Iraq: Escalating Domestic and Regional Tensions

September 2018

Past Event

Iraq: Escalating Domestic and Regional Tensions

Past Event

Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters

September 19, 2018

Iranian consulate in the Iraqi city of Basra burns after being torched by protesters, September 7, 2018 (HAIDAR MOHAMMED ALI/AFP/Getty Images)

September 2018

Past Event

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004

Read Transcript

Speakers:

Omar al-Nidawi

Iraq Director, Gryphon Partners

Jomana Qaddour

Doctoral Student, Law Center, Georgetown University

Ahmed Ali

Program Officer and Director, Iraq Program, National Endowment for Democracy

Mike Pregent

Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute

In light of the recent Iraqi elections, the Hudson Institute hosted a panel led by senior fellow Michael Pregent to examine the current state of Iraq, in particular: the new political coalitions forming; the outside influence of Iran and the U.S.; and the recent protests in Basra. A wave of demonstrations protesting a lack of public services and government corruption have tested the burgeoning government, while regional tensions have reached new heights. Making matters worse are the conflicts emerging between the country’s largest political parties and pro-Iranian Shia militias.

Panelists included Michael Pregent, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute; Ahmed Ali, the director of the National Endowment for Democracy’s Iraq program; Jomana Qaddour, the co-founder of Syria Relief & Development; Omar al-Nidawi, the Iraq director at the strategic advisory firm Gryphon Partners.

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