TMC Topic Guide
Iraq
Created: June 22, 2020
Last Updated: October 11, 2022
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Note: This guide contains substantial coverage on the United States involvement in the war of Iraq. It also covers topics related to ISIS, the Kurdish region, and domestic politics and protests in Iraq.
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Table of contents
U.S. involvement in the war in Iraq
Politics and conflict in Iraq
Protests and demonstrations
ISIS and the Islamic State
Kurdish region
Elections
Foreign involvement
U.S. involvement in the war in Iraq
See also the topic guide on the Iran Nuclear Program and U.S.-Iran Crises, especially coverage of the January 2020 U.S.-Iran confrontation; and the topic guide on Syria.
- Asfandyar Mir and Ramzy Mardini, “With two American soldiers dead in Iraq, how will the U.S. respond?” March 12, 2020.
- Stacie L. Pettyjohn, “Trump threatens ‘sanctions like they’ve never seen’ if Iraq evicts U.S. forces. Can Iraq do it?” January 6, 2020.
- Andrew Shaver and Debora Hyemin Han, “As the U.S. withdraws from Syria and Afghanistan, here are lessons from the Iraq War,” January 7, 2019.
- Paul Staniland, “The U.S. military is trying to manage foreign conflicts — not resolve them. Here’s why,” July 16, 2018.
- Lisa Blaydes and Martha Crenshaw, “How 9/11 created a feedback loop for international jihadism,” September 22, 2017.
- Jacob Olidort, “Why the words we use about terrorism matter,” March 30, 2017.
- Emily Meierding, “Trump’s ‘Take Iraq’s oil’ isn’t a new idea. Here’s why it won’t work,” September 13, 2016.
- Henry Farrell, “Here’s why the Iraq War may have helped trigger the financial crisis,” Oct. 15, 2015.
- Caitlin Talmadge and Austin Long, “Why the U.S. (still) can’t train the Iraqi military,” September 22, 2015.
- Marc Lynch, “The dilemmas of working with Iraqi militias,” June 25, 2015.
- Andrew Gelman, “Controversial 2006 estimate of Iraq deaths remains controversial,” April 27, 2015.
- Joshua Rovner and Caitlin Talmadge, “The U.S. just leaked its war plan in Iraq. Why?” February 27, 2015.
- Amy Austin Holmes, “What the battle for Kobane says about U.S. overseas military bases,” February 2, 2015.
- Andrew Shaver and Yang-Yang Zhou, “How to make surveys in war zones better, and why this is important,” January 7, 2015.
- Neil Mitchell and Sabine Carey, “Informal counterinsurgency from Iraq to Nigeria: Who pays the price?” December 22, 2014.
- Henry Farrell, “If policymakers had listened to political scientists, we wouldn’t have invaded Iraq,” September 24, 2014.
- Jonah Schulhofer-Wohl, “How the U.S. fragmented Syria’s rebels,” September 22, 2014.
- Jason Brownlee, “Was Obama wrong to withdraw troops from Iraq?” June 26, 2014.
- Robert Pape, “Why U.S. military involvement will hurt Iraq and increase suicide terrorism,” June 19, 2014.
Politics and conflict in Iraq
- Hamzeh Hadad, “Iraqis voted a year ago but still don’t have a government,” October 10, 2022.
- Michael Robbins, “Arab citizens know democracy’s not perfect. They want it anyway,” July 21, 2022.
- Renad Mansour and Benedict Robin-D’Cruz, “Iraq’s populist leader quit parliament. What happens now?” June 22, 2022.
- Renad Mansour, “Iraqis protest deadly hospital fires as symptom of embedded corruption,” July 20, 2021.
- Marsin Alshamary, “Important Iraqi archives are now back in Baghdad. Where were they, and what happens now?” September 15, 2020.
- Renad Mansour, “Iraq is trying yet again to form a government. Why is it so hard?” April 15, 2020.
- Ranj Alaaldin, “What will happen to Iraqi Shiite militias after one key leader’s death?” February 29, 2020.
- Renad Mansour, “Here’s how airstrikes targeting Iran-backed paramilitary groups in Iraq threaten post-ISIS stability,” September 9, 2019.
- Renad Mansour, “Why are Iraq’s paramilitaries turning on their own ranks?” February 18, 2019.
- Marsin Alshamary, “The role of Iraq’s influential Shiite clerics is changing. Here’s how,” February 4, 2019.
- Tutku Ayhan, “A Yazidi activist was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. But what happens next for Yazidis?” October 30, 2018.
- Zahra Ali, “After several high-profile murders in Iraq, here’s what headlines missed about their cause,” October 15, 2018.
- Renad Mansour, “Can a new president and prime minister solve Iraq’s broken politics?” October 10, 2018.
- Kristian Skrede Gleditsch, Simon Hug, Livia I. Schubiger, and Julian Wucherpfennig, “How to keep armed groups from using land mines,” February 28, 2018.
- Malfrid Braut-Hegghammer, “Why North Korea succeeded at getting nuclear weapons — when Iraq and Libya failed,” January 2, 2018.
- Zahra Ali, “Women’s rights are under threat in Iraq,” November 20, 2017.
- Munqith al-Dagher and Karl Kaltenthaler, “A striking positive shift in Sunni opinion in Iraq is underway. Here’s what it means,” September 14, 2017.
- Fanar Haddad, “Why a controversial Iraqi Shiite cleric visited Saudi Arabia,” August 10, 2017.
- Laurie A. Brand and Marc Lynch, “How the refugee crisis is transforming the Middle East,” March 30, 2017.
- Fotini Christia, Elizabeth Dekeyser, and Dean Knox, “Shiites are participating in the world's largest pilgrimage today. Here's how they view the world,” November 21, 2016.
- Malfrid Braut-Hegghammer, “Why some dictators are more likely to get nuclear weapons. 5 lessons from Iraq and Libya,” Oct. 10, 2016.
- Ariel I. Ahram, “Lessons from the destruction of Iraq’s marshes,” August 17, 2015.
- Zaid Al-Ali, “Premature excitement about Iraq’s new government reforms,” August 14, 2015.
- Serhun Al, “Stronger Baghdad, weaker Irbil?” August 12, 2015.
- Kristen Kao, “Do Jordan’s tribes challenge or strengthen the state?” May 28, 2015.
- Ariel I. Ahram, “Are militias a menace?” January 5, 2015.
- Yezid Sayigh, “Militaries, civilians and the crisis of the Arab state,” December 8, 2014.
- Kerry F. Crawford, Amelia Hoover Green, and Sarah E. Parkinson, “Wartime sexual violence is not just a ‘weapon of war’,” September 24, 2014.
- Elizabeth Ferris and Abbie Taylor, “The past and future of Iraq’s minorities,” September 8, 2014.
- Sinan Antoon and Zaid Al-Ali, “Who is to blame for Iraq’s problems?” July 21, 2014.
- Zaid Al-Ali, “Maliki has only himself to blame for Iraq’s crisis,” June 26, 2014.
- Fanar Haddad, “Getting rid of Maliki won’t solve Iraq’s crisis,” June 17, 2014.
- Keren Fraiman, Austin Long, and Caitlin Talmadge, “Why the Iraqi army collapsed (and what can be done about it),” June 13, 2014.
Protests and demonstrations
- Zahra Ali, “Iraqis have been holding peaceful mass protests. The U.S. strike and its aftermath are undermining that,” January 10, 2020.
- Marsin Alshamary, “Iraqi protesters are mostly Shiite. And this identity is shaping how they protest,” December 14, 2019.
- Munqith Dagher, “Iraq’s protests haven’t yet changed the system — but they’re transforming Iraqis’ belief in themselves,” December 10, 2019.
- Renad Mansour, Thanassis Cambanis, and Michael Wahid Hanna, “These Iraqi militias are attacking protesters and getting away with it. Here’s why,” November 18, 2019.
- Marsin Alshamary and Safwan Al-Amin, “Iraqi protesters demand constitutional change. Can they make it happen?” November 7, 2019.
- Haley Bobseine, “Iraqis plan to continue protests Friday. Here’s what might happen,” October 24, 2019.
- Bassel F. Salloukh, “Here’s what the protests in Lebanon and Iraq are really about,” October 19, 2019.
- Zahra Ali and Safaa Khalaf, “In Iraq, demonstrators demand change — and the government fights back,” October 9, 2019.
- Kristin Fabbe, Melani Cammett, and Marc Lynch, “This big factor is at the heart of political protests all over Middle East,” October 25, 2018.
- Benjamin Isakhan and Peter E. Mulherin, “After the big protests in Basra, what’s next?” September 21, 2018.
- Marsin Alshamary and Safwan Al-Amin, “Who to blame for the protests in Basra, Iraq?” September 14, 2018.
- Zaid Al-Ali, “Can a new government solve the protests in Iraq?” September 13, 2018.
- Benedict Robin-D’Cruz, “How violent protests in Iraq could escalate,” September 11, 2018.
- Benedict Robin-D’Cruz, “Protests are mounting in Iraq. Why?” July 21, 2018.
- Bassel F. Salloukh, “How to break the Middle East’s sectarian spiral,” August 8, 2016.
ISIS and the Islamic State
- Dan Eizenga, “‘Islamic State in Africa’ explores nine militant Islamist groups,” July 15, 2022.
- Devorah Margolin and Austin C. Doctor, “Thousands of men, women and children remain in detention because of their former ties to ISIS,” February 2, 2022.
- Dan Byman, “Worried about an Islamic State comeback? Here’s why that’s unlikely,” October 29, 2019.
- Isak Svensson, Jonathan Hall, Dino Krause, and Eric Skoog, “How ordinary Iraqis resisted the Islamic State,” March 22, 2019.
- Kristen Kao and Mara Revkin, “How the Iraqi crackdown on the Islamic State may actually increase support for the Islamic State,” January 7, 2019.
- Mara Revkin, “How militants in Iraq and Syria recruit and use children,” February 14, 2018.
- Amarnath Amarasingam and J.M. Berger, “With the destruction of the caliphate, the Islamic State has lost far more than territory,” October 31, 2017.
- Güneş Murat Tezcür, “Three years ago, the Islamic State massacred Yazidis in Iraq. Why?” August 15, 2017.
- Aisha Ahmad, “Islamic State’s next move could be underground criminal networks,” August 8, 2017.
- Mieczyslaw Boduszynski, “Fighting the Islamic State won't change the sectarian image of Iraq’s militias,” December 28, 2016.
- Eckart Woertz and Hadi Jaafar, “It’s not funded just by oil and looting. How the Islamic State uses agriculture,” September 27, 2016.
- Munqith al-Dagher and Karl Kaltenthaler, “Why Iraqis living under the Islamic State fear their liberators,” April 11, 2016.
- Marc Lynch, “Contesting the Caliphate,” July 22, 2015.
- Mia Bloom, “Six things you need to know about women and ISIS,” June 4, 2015.
- Michael Danti, “Why the Islamic State’s annihilation of ancient cultures matters,” May 29, 2015.
- Munqith al-Dagher, “How Iraqi Sunnis really feel about the Islamic State,” March 24, 2015.
- Richard A. Nielsen, “Does the Islamic State believe in sovereignty?” February 6, 2015.
- Quinn Mecham, “How much of a state is the Islamic State?” February 5, 2015.
- Aaron Y. Zelin, “The Islamic State’s model,” January 28, 2015.
- Andrew Shaver, “Turning the lights off on the Islamic State,” October 16, 2014.
- Mark Lawrence Schrad, “Ukraine and ISIS are not justifications of a ‘clash of civilizations’,” September 22, 2014.
- Andrew Shaver and Gabriel Tenorio, “Want to defeat ISIS in Iraq? More electricity would help,” June 19, 2014.
Kurdish region
- Morgan L. Kaplan, “Trump’s Syria announcement is a change of speed — not a change of direction,” October 9, 2019.
- Zaid Al-Ali, “Here’s what old constitutional debates tell us about the new crisis in Iraqi Kurdistan,” October 30, 2017.
- Renad Mansour, “The Kurdish referendum backfired badly. Here’s why,” October 25, 2017.
- Nicole F. Watts, “Most Kurds in Iraq support independence. So why did some voters stay home during last week’s referendum?” October 6, 2017.
- Ryan Griffiths, “Kurdistan and Catalonia are voting on independence. Welcome to the age of secession,” September 23, 2017.
- Morgan L. Kaplan and Ramzy Mardini, “5 things to know about the referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan,” September 19, 2017.
- Morgan L. Kaplan and Ramzy Mardini, “The Kurdish region of Iraq is going to vote on independence. Here’s what you need to know,” June 21, 2017.
- Nicole F. Watts, “Redefining the Kurdish nation,” February 27, 2015.
Elections
- Hamzeh Hadad, “Iraqis voted a year ago but still don’t have a government,” October 10, 2022.
- Michael Robbins, “Arab citizens know democracy’s not perfect. They want it anyway,” July 21, 2022.
- Renad Mansour and Lina Khatib, “An emerging populism is sweeping the Middle East,” July 11, 2018.
- Benedict Robin, “Why many failed to predict the leftist-Islamist alliance that won Iraq’s 2018 elections,” June 7, 2018.
- Christine McCaffray van den Toorn, “Was Iraq’s recent election a democratic success? Depends whom you ask,” May 23, 2018.
- Zaid Al-Ali, “Why Iraq’s surprising election doesn’t signal major changes,” May 16, 2018.
- Ranj Alaaldin, “What Iraq’s election means for its Shiite militias,” May 12, 2018.
- Renad Mansour, “What to expect from Iraq’s election on Saturday,” May 7, 2018.
Foreign involvement