Iraq

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

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

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

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

New elections won’t fix what increasingly looks like a systemic problem.

After leaning heavily on the United States, Iraq is finding its own footing.

On the anniversary of its liberation from the Islamic State, Iraq’s second city heals its scars.

Mustafa al-Kadhimi promised reform and freedom of expression. Now he’s using archaic laws to stifle free speech.

The world’s sixth-largest oil producer still suffers from fuel shortages and power outages.

Iraq’s most recent election promised change but ended up entrenching the establishment.

Baghdad can’t rebuild its infrastructure and agricultural sector when its land remains littered with thousands of explosive devices.

The slow fall of the nation-state’s monopoly on violence will shape future conflicts.

Rebuilding U.S. standing requires an end to backing militants abroad.

The recent repatriation of artifacts to Iraq sets a promising precedent—but it’s not nearly enough.

Election results show citizens want a government that can stand on its own without being propped up by Iran, the United States, or shadowy militias.

The Shiite cleric was once Washington’s bitter enemy in Iraq—and now offers the best chance of securing U.S. interests.

Pro-Iran parties lost support, say they’ll reject the results, and are threatening violence.

At great personal risk, Iraqi civil society leaders gather to demand entry into the Abraham Accords.