In the wake of US troop withdrawals from Iraqi cities and with the scheduling of full withrawal still ahead, the ISN looks at the past, present and future of US involvement in Iraq. With a new president, a new strategy and a set of new challenges at home, the level of US engagement is changing drastically and rapidly altering the realities and demands on the ground. Will Iraqi troops stand up once Americans stand down? Will political reconciliation and institution-building take root?
- In this week’s ISN Podcast: Iraq: The Endgame we discuss the balance sheet of the US occupation with Christopher Allbritton, a former AP and New York Daily News reporter and blogger.
- In our Publications section we feature After the Fire: Shaping the Future US Relationship with Iraq, a Center for a New American Security paper providing a comprehensive overview of Iraq’s challenges and possible avenues for US policy.
- We also feature Dysfunction and Decline, a Combating Terrorism Center paper on the state of Al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) and a United States Institute of Peace paper on Iraq’s regional relations.
- In Primary Resources we feature ‘Responsibly Ending the War in Iraq’, a speech by President Obama.
- In Policy Briefs, a United States Institute of Peace brief examines ways in which the Iraqi Interior Ministry can strengthen the Iraqi police force.