Iraq

List of Iraq articles

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani (L) meets Prime Minister of northern Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (IKRG), Masrour Barzani in Erbil (R) in Erbil, Iraq on March 15.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani (L) meets Prime Minister of northern Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government (IKRG), Masrour Barzani in Erbil (R) in Erbil, Iraq on March 15.

Iran Is Exploiting Divisions and U.S. Inaction in Iraqi Kurdistan

While Washington sits idly by, the region is on the brink of falling into Tehran’s orbit.

Smoke covers the presidential palace compound in Baghdad during a U.S.-led air raid on March 21, 2003.
Smoke covers the presidential palace compound in Baghdad during a U.S.-led air raid on March 21, 2003.

Why the Iraq War AUMF Is Still Dangerous

Legislation authorizing the 2003 war is still on the books—and alarmingly open-ended.

A man is seen in profile standing several yards away from a prison.
A man is seen in profile standing several yards away from a prison.

The Biden Administration Is Dangerously Downplaying the Global Terrorism Threat

Today, there are more terror groups in existence, in more countries around the world, and with more territory under their control than ever before.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks at a podium during a joint press conference. Next to him, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein stands behind his own podium and frowns as he watches Fidan. A marble wall is visible behind the men, and the flags of Iraq and Turkey stand in front of it.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks at a podium during a joint press conference. Next to him, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein stands behind his own podium and frowns as he watches Fidan. A marble wall is visible behind the men, and the flags of Iraq and Turkey stand in front of it.

Turkey’s Halt on Iraqi Oil Exports Is Shaking Up Global Markets

A diplomatic deadlock over a 50-year-old pipeline agreement is wreaking havoc in the region—and beyond.

People walk in the distance atop cracked soil in a dried-up irrigation canal through a wheat field in Iraqi Kurdistan's Rania district.
People walk in the distance atop cracked soil in a dried-up irrigation canal through a wheat field in Iraqi Kurdistan's Rania district.

The Cradle of Civilization Is Drying Up

Climate change endangers the Tigris and Euphrates—but it’s not the only reason the rivers are vanishing.

A supporter of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr waves the Iraqi flag in Baghdad, on August 29, 2022.
A supporter of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr waves the Iraqi flag in Baghdad, on August 29, 2022.

20 Years After Liberation, Iraq Needs Root-and-Branch Reform

The system of government set up after 2003 has run its course.

A protester waves the Iraqi national flag as police with riot shields stand nearby.
A protester waves the Iraqi national flag as police with riot shields stand nearby.

Iraq’s Story Isn’t Over

The ideal vision for Iraq post-2003 did not materialize as foreseen, but this should not be the sole prism through which we judge the country now.

A large banner is displayed on the outer wall of the Russian Embassy in Cyprus.
A large banner is displayed on the outer wall of the Russian Embassy in Cyprus.

Adam Tooze: Why Iraq’s Economy Never Recovered From the U.S. Invasion

In the 1980s, it had one of the most advanced economies in the Arab world.

Ones-And-Tooze-podcast-series-1500x1000-site (1)
Ones-And-Tooze-podcast-series-1500x1000-site (1)

Why Iraq’s Economy Never Recovered From the U.S. Invasion

What did the war cost, and how do we go about calculating the cost in the first place?

Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.
Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing

The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.

Iraqi children walk along a damaged road on their way back from school in Mosul, Iraq
Iraqi children walk along a damaged road on their way back from school in Mosul, Iraq

Iraq Must Not Squander Another Opportunity to Rebuild

The war’s legacy is 20 years of broken hopes and dreams. This government must do better.

U.S. Marines walk past a toppled statue of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.
U.S. Marines walk past a toppled statue of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.
Kosovo Albanians sit next to a U.S. flag in Pristina.
Kosovo Albanians sit next to a U.S. flag in Pristina.

Iraq’s Damage Created a Strain of Permanent American Defeatism

Accepting U.S. failures doesn't mean giving dictators a free hand.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani at a press conference in Berlin.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani at a press conference in Berlin.

‘They Have to Balance’: New Iraqi Leader Tilts the Scales Toward U.S.

Mohammed al-Sudani’s public support of U.S. troops reflects a behind-the-scenes shift—and the continued threat from the Islamic State.

Iraqi Shiite women carry portraits of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, his predecessor and Islamic Revolution founder Ayatollah Khomeini and late Iraqi Shiite cleric Mohammed Baqer al-Sadr during a military parade in Baghdad, on May 31, 2019.
Iraqi Shiite women carry portraits of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, his predecessor and Islamic Revolution founder Ayatollah Khomeini and late Iraqi Shiite cleric Mohammed Baqer al-Sadr during a military parade in Baghdad, on May 31, 2019.

Iraq Is Nearing the Brink of a Shiite Civil War

The increasingly violent rivalry between Moqtada al-Sadr and Iran will decide Iraq’s future.

Protesters supporting Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr occupy the Iraqi parliament in Baghdad, on Aug. 3.
Protesters supporting Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr occupy the Iraqi parliament in Baghdad, on Aug. 3.

Biden’s Indifference Has Given Iran the Upper Hand in Iraq

The country’s fragile postwar democracy is threatened like never before.

Supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather outside the Iraqi parliament in the Green Zone in Baghdad, on the seventh day of protests against the nomination of a rival Shiite faction for the position of prime minister on Aug. 5, 2022.
Supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather outside the Iraqi parliament in the Green Zone in Baghdad, on the seventh day of protests against the nomination of a rival Shiite faction for the position of prime minister on Aug. 5, 2022.

Is Moqtada al-Sadr Trying to Stage a Jan. 6 Insurrection in Iraq?

The cleric’s “spontaneous peaceful revolution” is more of a bid to maintain his own influence—and the political status quo.

A crowd of men protesting hold flags and a large portrait of Sadr.
A crowd of men protesting hold flags and a large portrait of Sadr.

Moqtada al-Sadr Wants to Be Iraq’s Ayatollah Khomeini

Despite the Shiite cleric’s apparent efforts against Iranian influence in Iraq, his chief inspiration is Iran’s founder and most famous supreme leader.

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