KAREN YOUNG — Gulf Arab states are funding development outside their borders, reshaping regional aid patterns and opening new arenas for competition with actors like China. Continue reading The Gulf’s New Interventionists
FANAR HADDAD — Iraqi sectarian and political identities have changed fundamentally since 2014. Continue reading “After Sectarianism”
RENAD MANSOUR — The most powerful groups within the PMU existed long before ISIS, and will continue to build influence. Continue reading “Iraq’s Permanent Mobilization”
BILAL WAHAB — Preparations for the independence referendum highlight political and generational divides in Iraqi Kurdistan. Continue reading “Erbil’s Endgame”
ALEX MELLO — The United Arab Emirates’ rapid expansion into East Africa will permanently reshape the region. Continue reading “Beyond the Peninsula”
MICHAEL KNIGHTS — To manage complex security challenges after ISIS, Baghdad should look to the pre-2014 period for guidance. Continue reading “Back to Iraq’s Future”
BARHAM A. SALIH — Policymakers in Iraqi Kurdistan must restore their people’s faith in the government, or jeopardize the region’s future. Continue reading “Risk and Reform in Iraqi Kurdistan”
SHERRI KRAHAM TALABANY — Helping vulnerable populations requires an integrated approach to mental healthcare and socio-economic empowerment. Continue reading “Iraq’s Hidden Wounds”
BELKIS WILLE — Uncertainty regarding proper screening, detention, and civilian return procedures threatens future instability in Iraq. Continue reading “The Fog of War Against ISIS”
CHRISTOPHER D. KOLENDA — Unless the United States changes its strategy in Afghanistan, that country could experience even greater tumult. Continue reading “Averting Disaster in Afghanistan”
TIM ARANGO — Although the risks for journalists in Iraq may be highly visible, reporting in the country has only become easier. Continue reading “Beyond Iraq’s Headlines”
SAHR MUHAMMEDALLY — Iraq’s government can implement civilian protection policies to promote national reconciliation and reduce tensions between the country’s myriad communities. Continue reading “How to Protect Iraq’s Civilians”
SARAH HOLEWINSKI — Protecting civilians during wartime must be a strategic priority for American policymakers. Continue reading “Learning Civilian Protection”
Today, the status of Iraqi armed groups remains ambiguous despite Baghdad’s attempts to integrate them into the military command structure — a situation that highlights the complex, multifaceted, and poorly-understood roles they will play in Iraq’s political, social, and military development after ISIS. Continue reading “The Future for Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units”
BILAL WAHAB — Stabilizing post-ISIS Iraq will require economic reform in addition to any political settlement. Continue reading “Rules of the Iraqi Game”
For Iraqi youth, opportunities to attend school have diminished. Without renewed investment in the country’s education system, the next 30 years will witness the maturation of a generation lacking its predecessor’s skills and training — reshaping its socio-economic environment. Continue reading “Empty Classrooms and Black Market Textbooks”
The war against ISIS has wrought intense devastation across Iraq. How can the Iraqi government, with international assistance, overcome financial restrictions to reconstruct the country? Continue reading “Putting Iraq Back Together”
Government policymakers and humanitarian agencies have not adequately prepared for a scenario in which a significant portion of Mosul’s remaining 1.2 million residents stay in the city as it is liberated. Continue reading “Will Mosul’s Residents Flee?”
JOOST HILTERMANN — In northern Iraq, Turkey and Iran are dangerously playing their proxies against each other.
Continue reading “Proxy War in Post-ISIL Iraq”
In Tal Afar, an overstretched Iraqi Army leaves regional powerbrokers and their proxies room to fight, with little chance of mediation.
Continue reading “Tal Afar: Spark for a Turkey-Iran Proxy War?”
The Iraqi government has ignored Hawija’s plight, risking future unrest. Continue reading “Forgotten Front Line in Hawija”
PAUL STANILAND — Uncertainty regarding internal Afghan Taliban politics limits options for leaders in both Kabul and Islamabad.
KENNETH POLLACK — The same political mistakes that sparked Iraq’s conflict in 2006 and 2014 threaten to tear the country apart again.
Continue reading “Cycles of Crisis”
JEAN-FRANÇOIS SEZNEC — As Saudi Arabia develops new strategies for economic development, its traditional governance model may disappear. Continue reading “Beyond the Rentier State”
MADAWI AL-RASHEED — Limited social and political reforms in Saudi Arabia only prolong the life of authoritarianism. Continue reading “Mystique of Monarchy”
NATHAN J. BROWN — Egypt’s president may have far less control over the post-revolutionary state than it seems. Continue reading “Experimenting in Cairo”
DAVID B. ROBERTS — A proclivity for adventurism in Riyadh, Doha, and Abu Dhabi may strain existing inefficiencies within a disunited GCC. Continue reading “Confusion in the Gulf”
MICHAEL KNIGHTS — Iraq lacks credible national leadership, and that may be alright. Continue reading “One Million Man Moment”
MICHAEL KNIGHTS — The Islamic State is the least of Iraq’s challenges. Continue reading “Devils You Don’t Know”
TOM GINSBURG — The Tunisian Constitution was born from a lucky confluence of capacity and cooperation. But the country’s real challenge may still lie ahead. Continue reading “How to Construct a State”
FANAR HADDAD — Iraq’s sectarian competition has been much more about differences in national truths than religious ones. Continue reading “Myths and Marginalization”
MOHAMMED SHAREEF — Since 2003 Iraqi Kurdistan has changed from a pawn to an actor. Today this transformation is being put to the test. Continue reading “On the Verge”
RODGER SHANAHAN — As the country wobbles, Lebanon’s “Party of God” advances narrow, sectarian interests as its regional capabilities increase. Continue reading “Hezbollah’s New Ground”
JOSEPH SASSOON — Endless violence has fundamentally cleaved Iraqi society. Yet there are no incentives to change this system. Continue reading “Constructing Division”
THEO FARRELL — After 13 years of fighting, Afghan National Security Forces have assumed responsibility for all combat operations in the country. Now the real fight begins. Continue reading “Painting a Mixed Picture”
ABBAS MILANI — In their efforts to forge a national identity Iran’s leaders have revealed deep chasms between social and political realities in the Islamic State. Continue reading “Between Definitions and Identities”
AVI SHLAIM — Israel has constructed an “iron wall of strength.” But now its leaders refuse to emerge from behind it. Continue reading “The Bleakest Picture”
Information at a glance from one of the P-WW’s contributors, Harith al-Qarawee, on the current developments in Iraq.
HARITH HASAN — A misguided discourse hides the deep secular and political roots of Iraq’s dramatic dissolution. Continue reading “Beyond the Sect”
MATTHEW SCHWEITZER — The United States must pressure Maliki to enact political changes to prevent further disaster, that is, if Iraq has not already fallen into the abyss.
JOHN NAGL — The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) was kicked out of Al Qaeda for being too violent. It may soon be kicked out of Iraq, and history. Continue reading “An Unthreatening Storm”
Few events of the last decade have loomed as large in US politics as the US decision to invade Iraq … Continue reading Lessons from the US War in Iraq: Ten Years Later
The P-WW’s Editor discusses the plight of Iraq’s intellectual class at Al Jazeera English. This article is the first in … Continue reading The Faces of Iraq’s Intelligentsia
The P-WW’s Editor discusses the Iraqi university system at war in Le Monde Diplomatique, to mark the ten-year anniversary of … Continue reading “Iraq Ten Years On: Ivory Tower Under Siege”
KENNETH M. POLLACK — When the United States withdrew from Iraq in 2011, they pulled the ground out from under a country still trying to find its political feet. The effects of this rush to exit threaten Iraqi democracy today. Continue reading “Rushing to the Finish”
JOOST HILTERMANN — There is little that could prevent small local conflicts from escalating into an Arab-Kurdish battle, except a political desire for stability on both sides and a residual US mediating role. Continue reading “The Kurdish Question”
AARON DAVID MILLER — Israel and Palestine are poised uneasily between a peace they cannot have and a confrontation they try to avoid. Continue reading “Illusions of Peace”
ALEXANDER COOLEY — United States strategy in Central Asia was guided by the Afghanistan conflict. This singular focus may come back to bite American policymakers during the next decade. Continue reading “The New Great Power Arena”
THEO FARRELL — The Taliban are ready to negotiate. The US and NATO are the ones turning the cold shoulder. Continue reading “Conversations with the Taliban”
GEORGE BISHARAT – A two-state solution would be damaging to Palestinian rights, and impossible to achieve. Continue reading “The One-State Solution”
BARBARA BODINE — The USS Cole tragedy illustrated Yemen as a country willing but often without the resources to aid in the American “War on Terror.” Continue reading “Driving Stability”
MARCIN ANDRZEJ PIOTROWSKI — For Poland, like many European nations, Afghan policy will be put on hold until after the United States gets the White House in order. Continue reading “The Waiting Game”
SUMAYA BOUADI — It was a generational shift in thought that guaranteed a revolution long before Mohammad Bouaziz ever sold fruit on Tunisian streets. Continue reading “Opinion: The Wallists”
STEN RYNNING — NATO earns a score of 6/10 for its cohesion, but only a 3/10 for strategic management. This assessment illuminates a stark contrast between the Alliance’s military successes and political disappointments. Continue reading “NATO’s Afghan Report Card”
ROSEMARY HOLLIS — The British experience in Iraq taught the UK about the region, and its place in Europe. Yet many leaders are not interested in learning any lessons. Continue reading “Understanding Reality”
STEPHEN STARR — Syria has its own silent majority, and it does not support the rebels or the regime. Continue reading “Under the Table”
ROBERT M. HATHAWAY — Pakistan and the United States have fostered a shallow alliance in Afghanistan. Leaders on both sides are troubled by its effects. Continue reading “Pakistan’s Woes”
MICHAEL BAUER — Al Qaeda failed to establish its caliphate in Iraq. For European counterterrorist experts, that was never the point of the war. Continue reading “How Al Qaeda Failed”
GEOFFREY GARRETT — Australia has always followed the United States into tricky situations. Afghanistan is no different. Continue reading “How Australia views Afghanistan”
SHIRO WACHIRA – Is Iran barking up the wrong tree in Africa? Continue reading “Opinion: The Second Scramble”
SAAD JAWAD – The 2003 invasion created a far more dangerous period for Iraqi intellectuals than under Saddam, and fractured Iraq’s political landscape. Continue reading “Navigating the Minefield”
The P-WW’s own Editor, Matthew Schweitzer, discusses Tunisia’s Arab Spring experience and the lessons it could teach the Palestinian authorities, … Continue reading Tunisia Could Teach the Palestinians a Thing or Two
NOAH FELDMAN – Religion and democracy can coexist in the Middle East. Just look at Iraq and Tunisia. Continue reading “Examining Religious Democracy”
COLIN KAHL – If Iran obtains nuclear weapons, it would destabilize the region. But it could also destabilize itself. And forget about it sharing those secrets with its proxies. Continue reading “Why Not to Attack Iran”
AMATZIA BARAM – Saddam learned his own lessons from Iraq’s political history, and his conclusions were not that illogical. Continue reading “Examining Saddam’s Iraq”
The P-WW’s own Editor, Matthew Schweitzer, discusses US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s June 12 accusations against Russia and Russian … Continue reading Misreading Russia in Syria
DAVID BETZ – When Information goes to war, the results might not be as unprecedented as one might think. Continue reading “Information at War”
BRUCE JENTLESON – In the Middle East, unlike in Vegas, what happens in one country does not stay in that country. Continue reading “Unmanned Warfare and Strategic Shift”
F. GREGORY GAUSE III – How can the international community understand Saudi Arabian politics? Continue reading “Saudi Arabia’s Geopolitical Role”
JOSEPH S. NYE – As leaders increasingly understand the character of power in international politics, the better their policy will become. Continue reading “Discourse on Power”
JENNIFER HEATH – It is impossible to put a single face on Afghanistan, despite the West’s best attempts. Continue reading “Memories from Afghanistan”
EDWARD BURKE – It is important to remember that Russia’s involvement in Syria is based on Cold War memories. Continue reading “Russia’s Syrian Ballet”
MUJIB MASHAL – An Al Jazeera reporter paints a picture of Afghanistan. Continue reading “Envisioning Afghanistan”
STEPHEN BIDDLE – To achieve victory in Afghanistan, the United States and NATO will have to compromise without betraying their key goals. Continue reading “Afghanistan’s Political Future”
NED PARKER – The war destroyed what little infrastructure Iraq had. And what’s worse, there is no precedent for building it again. Continue reading “What is Left in Iraq”
SIR LAWRENCE FREEDMAN – The British decision to invade Iraq was based less on whether the operation was justified and more on whether the UK should follow their American allies. Continue reading “The British Experience in Iraq”
NYT – This graphic from the New York Times helps to explain the general trends surrounding operations in the Afghanistan War. … Continue reading Afghanistan’s Report Card
NOAM CHOMSKY – The West has its own agenda for the Arab Spring and the region. Continue reading “On Hegemony”
DANIEL BYMAN – What institutions can be used to pressure the Syrian regime, and what should be done if those mechanisms fail?
CATHERINE LUTZ – “There is nothing more American, in many ways, unfortunately, than a place bristling with weapons and soldiers.”
MATTHEW KROENIG – Attacking Iran might be risky, but the alternative is far worse.
NYT – Recent US and Israeli wargames — held earlier in March 2012 — have simulated dangerous repercussions of an … Continue reading Perils of a Strike Against Iran
AARON DAVID MILLER – The problem with Mideast peace is that the conditions for it simply do not exist yet. Continue reading “On Mideast Peace”
PETER D. FEAVER – Success in war is a complex, multifaceted subject that goes beyond the battlefield.
ZOE H. WOOL – In the unique social world of a military hospital, many veterans are “alone in common.”
Continue reading “The Anthropology of Veteran Healthcare”
RICK HALPERIN – “Pick a country and it becomes apparent that it has a whole host of problems.” Continue reading “Human Rights and the Middle East”
ECONOMIST — Over recent days, the likelihood of an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities has increased. President Obama, noting that … Continue reading “Attacking Iran”
NYT – As American combat troops have withdrawn from the country, it seems that the internecine violence continues relatively unabated, … Continue reading “Police Killed in Iraq”
BROOKINGS – The use of unmanned drones in the modern military theatre has raised questions surrounding international sovereignty. But an equally important set of questions about this new global reach has been asked about issues surrounding the drone’s domestic judicial legitimacy. As Peter Singer argues, “technology – never envisioned by the founding fathers – has taken Congress out of the equation.” Continue reading “Video: “Military Drones and Democracy””
AARON HAHN TAPPER – It is impossible to separate religious determination from a people’s will, especially in democracy.
Continue reading “Religion and Politics”
DAHR JAMAIL – Riding into Iraq at the back of a humanitarian aid convoy in 2003 to share the voices not often heard in war. Continue reading ““Jumping Into Iraq Headfirst””
RICHARD K. BETTS – The War on Terror has blurred the lines of war and law enforcement.
Continue reading “The Face of War”
MATTHEW EVANGELISTA – The role that separatist groups play in shaping United States and western policy is greater than it may appear at first glance. Continue reading “War and Separatism”
KAREN CULCASI – “Maps and Might,” Part II: Now more than ever it is important to explore the world from a cartographic perspective.
ANDREW BACEVICH – We are today moving towards a multi-polar world, “although few in Washington are yet willing to acknowledge that.”
COST OF WAR – The Cost of War Project at Brown University seeks to chronicle the toll that the conflicts … Continue reading “The War Comes Home”
WILLIAM C. BANKS – National Security Laws describe the parameters following which the US government can project its power internationally.
Continue reading “National Security Law”
NYT – The War in Afghanistan, like the late War in Iraq, has lasted too long for many of America’s … Continue reading Allies’ Support Wane
