Iraq Archives - Robert Lansing Institute

Analysis: Reasons for Turkey’s military escalation in Iraqi Kurdistan

A recent intensification of Turkish airstrikes in the Iraqi Kurdistan region has fuelled growing concerns about Ankara’s broader geopolitical ambitions in northern Iraq. While Turkey has long targeted Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants in the region,…

September 26, 2024Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan, Turkiye

Democracy Geopolitics

Afghanistan is completely lost. Is Iraq next on the list? Arms sales can tell a lot

The recent events observed in Afghanistan have shown us how fragile the US order can be. After 20 years of fighting, the Taliban is again at the helm, and it seems…

September 7, 2021Iraq, Russia

Geopolitics

The meaning of Pope Francesco’s visit to Iraq

Lebanon, Syria and Iraq are three strongly related countries, and Pope Francesco’s visit to Iraq, happened during a pandemic, after the attack of January in Bagdad, where the authorship was…

March 8, 2021Gerta Zaimi, Iraq, Pope Francesco, Vatican

Situation Reports Governance

Will Iraq Survive the Covid-19 Pandemic?

Even before the Covid-19 tsunami washed over the world, Iraq was at best, a fragile democracy barely hanging on in the wake of almost daily street protests, a revolving door government, and…

May 11, 2020coronavirus, David DeBatto, Iraq

Opinion

It’s Time For An Independent Kurdistan

Kurds are the world’s largest remaining ethnic group without a homeland. Being neither Iraqi or Iranian, Turkish or Syrian, Arab or Persian, the Kurds are a distinct and separate ethnic group that occupies…

March 26, 2020David DeBatto, Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan

Conflict Estimates

Muqtada al-Sadr: America’s Last Opportunity for Lasting Peace in Iraq

Muqtada al-Sadr is arguably the most powerful person in Iraq. Son of the deceased, popular Shiite leader and cleric, Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr, he commands a large and well-armed Iraqi…

February 28, 2020David DeBatto, Iran, Iraq, Muqtada Al-Sadr, USA

Conflict Situation Reports

US Embassy attack in Baghdad was coordinated with the Iraqi and foreign government

The attack on the US Embassy in Iraq is indicative of Tehran's hybrid operation involving foreign fighters. On December 31, nearly 10 passenger jets from Iran and several scheduled flights from Beirut…

January 3, 2020Hezbollah, Iran, Iraq, Russia, USA

Situation Reports

Russian weapons saturate the Middle East illegal market threatening regional security

Russian arms are being sold on a black market in Syria and Iraq. Here are photos of AK-74M with a Pulsar Apex XQ38 and six magazines for sale in Idlib…

November 20, 2019AK-103, Iraq, Russia, Syria, weapon

Geopolitics Situation Reports

High Probability of Arab Spring-2 in MENA Region to Strengthen Russia’s Hand

The political crisis in some Arab world countries is highly probable to escalate into a new round of the Arab Spring today. Thus, destabilization of the MENA region will lead…

November 18, 2019Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan

Iraq