Iraq, ISIS and the Syrian War

Burke Chair reports on the intertwined conflicts in Iraq and Syria including the campaign by and against the self-proclaimed Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh, and the Syrian Civil War

These reports cover the multifaceted conflicts in Iraq and Syria, which include the military campaign by the United States and its partners to counter ISIL in Iraq, and the war in Syria, including regime forces, opposition forces, and the Russian ground and air campaigns.

All content by Iraq, ISIS and the Syrian War

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Iraq, the United States, and the “New” Middle East

The United States must shape a strategy that recognizes Iraq as a critical part of any future security structure in the Middle East, writes CSIS’s Burke Chair in Strategy.

Report by Anthony H. Cordesman and Grace Hwang — August 5, 2021

Photo: ALI AL-SAADI/AFP/Getty Images

The Iraqi Opinion Thermometer

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is faced with the challenge to restore trust in Iraqi public institutions and must understand key attitudes or risk another civil uprising, writes an affiliate of CSIS’s Burke Chair in Strategy.

Report by Dr. Munqith Dagher and Karl Kaltenthaler — June 22, 2021

Photo: SABAH ARAR/AFP/Getty Images

Iraq: The Missing Keystone in U.S. Policy in the Gulf

The U.S. withdrawal from Iraq has received limited attention but may hold the most significance for U.S. strategy in the region, writes CSIS’s Burke Chair in Strategy.

Commentary by Anthony H. Cordesman and Grace Hwang — April 29, 2021

Photo: KHALID MOHAMMED/AFP/ Getty Images

Correcting America’s Grand Strategic Failures in Iraq

The United States must depart from its past failure to recognize Iraq's true strategic value by planning at the grand strategic level rather than responding to the tactical threat of the day, writes CSIS’s Burke Chair in Strategy.

Commentary by Anthony H. Cordesman — April 1, 2021

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images

The Changing Military Dynamics of the MENA Region

The United States must restructure its security assistance and force posture in the MENA region to respond to the changing dynamics of the political and security landscape, writes CSIS’s Burke Chair in Strategy.

Report by Anthony H. Cordesman and Grace Hwang — March 23, 2021

Photo: JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images