After nearly 25 years of Saddam Hussein's rule, Iraqis generally welcomed his overthrow during the 2003 invasion, but the post-Saddam years have seen increased religious conflicts, economic struggles, insurgency, and the continued and divisive presence of occupying forces. RAND research on the Gulf Wars and nation-building efforts in Iraq have helped to inform and advise both the U.S. government and military, and the nascent Iraqi government.
Research conducted by: Center for Middle East Public Policy; RAND National Security Research Division; RAND Project AIR FORCE; RAND Arroyo Center
Journal Articles (10)
This paper assesses the role of historic sites and antiquities in foreign engagement. Over the past century, U.S. foreign policy has had successes and shortcomings in leveraging protection of cultural patrimony to strategic advantage.
Interventions developed to remove barriers to mental health care for returning veterans should address motivation for seeking treatment as well as traditionally targeted structural barriers.
The authors reviewed 29 studies that provide prevalence estimates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among service members previously deployed to Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom and their non-U.S. military counterparts. Combat exposure is the only correlate consistently associated with PTSD.
Describes a strategy for preventing paid-for-hire recruits and youth from joining insurgent forces in Iraq.
This article argues that the prewar planning process for postwar Iraq was plagued by myriad problems, including a dysfunctional interagency process, overly optimistic assumptions, and a lack of contingency planning for alternative outcomes.
This article discusses the challenges of post-conflict reconstruction planning and mission management and assesses what happened under the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA).
A number of Middle Eastern states — e.g., Iraq, Syria, and Saudi Arabia — seem to be "coup-proof." That is, their regimes have created structures that minimize the possibility that a small group can seize power.
Saddam Hussein's Iraq often appears immune to coercion.
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