Iraq

United States Marine Corps

q&a
A Tradition of Service: Q&A with Two Veterans
Before they became RAND researchers, Jonathan Wong and Joslyn Fleming served as U.S. Marines. In this interview, they discuss what made them want to join the service, what led them to research, and how their military experience guides the work they do at RAND.
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Nov 7, 2021

Military Strategy

commentary
Applying Machiavellian Discourses to the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
After 20 years of war without victory in both Afghanistan and Iraq, it is time to derive key lessons from both conflicts to avoid repeating the same mistakes. Niccolò Machiavelli, whose insights on statecraft have endured for five centuries, is a valuable guide in analyzing those lessons.
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Aug 9, 2021
Scott Savitz
Peacekeeping and Stability Operations

commentary
Competition in Iraq
Tensions between the United States and Iran reached a boiling point in January 2020, when Iranian-backed forces attacked U.S. military and diplomatic facilities on Iraqi soil, and the United States retaliated. Policymakers and experts again asked: Why are we in Iraq? What would happen if we left, and why would it matter?
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Jun 5, 2020
Ben Connable, James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Iran

commentary
Iran Claws Back Its Regional Influence
Last year, Iran faced protests at home as well as in Iraq and Lebanon, where thousands rallied against Tehran's regional hegemony. But with its recent machinations and the fallout over the killing of Soleimani, Iran has succeeded in changing the regional conversation.
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Jan 17, 2020
Jordan R. Reimer
Iran

blog
Iran, Mental Health and Jail, Russia: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on Iran and Iraq following the death of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, supporting those experiencing mental illness in jails, Russia's hostile measures, and more.
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Jan 10, 2020
Iran

commentary
How Will Iran Respond to Soleimani's Killing—and Where Will the Escalation End?
Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani's death will reverberate in the Middle East region for a long time. The United States must know its end game and be able to respond to this changing landscape of its own making, without stumbling into another full-fledged conflict that the Trump administration itself, Congress, and the American people have said they do not want.
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Jan 7, 2020
Elisa Catalano Ewers, Ariane M. Tabatabai
Iraq

commentary
Baghdad Siege Wasn't Benghazi, and Never Will Be
Given the heightened tension between the United States and Iran and the ongoing instability in Iraq, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad may very well be attacked again. If such an attack were to be successful, it would be more akin to the fall of the U.S. Embassy in Saigon than the U.S. mission in Benghazi.
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Jan 6, 2020
Raphael S. Cohen
Iraq

commentary
Iraq's Vote to Expel U.S. Troops Is Iran's True Victory
If American soldiers are ejected from Iraq, the consequences may be far-reaching and damaging to U.S. strategic interests. What options remain to reset the relationship between Washington and Baghdad?
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Jan 6, 2020
Ben Connable
Iran

commentary
All-Out U.S.-Iran War Is Unlikely. But Low-Level War Expected to Continue
Iranian retaliation for Soleimani's killing and counter-retaliation by the United States seem likely. But Tehran and Washington have good reasons to inflict limited pain without engaging in a full-scale war.
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Jan 6, 2020
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
Iraq

commentary
Can Iraq Evict U.S. Forces?
The Iraqi parliament voted to expel U.S. troops from Iraq. This vote was nonbinding, and the Iraqi caretaker government cannot pass laws, but it does indicate that a majority in parliament wants U.S. forces to leave.
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Jan 6, 2020
Stacie L. Pettyjohn
Iran

blog
Iranian Commander Soleimani Killed: RAND Experts React
The White House has confirmed that a U.S. airstrike authorized by President Trump killed Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani just outside the Baghdad airport in Iraq. We've rounded up how RAND researchers reacted to the news.
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Jan 3, 2020
Iraq

commentary
Iraq at the Crossroads
The protests gripping Iraq pose an extraordinary challenge to Baghdad's political leadership, which must move the country ahead or step aside. Unless it finds the will to compromise for the common good, the governing class could risk thrusting the country into civil war.
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Dec 18, 2019
Linda Robinson
Medicare

blog
Medicare, Climate Change, 'Superbugs': RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on opening Medicare to Americans at age 50, how to assess climate change plans, antibiotic-resistant superbugs, and more.
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Nov 22, 2019
commentary
The Arab Spring in the Upside-Down
Where the original Arab Spring protests removed authoritarian leaders, the current demonstrators in Iraq and Lebanon are trying to topple popularly elected governments. This could have dramatic implications for the future of representative democracy in the Middle East.
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Nov 21, 2019
Jordan R. Reimer
commentary
Don't Overestimate the Power of Iraqi Protests
As protests in Iraq grow, a “good news” narrative seems to be developing that they are a significant blow to Iranian influence. But the bigger story is not who is up and who is down between Washington and Tehran; it is that yet another Arab public has taken to the streets demanding change.
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Nov 14, 2019
Jeffrey Martini, Ariane M. Tabatabai
The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)

commentary
How the U.S. Withdrawal from Syria Provides a Boost to ISIS
President Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria could provide the ISIS terrorist group with the time and space to regrow its organization and extend its networks throughout the Middle East. The longer-term strategic effects of the decision could reverberate in the region for years to come.
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Oct 21, 2019
Colin P. Clarke

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Planning for the Rising Costs of Dementia

Iraq

A Tradition of Service: Q&A with Two Veterans

Applying Machiavellian Discourses to the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

Competition in Iraq

Iran Claws Back Its Regional Influence

Iran, Mental Health and Jail, Russia: RAND Weekly Recap

How Will Iran Respond to Soleimani's Killing—and Where Will the Escalation End?

Baghdad Siege Wasn't Benghazi, and Never Will Be

Iraq's Vote to Expel U.S. Troops Is Iran's True Victory

All-Out U.S.-Iran War Is Unlikely. But Low-Level War Expected to Continue

Can Iraq Evict U.S. Forces?

Iranian Commander Soleimani Killed: RAND Experts React

Iraq at the Crossroads

Medicare, Climate Change, 'Superbugs': RAND Weekly Recap

The Arab Spring in the Upside-Down

Don't Overestimate the Power of Iraqi Protests

How the U.S. Withdrawal from Syria Provides a Boost to ISIS

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