by International Crisis Group What’s new? In June, several rockets landed near U.S. installations in Iraq, and in July-August, explosions shook weapons storage facilities and a convoy of Iraqi paramilitary groups tied to Iran. These incidents helped push U.S.-Iranian tensions to… Continue Reading
by Abdulwahab Al-Qassab Iraq has become another front in the Israel-Iran proxy wars in the Middle East. Last July, two suspected attacks were conducted against Iran-allied Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), one in Amerli in Salahuddin governorate north of Baghdad and… Continue Reading
by International Crisis Group Today’s standoff between the U.S. and Iran is reminiscent of tensions on the eve of World War I. A small incident could blow up into region-spanning conflict. Third-party mediation is urgently needed to begin de-escalation that… Continue Reading
by Paul R. Pillar Earlier this year the Trump administration, while stoking an atmosphere of crisis with Iran, withdrew “non-emergency” personnel from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq. It is not clear what specific development, if any,… Continue Reading
by Laura Gottesdiener There’s a dark joke going around Baghdad these days. Noof Assi, a 30-year-old Iraqi peace activist and humanitarian worker, told it to me by phone. Our conversation takes place in late May just after the Trump administration… Continue Reading