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Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on April 10, 2025. (Getty Images)
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Iraqi rapid intervention forces advance as they take part in an operation against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists east of Tuz Khurmatu, February 7, 2018 (MAHMUD SALEH/AFP/Getty Images)
In conjunction with the U.S. and the international Counter-ISIS Coalition, Iraq has managed to effectively combat the Islamic State. Yet many challenges remain, and the war against ISIS has caused considerable damage to numerous Iraqi cities. The U.N. has led stabilization efforts to restore essential services in these areas by working with the Iraqi national and local government, and the next phase is reconstruction and reconciliation. With Iraqi parliamentary elections looming in May--amidst the growing influence of Iran--Iraq’s future in the region remains uncertain.
On February 22, Hudson hosted a panel to discuss Iraq and the Middle East. Participants will be: Iraqi Ambassador to the United States Fareed Yasseen; Linda Robinson, senior international and defense researcher at the RAND Corporation; Hudson Institute Adjunct Fellow Michael Pregent; and Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Jonas Parello-Plesner.
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A serviceman of the 208th Kherson Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade stands on combat duty near a launcher of the MIM-23 Hawk surface-to-air missile system in Mykolaiv Oblast, Ukraine, on March 30, 2026. (Getty Images)
