Iraqi Civil War News & Analysis

Iraq’s Political Deadlock: Headed for a Reckoning in 2022?

Moqtada al-Sadr in 2016; cc Reza Zamuni, modified, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Search&redirs=0&search=moqtada%20al-sadr&fulltext=Search&ns0=1&ns6=1&ns14=1&title=Special:Search&advanced=1&fulltext=Advanced%20search#/media/File:Technocrat_Lineup.jpg

A nearly year-long political deadlock is posing serious threats to Iraq’s long-term stability.

Iraq: PM Drone Attack Reveals Risk of Political Violence

New M240B machine guns, procured and issued through the Iraq Train and Equip Fund, await Popular Mobilization Program soldiers after a graduation ceremony at Al Taqaddum Air Base, Iraq, Sept. 3, 2015. The Popular Mobilization Program is an Iraqi-led, Operation Inherent Resolve program that trains volunteer tribal forces in leadership, small unit tactics and urban warfare to ultimately serve with Iraqi Security Forces in their battle to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and ensure the safety and security of its citizens. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. John Baker / released) Unit: 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Search&redirs=0&search=IRAQ%20popular%20mobilization%20unit&fulltext=Search&ns0=1&ns6=1&ns14=1&title=Special:Search&advanced=1&fulltext=Advanced%20search#/media/File:Popular_Mobilization_Program_Graduates_and_Equips_Tribal_Forces_150902-M-VZ998-882.jpg

The message sent by the attack is loud and clear: if certain parties don’t get what they want from the new government, they won’t hesitate to advance their interests through violence.

Closing the Security Vacuum in Northern Iraq

cc Flickr Kurdishstruggle, modified, https://flickr.com/photos/kurdishstruggle/18482400629/in/photolist-uae8MP-62cgVz-63W7Rj-62gKwS-xc29s8-p914LV-p5vnmV-pg85nw-qaRtyn-oZ5PDS-q2LDDP-qmUCBA-oYEvbg-p7ZPgv-q3tEAt-qXF1Zy-qXkc6X-qMMbxF-xN5vkw-qco9KN-xRhnjQ-qVn5SL-5DdyXQ-vxtvFY-r6gJE3-q2nqnu-pxJ1Fx-qrNTVV-wp5A5X-rzJeCY-v2QQcY-pdenxd-rEhFbr-rdi6RG-qNvg9k-r2FfMU-5Tqsf2-rCrDsR-qHoetL-oUMcnu-5TqseX-5TqseH-6QjZg8-7kxpjw-63W7vf-6NqPUj-6NqPU5-63W7ss-6rT8UG-6QkAcp

The costs of discord between Erbil and Baghdad are being laid bare in the chaos of northern Iraq.

Will US Troops End Up Stationed in Iraqi Kurdistan?

cc Flickr The U.S. Army, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

What might seem like an appealing option to US military planners is actually fraught with its own geopolitical perils.

Decision Time Looms for US Troops in Iraq

cc Flickr The U.S. Army, modified, U.S. Army Soldiers from the 20th Engineer Brigade shuttle trucks across the Euphrates River Nov. 16, 2007, in support a combat operation near Baghdad, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Luke Thornberry) www.army.mil, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

There are push and pull factors pointing to a US troop pullout. But a swift destabilization of Iraq may remove the luxury of choice.

Corruption and Sectarianism Sinking PM Hopefuls in Iraq

IraqProtests2, unknown author, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baghdadprotests.jpg

The old guard has yet to moot a palatable candidate for the young Iraqis demanding change.

2019 Iraq Protests in Recent Historical Perspective

cc Hassan Majed, modified, CC 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Search&title=Special:Search&redirs=0&search=baghdad+protests&fulltext=Search&fulltext=Advanced+search&ns0=1&ns6=1&ns14=1&advanced=1#/media/File:The_Turkish_restaurant,_Iraqi_protests_2019.jpg

The seeds of the current crisis were planted during the demise of the Hussein regime.

As Islamic State Retreats, the Battle to Rebuild Is Only Beginning

The ruins of Raqqa, cc VOA, modified, Mahmoud Bali , https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Destroyed_neighborhood_in_Raqqa.png

Large swathes of Iraq and Syria remain utterly devastated by the war with Islamic State.

Muqtada al-Sadr Closes in on Surprise Win in 2018 Iraq Elections

Iraqelection, cc Flickr Al Jazeera English, modified, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

The avowed foe of both the United States and Iran has seized on popular grievances to win the 2018 Iraq elections, but forming a government won’t be easy.

Egypt’s Samir Al Ghatas on the Nature of Terrorism

NYC terrorist attack, modified, GH9449, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_New_York_City_truck_attack#/media/File:2017_NYC_Truck_Attack_Home_Depot_Truck.jpg

Is terrorism fueled by economic, social, religious, or psychological factors?

Global Forecast (03-29-2018)

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Frantic US-China trade talks get underway, Turkey eyes Iraq’s Sinjar region, and Russian diplomats are expelled throughout the Western world.

Pressured from All Sides, Will Iraqi Kurdistan Back Down?

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The blowback against Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence referendum was swift as it was fierce, with every neighboring state piling pressure on Irbil to back down.

Historical Holocaust: Daesh’s Lasting Legacy

cc Bernard Gagnon, Palmyra, modified, https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Palmyra_03.jpg

Daesh’s wanton destruction of cultural relics helped fray the national fabric of countries like Syria and Iraq. It’s now up to the international community to help mend them.

Kurdish Independence: The Next Phase of the Iraq Civil War?

cc Flickr Kurdishstruggle, modified, https://flickr.com/photos/kurdishstruggle/18482400629/in/photolist-uae8MP-62cgVz-63W7Rj-62gKwS-xc29s8-p914LV-p5vnmV-pg85nw-qaRtyn-oZ5PDS-q2LDDP-qmUCBA-oYEvbg-p7ZPgv-q3tEAt-qXF1Zy-qXkc6X-qMMbxF-xN5vkw-qco9KN-xRhnjQ-qVn5SL-5DdyXQ-vxtvFY-r6gJE3-q2nqnu-pxJ1Fx-qrNTVV-wp5A5X-rzJeCY-v2QQcY-pdenxd-rEhFbr-rdi6RG-qNvg9k-r2FfMU-5Tqsf2-rCrDsR-qHoetL-oUMcnu-5TqseX-5TqseH-6QjZg8-7kxpjw-63W7vf-6NqPUj-6NqPU5-63W7ss-6rT8UG-6QkAcp

With the oil-rich city of Kirkuk under its control, the government of Iraqi Kurdistan is moving toward formal independence from Iraq.

Global Forecast (05-12-17)

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Good news from Mosul, bad news from Afghanistan, and President Trump angers Turkey by arming Syria’s Kurds.

Global Forecast (03-29-2017)

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Brexit begins, the Iraqi army makes slow steady in Mosul, and China looks to turn up the heat on Taiwan.

Who Will Lead in a World on Fire?

World on fire, forest fire, Generated by Google Gemini AI on August 14, 2025. All flags, maps, and likenesses contained within this image are not necessarily accurate representations of reality.

Faced with spreading conflict and instability throughout the world, who will lead?

If Mosul Falls, Lookout West

Map is AI generated and not representative of accurate geography. Generated by Google Gemini on August 1, 2025.

Security services should prepare for the possibility that the fall of Mosul will trigger terrorist attacks in Western countries.

The Battle of Mosul Has Begun

cc Mohammad Reza Jofar, modified, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prelude_to_Battle_of_Mosul_%2809%29.jpg

Iraqi and Kurdish forces have launched an assault on the last major urban holding of Islamic State in Iraq.

Global Forecast (10-04-2016)

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FARC peace deal suffers a shock defeat at the ballot box, Kunduz under siege again, and the Iraqi government prepares to attack Mosul.

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