Iraq's emerging leadership finds a revolutionary change in the forces shaping the new leaders and their political orientation since the end of the Ba'th regime. The report offers several proposals to help Iraqis step back from the current political crisis.
Saudi Arabia and Iraq: Oil, Religion, and an Enduring Rivalry
This Special Report is third in a series on "Iraq and Its Neighbors," examining the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia and Riyadh's policies toward Baghdad.
Iraq's New Political Map
In 2006, a new group of Iraqi leaders came to power through elections. In the absence of strong bureaucratic and military institutions, the qualities and skills they bring to bear and their capacity and willingness to cooperate, especially across ethnic and sectarian lines, will determine whether Iraq collapses into chaos or moves forward toward stability.
Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Iraq
In January 2007, President Bush announced that the United States would double the number of Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), small civilian-military units that assist provincial and local governments to govern effectively and deliver essential services, as part of his plan for a "New Way Forward" in Iraq. This report examines the U.S. experience with PRTs in Iraq, notes shortcomings, and suggests ways they could be more effective.
Political Progress in Iraq During the Surge
Rend Al-Rahim Francke concludes that the military surge has bettered the security situation in Baghdad. However, political progress has faltered and not matched these improvements.
Ayatollah Sistani and the Democratization of Post-Ba'athist Iraq
Based on historical analysis and personal interviews with a number of aides and representatives of the grand ayatollah in Iran and Iraq since 2005, this report examines the role of Ayatollah Ali Hussaini Sistani in the democratization of post-Ba‘athist Iraq.
Iraq and the Gulf States: The Balance of Fear
Iraq’s Persian Gulf neighbors supported the U.S. invasion of Iraq in order to preserve the status quo--a weak and self-absorbed Iraq--rather than to impose a new one. However, the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and its aftermath have not brought stability to the Gulf States as much as they have shifted the most serious challenges from external threats (of a hostile Baghdad) to internal threats (the threat of conflict spillover from Iraq).
Iraq's Constitutional Process II: An Opportunity Lost
Summary Even with the approval of a permanent constitution in the October national referendum, Iraq’s future is uncertain. Widespread Sunni Arab opposition to the new constitution has confirmed the existence of a fault line that profoundly divides Iraqi society. The Transitional Authoritative Law (TAL) envisaged a six-and-a-half-month, transparent, participatory, and orderly constitutional process. The TAL also provided the option, in Article 61(F), of a further six-month extension....
Iran and Iraq: The Shia Connection, Soft Power, and the Nuclear Factor
Summary Predominantly Shiite Iran emerges from the aftermath of Saddam Hussein's fall with considerable power and influence in Iraq as Iraqis themselves struggle to acquire a semblance of unity and forge a new political order acceptable to Iraq's three key groups: Shia, Kurds, and Sunnis. Iran's leaders meet with Iraq's most influential personality, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani; American diplomats do not meet with Sistani. Iraq's new elected leaders make visits to Tehran and negotia...