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In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

07/02/09
The U.S. Pullout from Iraqi Cities  —
06/25/09
Understanding the Situation in Iran  —Geneive Abdo, fellow, The Century Foundation; former Iran correspondent, The Guardian (1998-2001)
06/23/09
Solving the Problem of the Old City  —Michael Bell, former Canadian ambassador to Egypt, Israel and Jordan; co-director, Jerusalem Old City Initiative, University of Windsor. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.

Setting the Record Straight

Potential Partner for Regional Stability

“As long as the current radical regime is in power in Damascus, there won’t be any negotiated peace even of the most superficial variety because the conflict is indispensible to the Syrian dictatorship. And the most probably type of change in Syria—though its likelihood is still low—to a radical Islamist regime would make any such peace even less likely.”
—Barry Rubin, director, Global Research in International Affairs Center, IDC Herzliya, “Peace on the Borderline,” The Rubin Report, May 31, 2009versus
  • “The al-Asad regime in Syria continues to play the dangerous game of allowing or accepting extremist networks and terrorist facilitators to operate from and through Syrian territory. ... However, unlike Iran, Syria’s motives probably stem from short-sighted calculations rather than ideology. It is possible that over time Syria could emerge as a partner in promoting security in the Levant and in the region.”
    —General David Petraeus, commander, U.S. Central Command, testimony to the House Armed Services Committee, “The Afghanistan-Pakistan Strategic Review and the Posture of U.S. Central Command,” April 2, 2009
  • Middle East Analysis

    Upcoming Events

    WATCH: Prospects for a Two-State Solution: Understanding Challenges and Creating Opportunities

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    Brigadier General (Ret.) Ilan Paz, former head of the Israeli Civil Administration in the West Bank (2002-2005)
    Ghaith al-Omari, advocacy director, American Task Force on Palestine; advisor, Middle East Progress; former advisor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas

    Discussion moderated by:

    Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress, advisor, Middle East Progress

    When: Friday, March 20, 2009
    Program: 9:00am to 10:30am

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    The Next Step in U.S.-Iraq Relations

    Iraqi security forces in Tikrit on July 1 (AP)

    The U.S. Pullout from Iraqi Cities

    On June 30, U.S. troops officially withdrew from cities in Iraq, leaving security arrangements in the hands of the Iraqi army and police. While not a full withdrawal—there will still be 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and trainers and advisers will stay embedded with Iraqi units—this new phase in U.S.-Iraqi relations has spawned a lively international discussion regarding U.S. policy in the region and the future of Iraq. Below are several recent articles you may have missed that sample the conversation about the pullout.

    Iraqis in Control of Their Own Destiny
    The National, Editorial


    More than a week of bombings by insurgents appeared to do little to deter Iraqis from celebrating the United States’s withdrawal yesterday from the country’s urban areas. Thousands attended a concert at the Baghdad zoo and saw firework displays. What is significant is that while many ordinary Iraqis took to the streets in celebration, they were protected by the nation’s own domestic security forces: it is on them, not the Americans, that the burden of civil protection now falls.

    While Iraq must now take the lead role in ensuring its own security and stability, the US is not leaving the country entirely to fend for itself. Access the full article>>

    Is it Getting Worse Again?
    The Economist


    American troops have already withdrawn from nearly all the towns—and have rarely been seen in them of late. Many joint American-Iraqi security posts have been dismantled. There will be no more routine American patrols, rare though they have already become. The Americans will, however, remain in bases nearby, on call in case Iraqi forces hit trouble. And in some places, especially in Mosul, where efforts to suppress the insurgency have been intensifying, the definition of city limits is being elastically interpreted, to let the main American base stay where it is, on the city’s edge.

    But the Iraqis are slowly realising that Mr Obama really does intend to remove the bulk of his troops before 2011. So they may at last be starting to focus on passing long-delayed bits of important nation-building legislation, such as an oil-and-gas law, constitutional amendments, and even a law governing elections. Without a modicum of cohesion at the heart of government, how can Iraq’s security forces stick together in the face of sectarian or ethnic tension? Iraqis know that establishing a more cohesive and broader-based government is at least as important as beefing up the Iraqi security forces. Access the full article>>

    A Chance for Turkish-Kurdish Peace
    Henri Barkey, nonresident senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and professor of international relations at Lehigh University (Wall Street Journal)


    The Turks have become embroiled in Iraq by launching counter-attacks against the PKK. Ankara initially even resisted the creation of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), which they saw as another step toward Kurdish independence and irredentist demands on Turkish territory. But after 25 years of fighting, 30,000 mostly Kurdish deaths, and the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in 1999 with U.S. help, the Turkish government and military establishment realize that they have little to show for the counterinsurgency campaign and see no clear end to the bloodletting. The PKK attracts as many recruits today as it did 20 years ago. . . .

    Now there are signs of a possible resolution. For the first time in its 80-plus years of existence, the Turkish state is addressing the fate of its sizable Kurdish minority. . . . Turkish Kurds and the PKK too are signaling that they are ready for a compromise. . . . Washington is in a strong position to help because of its positive relationships with both Turkey and the Kurds. Access the full article>>

    Laws Lag in Iraq, as Patience Wears Thin

    Timothy Williams and Suadad Al-Salhy (The New York Times)

    Popular support for Iraq’s democratic institutions is being undermined steadily by official corruption, yet the country has no comprehensive anticorruption law.

    The country’s economy is dependent almost entirely upon oil revenue, but because there is no single law regulating the industry, there is widespread confusion about investment, production and lines of authority.

    And parts of northern Iraq continue to be beset by ethnic and sectarian violence that could engulf the rest of the country in a new wave of warfare, but there is little prospect of a political resolution being offered any time soon to settle competing claims in the disputed province of Kirkuk.

    There is a growing concern that if the country’s Parliament does not soon approve a series of critical legislative measures, Iraq’s democratic experiment could erode as America pulls back, militarily and politically. Access the full article>>

    Background Basics

    Status of the Proposed U.S.-Iraq Security Agreement

    On November 16, the 40-member Iraqi cabinet approved a proposed security agreement with the United States. The pact, passed by a 27-1 margin, sets the legal framework for the status of more than 150,000 U.S. troops stationed in roughly 400 bases throughout the country. The proposed agreement is meant to take the place of the current UN mandate permitting multinational forces in Iraq, which expires at the end of the year. The pact is still

    more

    International Engagement in Iraq

    During the past few months, Iraq’s neighbors and others, have begun to engage diplomatically and economically with Iraq.

    Diplomatic Engagement

    Jordan: On August 11, King Abdullah of Jordan met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki, becoming the first Arab leader to visit Iraq since 2003. This visit followed Jordan’s naming of an ambassador to Baghdad in June.

    Lebanon: On August 20, Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora became the second Arab leader to

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    The UN in Iraq

    Brief History
    Shortly after the end of major combat operations the UN established a robust mission under the leadership of veteran diplomat Sergio de Mello. A suicide bombing in August 2003 killed 22, including de Mello, and the UN significantly reduced its presence by that October, withdrawing nearly all personnel. A limited staff of 35 returned in April 2004. Most UN personnel, however, were then based in Amman, limiting situational awareness.

    Current Scope of UN Role

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    The Iraqi Provincial Powers Law

    When will the provincial powers law take effect?
    The law will not take effect until after the holding of provincial elections, which are tentatively scheduled for October 1, 2008.

    What is required to hold provincial elections?
    1. Passage of a Provincial Elections Law: According to the provincial powers law, election governance legislation needs to be passed within 90 days after the passage of the law (this means June at the latest). This law will govern the

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    The International Compact with Iraq: A Tool for Organizing Support

    What is it?
    On May 3, 2007 UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon officially launched the International Compact with Iraq (ICI), an international partnership and compact to “build a secure, unified, federal and democratic nation, founded on the principles of freedom and equality, and providing peace and prosperity for its people,” in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. The ICI is a five-year road map to help Iraq achieve its long-term economic, political and security goals. It is chaired by both

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