Iraq

Non-state actors and the phantom of asymmetry
Non-state actors and the phantom of asymmetry
The sunny days of free-riding are receding. In some form or another, most countries have leeched off American power for the last three decades. The preponderance of US military…
The war in Gaza has not destroyed normalisation … for now
The war in Gaza has not destroyed normalisation … for now
Arab governments who have diplomatic relations with Israel, such as Egypt and Jordan, are under increasing pressure from their populations to sever ties amid a growing outcry over…
What went right in Iraq
What went right in Iraq
“Certainly, the authorities in Washington who had prepared our policy directive did not visualise these conditions” – Lucius Clay, reflecting on his time in the 1940s as US…
Iran’s energy diplomacy
Iran’s energy diplomacy
Much is made of Iran’s use of proxy or allied groups to exert “hard power” influence throughout the Middle East where Tehran believes its interests are under threat (Lebanon), or…
Did 9/11 change our world?
Interactives
Did 9/11 change our world?
We asked six experts, “Did 9/11 define our world? If so, how? If not, what did?” After each of their responses to these questions, editor Lydia Khalil challenges the experts…
“Repair and Build”: Pope Francis’ visit to Iraq
“Repair and Build”: Pope Francis’ visit to Iraq
The chronicles recount that, while praying in the little dilapidated church of San Damiano, Saint Francis of Assisi heard a voice: “Francis, go repair my church, which as you can…
UN report on US killing of Iranian commander misses the mark
UN report on US killing of Iranian commander misses the mark
In the early hours of 3 January 2020, missiles fired from US drones killed ten people near Baghdad airport. Drone strikes by the US are almost commonplace these days, but what…
Need To Know: Brett McGurk on America’s strategy to defeat ISIS
Need To Know: Brett McGurk on America’s strategy to defeat ISIS
Given the increasingly familiarity of video conferencing during working from home arrangements, we thought to take the opportunity to commence a new series of interviews with key…
Middle East dispatch: A paper closes, a rift opens, Syria slips
Middle East dispatch: A paper closes, a rift opens, Syria slips
Out of print In the latest casualty of Lebanon’s ongoing political crisis, the country’s only national English-language newspaper, The Daily Star, has temporarily ceased…
The Kurds are again caught in the crossfire, now between US and Iran
The Kurds are again caught in the crossfire, now between US and Iran
In the immediate aftermath of the Soleimani strike, Iran’s first act of retaliation was to launch 22 missiles against the US base at the Ain al-Assad airbase,…