• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Jessica Tuchman Mathews"
  ],
  "type": "testimony",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States",
    "Middle East",
    "Iraq"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Democracy",
    "Military",
    "Foreign Policy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

Testimony

The Situation in Iraq

The premise of the United States' current strategy in Iraq — that a political solution would follow if the violence could be reduced — is false. What is underway today in Iraq is a natural and inevitable struggle for power. The American presence delays what will eventually happen anyway.

Link Copied
By Jessica Tuchman Mathews
Published on Jul 18, 2007
Program mobile hero image

Program

Middle East

The Middle East Program in Washington combines in-depth regional knowledge with incisive comparative analysis to provide deeply informed recommendations. With expertise in the Gulf, North Africa, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, we examine crosscutting themes of political, economic, and social change in both English and Arabic.

Learn More

Source: Testimony before the House Armed Services Committee


The current conversation in Washington badly distorts what is happening in Iraq and what our options are. As it has from the very beginning, U.S. strategy has more to do with political needs in Washington than it has to realities on the ground – to our continuing confusion and detriment. Five key considerations provide a more clear-eyed view and may offer a new approach for the way forward.

The premise of our current strategy — that a political solution would follow if the violence could be reduced — is false. What is underway today in Iraq is a natural and inevitable struggle for power. The American presence delays what will eventually happen anyway.

Click on PDF icon above to read full written testimony.

Click on the PDF icon to the right for the full Transcript.

video
Event Video
To view this video, you will need Windows Media Player or RealPlayer.
Download Windows Media Player
Download RealPlayer

Click on one of the options below to watch video or listen to audio from the event:

mp3
Podcast - Download mp3 audio of full Testimony.
Windows Media
Windows Media - Video from full Testimony.
Real
Real Media - Video from full Testimony.

About the Author

Jessica Tuchman Mathews

Distinguished Fellow

Mathews is a distinguished fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She served as Carnegie’s president for 18 years.

    Recent Work

  • In The Media
    Washington Already Knows How to Deal with North Korea

      Jessica Tuchman Mathews

  • Commentary
    Trump Wins—and Now?

      Jessica Tuchman Mathews

Jessica Tuchman Mathews
Distinguished Fellow
Jessica Tuchman Mathews
Political ReformDemocracyMilitaryForeign PolicyNorth AmericaUnited StatesMiddle EastIraq

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • people walking with suitcases
    Commentary
    Emissary
    Iran’s Northern Neighbors Are Facing Fallout From the War, Too

    The conflict is threatening stability in Armenia and Azerbaijan.

      Zaur Shiriyev

  • US President Donald Trump presides over the inaugural meeting of the âBoard of Peace,❠a newly established body focused on efforts for Gaza, at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, United States, on February 19, 2026.
    Article
    The Board of Peace and Funding for Gaza Reconstruction: On Whose Account?

    Stakeholders must demand major restructuring of the Board of Peace and robust oversight and transparency before engaging with it. Until then, rights-respecting existing platforms and mechanisms for multilateral peacemaking should be supported.

      Zaha Hassan, Charles H. Johnson

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Israel’s Forever Wars

    The country’s strategy is no longer focused on deterrence and diplomacy, it’s about dominance and degradation.

      Nathan J. Brown

  • City at night
    Commentary
    Emissary
    The Iran War Is Also Now a Semiconductor Problem

    The conflict is exposing the deep energy vulnerabilities of Korea’s chip industry.

      Darcie Draudt-Véjares, Tim Sahay

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Shockwaves Across the Gulf

    The countries in the region are managing the fallout from Iranian strikes in a paradoxical way.

      • Angie Omar

      Angie Omar

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600Fax: 202 483 1840
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.