U.S. Signals Approval of New Iraqi Prime Minister-Designate Selected by Pro-Tehran Bloc
More than five months after its national elections, Iraq may finally have a new leader. On April 27, Iraqi President Nizar Amedi named Ali al-Zaidi,...
Nouri al-Maliki
Iraq nominates little-known businessman to be next prime minister
The Coordination Framework (CF), a coalition of Iraqi Shiite parties that is the largest bloc in the country’s parliament, announced on April 27 that it is nominating Ali al Zaidi for prime...
Op-eds
Iraq aims to select new PM as US warns of Iran-backed threats, IRGC-QF head visits
Iraqi Shiite political parties are seeking to appoint a new prime minister amid significant internal and external pressures. The Coordination Framework (CF), a coalition of Iraqi Shiite parties, was working...
Op-eds
Iraq focuses on political appointees, economic challenges amid Iran ceasefire
On April 14, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani met with French Ambassador to Iraq Patrick Durrel. “Mr. Al-Sudani emphasized the necessity for major powers to exert utmost efforts to curb escalation...
Op-eds
Action on Another Front: Strikes on Pro-Tehran Militias in Iraq
Air strikes, likely conducted as part of American-Israeli operations, are hitting Iran-backed Shiite militias in Iraq, but no one is taking credit. The militias themselves claim to have launched dozens...
Policy Briefs
Former Iraq PM Maliki vows to pursue a return to office despite US opposition
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki has said he will continue seeking to become the next prime minister of the country. In an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP) published...
Op-eds
A Month of Crisis in Syria and Its Regional Ramifications
Syria has experienced another dramatic transformation. After a month of clashes that began in Aleppo and spread to eastern Syria, Damascus announced on January 30 that it had reached an agreement with...
Op-eds
Why Iraq’s Next Government Won’t Shake off Iran’s Influence
A pro-Iran government in Baghdad will compromise US development plans for Iraq.
Op-eds
Iraq’s Election Is Over, But the Real Winner Has Yet To Be Determined
The voting is done in Iraq, but that doesn’t mean there will be a new government anytime soon. The preliminary results of the November 11 election didn’t contain shocking conclusions, but neither did...
Policy Briefs
With voting in Iraq complete, government formation begins
Now that voters have cast their ballots in Iraq’s 2025 parliamentary elections, the country is entering the government formation phase, which culminates in the selection of the prime minister...
Op-eds
Iraq votes in parliamentary elections amid US security talks and concerns about Iranian influence
Iraqis voted in a parliamentary election on November 11, the country’s sixth since the toppling of former President Saddam Hussein in 2003. The election, held as security forces were deployed...
Op-eds
Iraqi polls grapple with Israeli and Iranian relations as country prepares to vote
Iraqis head to the polls Nov. 11 to elect 329 parliament members for a four-year term, marking the seventh free election since Saddam Hussein’s 2003 fall. Candidates are treading carefully, pledging...
Op-eds
Iranian-backed Iraqi militias in spotlight after Secretary of State Rubio’s call with Prime Minister Sudani
Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al Sudani “urged the United States to avoid unilateral decisions in Iraq, insisting that all actions impacting bilateral ties must go through formal diplomatic channels,”...
Op-eds
Pro-Iranian Iraqi politicians, militia leaders object to Syrian president visiting Iraq
A possible visit by Syria’s new transitional president, Ahmad al Sharaa, is causing controversy in Iraq. Several key Shiite political and militia leaders have come out against the visit and called on...
Op-eds
Major Shiite parties to run separately in Iraq’s November election amid disagreements
The Coordination Framework, the ruling Shiite alliance in Iraq, announced its intention for parties to run on separate lists in the November 11 election but reunite the coalition under the same...
Op-eds
Why do Iraqi Shiites hate the new Syria and its leader?
One might assume that the most unpopular individuals in Iraq are US President Donald Trump or Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Op-eds
Iraq’s former PM visits Houthis amid US strikes and Houthi attacks
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi visited Sanaa in Yemen to meet with the Iranian-backed Houthis days after the US launched airstrikes on the Houthis. His trip also came as the Houthis...
Op-eds
Head of Iraq’s powerful pro-Iranian Popular Mobilization Units visits Tehran
On February 18, Falih al Fayyadh, the chairman of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), visited Tehran and met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to a report in Iranian state media.
Op-eds
Iraq heads to provincial elections, first in ten years
Today Iraq is trying to put some of its past behind it.
Op-eds
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in Iraq’s New Cabinet
It remains to be seen whether the Iraqi honeymoon continues.