Eve of Destruction: What it Was Like to Oppose the Iraq War in 2003

The months before the Iraq war testify to the importance of letting the public have full access to information before making decisions about war and peace.

No Alternative to Negotiations

Negotiations with Iran, including the offer of incentives and the threat of further sanctions, are still the least-naive option available today.

Lessons Learned (And Not)

America ignores the lessons of Afghanistan and Iraq at its own peril. An orderly, critical analysis of past conflicts is crucial to understanding where the country has gone wrong.

Good News From Iraq

Good news from the Middle East is rare these days. But Iraq's ratification of its Additional Protocol safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency is certainly something to celebrate.

A Truly Credible Military Threat to Iran

The Romney campaign has argued that Obama has not offered a credible military threat against the Iranians. The easiest way for the Obama team to defuse Romney's critique is to communicate better what options they are in fact considering.

Avoiding the Iraq Experience in Syria

The U.S. experience in Iraq suggests that foreign military involvement could not have prevented the scenario we now see unfolding in Syria.

The Arab League Summit and the Syrian Crisis

Iraq hosted the Arab League summit last week, a significant development for a country that has been marginalized from its Arab neighbors. But as Arab relations with Iraq improve, relations with its neighbor Syria are deteriorating.

Drones and IEDs: A Lethal Cocktail

Drones have drastically altered the course of war. The bad news is that terrorists are inevitably going to take an interest in this technology. Just as inevitably, they will try to combine it with IEDs.

The Lost Opportunity in Iraq

An international commitment to keep weapons of mass destruction out of Saddam Hussein’s hands could have worked and led to a WMD enforcement mechanism for use not only in Iraq, but also in North Korea, Libya, Syria, Iran, and elsewhere.

The Arab Summer: Taking Stock

Six months after the outbreak of protest in Tunisia, the Arab world has already been transformed. If Egypt succeeds in building a stable and open democracy, its example will have a significant impact on the rest of the region.

A Review of Citizenship Education in Arab Nations

Despite paying lip service to reform, many Arab nations’ education programs fail to prepare students to become contributing members of open, pluralistic systems.

Building a Syrian State in a Time of Civil War

The solution to the Syrian crisis lies in building a state within rebel-held territory that can replace the regime in Damascus.

Contested Consolidation of Power in Iraq

During his second term, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki emerged as a dominant player in Iraq’s political landscape, but his struggle to consolidate power has created a climate of continuous political crisis in the country.

The State of Iraq

Iraq's future depends on whether the political factions that dominate the country can find it in their interest to forge a real compromise or if they will conclude that they would benefit more from going in separate directions.

Iran, the United States, and the Gulf: The Elusive Regional Policy

Any effective U.S. diplomatic approach to Iran must involve other countries in the Gulf, but Washington will not succeed if it continues to strive for an anti-Iranian alliance. A normalization of relations between Iran and its neighbors is an important and attainable step for reintegrating Iran into the international community.

Preventing Conflict Over Kurdistan

The invasion of Iraq has surfaced long-suppressed nationalist aspirations among the Kurds. If ignored or mishandled, Kurdish aspirations have the potential to ignite violence and instability in Iraq and the region.

President Obama and Middle East Expectations

Barack Obama's election was celebrated throughout the Middle East. But enthusiasm could quickly turn to hostility if the new administration does not back up its rhetoric with concrete changes to U.S. Middle East policy on three key issues: Palestine, Iraq, and political reform.

The Middle East: Evolution of a Broken Regional Order

There have been many attempts by the international community to impose order in the Middle East. The reality is that Arab states must themselves overcome divisive ideologies, prioritize common interests, and develop a cooperative political and security architecture if a new regional order is to come to fruition.

The New Middle East

Confrontational U.S. policy that tried to create a “New Middle East,” but ignored the realities of the region has instead exacerbated existing conflicts and created new problems. To restore its credibility and promote positive transformation, the United States needs to abandon the illusion that it can reshape the region to suit its interests.

The Surge Has Failed in its Objective

By tacitly conceding that there has been no political progress in Iraq since the launch of the surge, Mr. Bush admits it has failed, but asks for more time. He raises some important fears of the consequences of withdrawal (and some wildly exaggerated ones), while saying nothing about the positive reasons to keep on trying. That is what the upcoming debate must address: more time to achieve what?

10th Anniversary of Iraq War

Given continuing sectarian strife and a rise in terrorist cells in Iraq, the U.S. invasion of the country could be a considered a military victory but is increasingly seen as the wrong political decision.

Foreign Policy Challenges in 2010

Efforts to combat terrorism largely defined the global security agenda during the past decade, when small terrorist groups, with as few as three hundred active members, were able to inflict enormous amounts of damage on regional, national, and international scales.

Iraq Prepares for Upcoming Provincial Elections

Fifteen million Iraqis are expected to turn out to vote in upcoming provincial elections. While the distribution of power between the Shiite and Sunni will not change, there is the possibility that elections may redistribute power among Shiite and Sunni organizations.

Iraq Troop Pullout

President Bush’s announcement that 8,000 troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by February 2009 reflects the extreme fragility of the current situation, and a recognition that the gains made to date could quickly unravel. Jessica Mathews discusses the reasons for and consequences of the withdrawal timetable.

Critical Issues for U.S. Foreign Policy

Jessica T. Mathews addresses U.S.-Russian relations, nonproliferation, Iran, and global philanthropy in an interview for the Great Decisions Television Series, an eight show series that examines all sides of the most critical foreign policy issues.

Iran in Iraq

The government in Tehran is publicly committed to supporting stability in Iraq, but there are new reports of groups inside Iran training and arming Iraqi militants. Carnegie's Karim Sadjadpour discusses his perspective on Iran's role in Iraq and its influence throughout the Middle East.

Achieving Stability in a Political Vacuum

Jessica T. Mathews discussed the long term prospects for stability in Iraq, the political failure of the “surge”, and the interests of Iraq’s neighbors on China Radio International’s People in the Know.

Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s Trip to Iraq

Analysis: Iran's Influence in Iraq

State of the Union: Reaction

America’s Second-Longest War: Taking Stock

Ten years after the invasion of Iraq, it is important to examine Iraq’s trajectory today, the war’s cost, and the geopolitical lessons learned.

A Conversation with General Martin Dempsey

General Martin Dempsey, the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivered remarks at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The State of Iraq

Iraq is facing a new crisis as the government of national unity is under severe strain and sectarian tensions increase.

Public Opinion on Iraq and the Arab Spring

Zogby Research Services conducted polling in eight countries across the Middle East and North Africa, as well as in the United States, to look at public opinion on the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, the Arab Spring, and other recent developments in the region.

The Future of Kirkuk

Five years after the adoption of the new Iraqi constitution, the status of Kirkuk remains a flashpoint that threatens Iraq’s future stability.

Is Iraq Next?

As protesters throughout the region challenge their authoritarian leaders, Iraqis are also standing up and demanding more accountability from their government and an end to the corrupt practices of their politicians.

The New Iraqi Government: Implications for U.S. Policy

As U.S. troops continue to withdraw from Iraq, America’s relationship with the emerging democracy is evolving from a security-dominated military alliance into a more traditional bilateral relationship based on cooperation between civilian institutions.

Iraqi Kurdistan Today: Between Autonomy and Dependency

Since the American occupation of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government has enjoyed an unprecedented degree of autonomy. But is Iraqi Kurdistan today a region of Iraq enjoying an unusual degree of autonomy or is it a state in the making?

A Conversation with Turkey's Kurdish Leaders

Last August Turkey's ruling party launched a new policy approach aimed at resolving tensions between the Turkish government and Turkey’s Kurdish population. Almost nine months later, the policy seems to have run aground.

After the Elections: A New Beginning for Iraq and the United States?

On March 7th, Iraqis went to the polls to vote in their second free parliamentary elections. The subsequent government formation process will have implications on the stability of Iraq and the U.S. effort to withdraw combat forces.

A Review of Citizenship Education in Arab Nations

Despite paying lip service to reform, many Arab nations’ education programs fail to prepare students to become contributing members of open, pluralistic systems.

Building a Syrian State in a Time of Civil War

The solution to the Syrian crisis lies in building a state within rebel-held territory that can replace the regime in Damascus.

America’s Second-Longest War: Taking Stock

Ten years after the invasion of Iraq, it is important to examine Iraq’s trajectory today, the war’s cost, and the geopolitical lessons learned.

10th Anniversary of Iraq War

Given continuing sectarian strife and a rise in terrorist cells in Iraq, the U.S. invasion of the country could be a considered a military victory but is increasingly seen as the wrong political decision.

Eve of Destruction: What it Was Like to Oppose the Iraq War in 2003

The months before the Iraq war testify to the importance of letting the public have full access to information before making decisions about war and peace.

No Alternative to Negotiations

Negotiations with Iran, including the offer of incentives and the threat of further sanctions, are still the least-naive option available today.

Lessons Learned (And Not)

America ignores the lessons of Afghanistan and Iraq at its own peril. An orderly, critical analysis of past conflicts is crucial to understanding where the country has gone wrong.

Contested Consolidation of Power in Iraq

During his second term, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki emerged as a dominant player in Iraq’s political landscape, but his struggle to consolidate power has created a climate of continuous political crisis in the country.

Good News From Iraq

Good news from the Middle East is rare these days. But Iraq's ratification of its Additional Protocol safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency is certainly something to celebrate.

A Truly Credible Military Threat to Iran

The Romney campaign has argued that Obama has not offered a credible military threat against the Iranians. The easiest way for the Obama team to defuse Romney's critique is to communicate better what options they are in fact considering.