Winning the Peace in Iraq
Don't Give Up on Baghdad's Fragile Democracy
Published in: Foreign Affairs (September/October 2019)
Posted on RAND.org on October 11, 2019
Iraq's evolution is more promising than most in Washington realize, representing some opportunities that the US government can capitalize on without too great an investment. Iraq faces significant challenges to consolidating the peace, and U.S. interests require it to work with and through Baghdad. The risk now is that the US will make Iraq all about Iran rather than encouraging its improved governance, services and sovereign rule of law—and supporting the Iraqi security forces in successfully staving off an ISIS comeback.
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