Iraq

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.

A crisis within Islam spawned al Qaeda. It also put an end to a U.S.-led unipolar world.

The lone superpower inadvertently taught the rest of the world how to fight it—and win.

The parallels are easy to list.

After decades of offering only chaos, Baghdad is trying to become a leading force in the region.

The supervillain movie demonstrates the possibilities—and limits—of the genre.

Relabeling U.S. soldiers as “noncombat” won’t spare them from militia attacks.

The United States’ longtime partners in northern Iraq are watching Afghanistan go to pieces after the U.S. pullout with “wishful thinking.”