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  1. RAND
  2. >The RAND Blog
/content/rand/blog/jcr:content/par/bloglist .topic.iraq
The RAND Blog

Iraq

  • Jonathan Wong and Joslyn Fleming at RAND's Santa Monica headquarters in September 2021, photo by Diane Baldwin/RAND Corporation
    United States Marine Corps

    q&a

    A Tradition of Service: Q&A with Two Veterans

    Nov 7, 2021

    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.

    Read More »
  • U.S. Army Sgt. Robert Newman watches the sunrise after a patrol mission near Zabul, Afghanistan, March 19, 2009, photo by Staff Sgt. Adam Mancini/U.S. Army
    Military Strategy

    commentary

    Applying Machiavellian Discourses to the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

    Scott Savitz

    Aug 9, 2021

    RealClearDefense

    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.

    Read More »
  • Sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Two move in a tactical formation during a training evolution to locate, identify, render safe and dispose of an IED, July 12, 2010
    Peacekeeping and Stability Operations

    commentary

    Competition in Iraq

    Ben Connable, James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins

    Jun 5, 2020

    Rudaw

    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?

    Read More »
  • A demonstrator holds a picture of Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a protest in Tehran, Iran, January 3, 2020, photo by Nazanin Tabatabaee/West Asia News Agency/Reuters
    Iran

    commentary

    Iran Claws Back Its Regional Influence

    Jordan R. Reimer @Jordan_R_Reimer

    Jan 17, 2020

    The World Post

    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.

    Read More »
  • Iran

    blog

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

    Jan 10, 2020

    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.

    Read More »
  • An Iranian mourner holds a picture of late General Qassem Soleimani as people gather to mourn him in Tehran, Iran, January 4, 2020, photo by Nazanin Tabatabaee/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Reuters
    Iran

    commentary

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

    Elisa Catalano Ewers, Ariane M. Tabatabai

    Jan 7, 2020

    The Washington Post Monkey Cage Blog

    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.

    Read More »
  • Members of Iraqi security forces in front of U.S. Embassy during a protest, in Baghdad, Iraq, January 1, 2020, photo by Khalid Al Mousily/Reuters
    Iraq

    commentary

    Baghdad Siege Wasn't Benghazi, and Never Will Be

    Raphael S. Cohen

    Jan 6, 2020

    Fox News Channel

    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.

    Read More »
  • Following the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, members of Iraq's parliament voted to expel American soldiers from Iraq, January 5, 2020, photo by Iraqi Parliament Media Office/Handout via Reuters
    Iraq

    commentary

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

    Ben Connable

    Jan 6, 2020

    Los Angeles Times

    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?

    Read More »
  • Hezbollah supporters attend a funeral ceremony rally to mourn Iran's Qassem Soleimani, in the suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, January 5, 2020, photo by Aziz Taher/Reuters
    Iran

    commentary

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

    Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins

    Jan 6, 2020

    Fox News Channel

    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.

    Read More »
  • U.S. Army soldiers man a defensive position at Forward Operating Base Union III in Baghdad, Iraq, December 31, 2019, photo by Maj. Charlie Dietz/Task Force-Iraq Public Affairs Handout via Reuters
    Iraq

    commentary

    Can Iraq Evict U.S. Forces?

    Stacie L. Pettyjohn

    Jan 6, 2020

    The Washington Post

    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.

    Read More »
  • Militia members hold a portrait of Iranian Commander Major General Qassem Soleimani during a protest of an air campaign in Yemen by a Saudi-led coalition, Baghdad, March 31, 2015, photo by Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters
    Iran

    blog

    Iranian Commander Soleimani Killed: RAND Experts React

    Jan 3, 2020

    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.

    Read More »
  • Iraqi demonstrators carry pictures of people who were killed during ongoing anti-government protests in Nassiriya, Iraq, December 4, 2019, photo  by Alaa Al-Marjani/Reuters
    Iraq

    commentary

    Iraq at the Crossroads

    Linda Robinson @RobinsonL100

    Dec 18, 2019

    Fox News Channel

    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.

    Read More »
  • Medicare

    blog

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

    Nov 22, 2019

    This weekly recap focuses on opening Medicare to Americans at age 50, how to assess climate change plans, antibiotic-resistant superbugs, and more.

    Read More »
  • An Iraqi demonstrator gestures during the ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq, November 18, 2019, photo by Alaa Al-MarjaniReuters

    commentary

    The Arab Spring in the Upside-Down

    Jordan R. Reimer @Jordan_R_Reimer

    Nov 21, 2019

    The World Post

    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.

    Read More »
  • A demonstrator reacts as he walks in front of Iraqi security forces during ongoing anti-government protests in Baghdad, November 14, 2019, photo by Alaa Al-Marjani/Reuters

    commentary

    Don't Overestimate the Power of Iraqi Protests

    Jeffrey Martini, Ariane M. Tabatabai

    Nov 14, 2019

    Foreign Policy

    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.

    Read More »
  • A convoy of U.S. vehicles after withdrawing from northern Syria, on the outskirts of Dohuk, Iraq, October 21, 2019, photo by Ari Jalal/Reuters
    The Islamic State (Terrorist Organization)

    commentary

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

    Colin P. Clarke

    Oct 21, 2019

    Fox News Channel

    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.

    Read More »

Quoted

  • Even turbocharged incentive programs may be insufficient to meet California's need for affordable housing, but such an approach likely represents our best chance to move the needle.

    jason ward

    Jason M. Ward

    Associate Economist

    Source: CalMatters

  • As the West blows through so many imagined boundaries, it may accidentally trip over a real one. At some point, there is a line (even if we have not found it yet) where Russia might decide to make good on its nuclear threats.

    raphael cohen, c0717, raphael cohen, c0717

    Raphael S. Cohen

    Director, Strategy and Doctrine Program, RAND Project AIR FORCE

    Source: The Hill

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