Politics of Iraq

President George W. Bush declares the end of major combat in Iraq as he speaks aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the California coast. But the war dragged on for many years after that.

Citizen pain: Part II

Critical State, a foreign policy newsletter by Inkstick Media, takes a deep dive this week into how the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 not only dismantled the government but destroyed an entire nation, forcing a mass exodus of certain ethnic and religious minorities.

Citizen pain: Part II
American Village entrance gates on the outskirts of Erbil, Iraq, the Kurdish defacto capital.

Kurds grapple with US troop drawdown in Iraq

Kurds grapple with US troop drawdown in Iraq
Iraqis put up a poster announcing the upcoming visit of Pope Francis and a meeting with a revered Shiite Muslim leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, right, in Najaf, Iraq, March 4, 2021.

Pope Francis' historic trip to Iraq embraced by many as a welcome boost

Pope Francis' historic trip to Iraq embraced by many as a welcome boost
University students hold banners as they gather during ongoing anti-government protests in Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 6, 2020. 

Analysis: Iraqi protesters will likely push forward despite violence

Analysis: Iraqi protesters will likely push forward despite violence
Iraqi men work on the campaign posters of candidates ahead of May's parliamentary election, in Baghdad, Iraq, April 14, 2018.

Young Iraqis have reason to be disillusioned with politics. Instead, many are backing a new generation of leaders.

Young Iraqis have reason to be disillusioned with politics. Instead, many are backing a new generation of leaders.
Displaced Iraqi children at the Amriyat al-Fallujah camp in Anbar Province, Iraq, Jan. 3, 2018.

Iraq accused of forcibly returning displaced civilians from camps to unsafe areas

Refugees and aid workers say Iraqi security forces are forcibly returning civilians from refugee camps to unsafe areas in the predominantly Sunni Anbar province, exposing them to death from booby-traps or acts of vigilantism.

Iraq accused of forcibly returning displaced civilians from camps to unsafe areas
Captives suspected of being Islamic State militants are seen southwest of Kirkuk, Iraq.

Nearly a thousand ISIS fighters choose surrender, not martyrdom, in Iraq

A New York Times correspondent talked with some of the ISIS recruits whose leaders instructed them to surrender.

Nearly a thousand ISIS fighters choose surrender, not martyrdom, in Iraq
An Iraqi soldier carries a displaced child from Ramadi on the outskirts of Baghdad on May 19, 2015.

As ISIS seeks revenge in Ramadi, a US veteran fears for his Sunni allies there

The news that ISIS has taken Ramadi hits home for veterans like Tom Daly. As a Marine, he helped US forces take the capital of Iraq's Anbar province by building an alliance with Sunni nationalists who are now targets for ISIS fighters.

As ISIS seeks revenge in Ramadi, a US veteran fears for his Sunni allies there
Islamic State has expanded its propaganda program into English language radio

Thanks for listening to ISIS radio in English

ISIS moves to update its fighters with reports in their own languages.

Thanks for listening to ISIS radio in English
Major General Qassem Suleimani, who heads the Quds Brigade in Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

Meet the most powerful man in the Middle East you've probably never heard of

He confounded American commanders in Iraq and all but saved the regime of Bashar al-Assad. But until recently, few people outside of military circles knew the name of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani. He's a public and popular figure in his home country now — and just as powerful as ever.

Meet the most powerful man in the Middle East you've probably never heard of
Peshmerga on patrol

American veterans choose to head back to Iraq to fight against ISIS

A number of American veterans of the US-led War in Iraq are picking up their guns and heading back to Iraq, joining the fight as volunteers with the Kurdish peshmerga forces.

American veterans choose to head back to Iraq to fight against ISIS
Shiite fighters fire a rocket during clashes with ISIS militants in Iraq's Salahuddin province on March 1, 2015. Thousands of Iraqi soldiers and Shiite militiamen sought to seal off ISIS in Tikrit and nearby towns.

The US is sitting out Iraq's big battle in Tikrit — but Iran isn't

A major offensive against ISIS forces is under way in Iraq, and the Iraqi army is getting plenty of support from Iran and its Iraqi Shiite allies. One country that isn't getting involved, however, is the United States.

The US is sitting out Iraq's big battle in Tikrit — but Iran isn't
A Shi’ite militiaman praying before the battle for Tikrit commenced on March 1, 2015.

Fear of atrocities rises as Iraq launches an operation to take Tikrit from ISIS

A battle has begun in Iraq for control of the city of Tikrit: Saddam Hussein’s hometown. ISIS has held it since June last year, and now government forces are trying to take it back. But there are concerns that Shiite militias might seek vengeance for ISIS atrocities.

Fear of atrocities rises as Iraq launches an operation to take Tikrit from ISIS
A fighter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) holds a weapon while another holds a flag in the city of Mosul, shortly after the Islamic State captured the city. The flag reads, "There is no God but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.

The so-called Islamic State is even worse than you thought

A seasoned war correspondent who thinks he's seen it all negotiates his way into ISIS-controlled Mosul. What he finds is a chilling enthusiasm for killing.

The so-called Islamic State is even worse than you thought
Kemal Kerkuki, commanding officer of Peshmerga forces outside of Kirkuk, speaks with his troops.

The Kurdish Peshmerga helping the US take back territory from ISIS may be kicking out Arabs

While many in Iraq's north are happy that the Kurdish militias are taking territory back from ISIS, Iraq's Arabs in the north are also afraid about what it will mean for them. Some Kurdish Peshmerga fighters these days are declaring an end to cooperation with Arabs.

The Kurdish Peshmerga helping the US take back territory from ISIS may be kicking out Arabs