Iraq

Peacekeeping and Stability Operations
commentary
Trump's Syria Withdrawal: Right Idea, Wrong Way, Wrong Time
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Dec 26, 2018
Reuters
President Trump's desire to withdraw from Syria is consistent with his and his predecessor's national strategies, but the manner in which the decision has been taken is highly counterproductive. Unless modified it could have disastrous consequences, says James Dobbins.
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United States
blog
State of the Union 2019: Insights from RAND
Feb 6, 2019
To shed light on a wide range of topics that figured in President Trump's second State of the Union address, we've rounded up insights from some of RAND's objective and nonpartisan research, analysis, and expertise.
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Social Media Analysis
blog
Best RAND Videos of 2018
Dec 19, 2018
RAND research yields findings that run the gamut of potential applications and promising policy solutions. Here, we highlight three of 2018's most captivating videos featuring RAND research and its potential to inform policy.
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Terrorism Financing
commentary
ISIS's New Plans to Get Rich and Wreak Havoc
Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke
Oct 10, 2018
Foreign Policy
Although the Islamic State has lost nearly 98 percent of the territory it once controlled, it is ripe for a comeback in Sunni-majority areas of Iraq and Syria. The group has proven that it is capable of making money even without controlling large population centers.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
Why We Should Measure the Economic Impact of Terrorism in the Middle East
Antonia Ward @antoniahward
Sep 24, 2018
Georgetown Security Studies Review
Though physical impacts of terrorism in the Middle East should be the main focus of counterterrorism efforts, financial impacts should not be ignored. Officials could help mitigate devastating economic effects by identifying and protecting essential regional revenue streams like tourism and oil.
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Peacekeeping and Stability Operations
commentary
Stabilization Is Essential to Accomplishing the Mission
Linda Robinson @RobinsonL100
Apr 24, 2018
The RAND Blog
There's good reason to hope that the forthcoming policy on stabilization in places like Iraq will get the United States to the right middle road. But this new effort will fall short if Congress doesn't maintain the necessary funding for the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
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Terrorism Threat Assessment
commentary
Expanding the ISIS Brand
Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke
Feb 19, 2018
The National Interest
Since its founding, the Islamic State has consistently expanded and contracted in order to achieve its objectives. To discern how ISIS might continue to expand, it makes sense to trace Al Qaeda's trajectory, which followed a similar pattern in the 2000s.
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Peacekeeping and Stability Operations
commentary
If We Don't Get the Peace Right, Iraq Will Slide Back into the Morass
Linda Robinson @RobinsonL100, Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson
Feb 12, 2018
Newsweek
Actions taken now by the United States, the Iraqi government, and private parties could determine the war-torn country's future. The message the Sunnis receive in these next six months will determine whether Iraq is on the path to stability.
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United States
blog
Trump's First State of the Union: Insights from RAND
Jan 31, 2018
RAND research, analysis, and expertise provide context for the issues discussed in the president's first State of the Union address, including infrastructure, North Korea, and opioids.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
essay
What Life Under ISIS Looked Like from Space
Jan 9, 2018
Satellite images show how ISIS attempted to govern in Iraq and Syria, the economic damage the group left behind, and what it will take to rebuild.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
ISIS Could Rise Again
Benjamin Bahney, Patrick B. Johnston
Dec 15, 2017
Foreign Affairs
ISIS has a tried-and-true playbook for bringing itself back from near death. Just a few years ago, it managed to resurrect itself after apparent defeat. And the history of that resurrection should serve as a warning of what may be coming now.
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Terrorism Financing
q&a
Oil, Extortion Still Paying Off for ISIS
Oct 27, 2017
The Cipher Brief
ISIS's oil revenues declined from a peak of $40 million per month in 2015 to $4 million per month as of early October 2017. Despite the massive reduction, it's still a substantial amount of money for a group whose expenditures decrease with the size of the population and territory it controls and decreased recruitment.
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The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)
commentary
How ISIS Is Transforming
Colin P. Clarke @ColinPClarke
Sep 25, 2017
Foreign Affairs
The campaign to counter ISIS has made significant progress, but predictions of the group's demise are premature. It is transitioning from an insurgent organization with a fixed headquarters to a clandestine terrorist network dispersed throughout the globe.
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Political Reform Movements
q&a
The Post–Arab Spring Experience: Q&A with Shelly Culbertson
Aug 23, 2017
It's too early to say whether the Arab Spring will turn out to be a success or not. The Arab Spring was about people deciding what they did not want and rising up against it, but they hadn't worked out what they did want. Many of them still have hope.
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Nation Building
commentary
Islamic State 2.0
Seth G. Jones
Aug 10, 2017
The Wall Street Journal
Many of Iraq's Sunnis are frustrated with the slow pace of reconstruction and a Baghdad government they consider too friendly to Iran. The U.S. needs to shift from supporting military operations in cities such as Mosul to helping the Iraqi government better address political grievances. Failure risks sowing the seeds of ISIS's resurgence.
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Peacekeeping and Stability Operations
commentary
Moving Beyond Mosul
Linda Robinson @RobinsonL100, Shelly Culbertson @SC_Culbertson
Jul 18, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
The Islamic State group has been defeated in Mosul. But this military routing isn't enough to ensure lasting stability, either in Mosul or in Iraq more broadly. What comes next will require careful planning, diplomacy, implementation, and coordination.
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Iraq

Trump's Syria Withdrawal: Right Idea, Wrong Way, Wrong Time

State of the Union 2019: Insights from RAND

Best RAND Videos of 2018

ISIS's New Plans to Get Rich and Wreak Havoc

Why We Should Measure the Economic Impact of Terrorism in the Middle East

Stabilization Is Essential to Accomplishing the Mission

Expanding the ISIS Brand

If We Don't Get the Peace Right, Iraq Will Slide Back into the Morass

Trump's First State of the Union: Insights from RAND

What Life Under ISIS Looked Like from Space

ISIS Could Rise Again

Oil, Extortion Still Paying Off for ISIS

How ISIS Is Transforming

The Post–Arab Spring Experience: Q&A with Shelly Culbertson

Islamic State 2.0

Moving Beyond Mosul

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