Webinar – New Leadership in Baghdad: Implications for U.S. Interests and the Broader Middle East
Click here to read a transcript.
After six months of gridlock, Iraq’s parliament voted on May 14 to approve a new government led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, a Shi’ite businessman. As usual, Iraq’s eastern neighbor looms large over the country’s internal situation. Of the 14 cabinet members that Iraqi lawmakers approved (out of 23 total), several have ties to Iranian-backed militia groups. And Shi’ite blocs backed by Iran are vying for the remaining cabinet slots, including defense minister and interior minister.
There are other worrying signs about Iraq’s future trajectory. For one, Zaidi’s past financial ties to Iran’s proxies have come under scrutiny. And while Washington is reportedly creating a roadmap to bring the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) under centralized Iraqi control, that plan has drawn serious pushback from the Iranian proxy network.
Meanwhile, Iran and its proxies have launched over 800 drone and missile attacks against Iraq’s Kurdistan Region since March, a situation worsened by internal divisions and Baghdad’s inattentiveness.
To discuss what Iraq’s new government structure means for regional security and U.S. interests, JINSA hosted a webinar featuring Michael Knights, Chief Product Officer at Horizon Engage, and Joel Rayburn, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute and former Senior Director for Iraq Policy on the U.S. National Security Council.
Blaise Misztal, JINSA’s Vice President for Policy, moderated the discussion.
Michael Knights Michael Knights is the Chief Product Officer at Horizon Engage, where he is also Head of Middle East Research. Knights is the author of Back to Basics: U.S.-Iraq Security Cooperation in the Post-Combat Era, among other books about Iraq. He holds a PhD in War Studies from King’s College London. |
Joel Rayburn Joel Rayburn is a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute. Rayburn is the former Senior Director for Iraq Policy at the U.S. National Security Council and former Strategic Intelligence Advisor to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), among other senior roles in government. |
Blaise Misztal Blaise Misztal is the Vice President for Policy at JINSA. Misztal previously was a Fellow at the Hudson Institute, and has held roles as the Executive Director of the Task Force on Extremism in Fragile States and Director of the National Security Program at the Bipartisan Policy Center. |