Political and strategic conditions in Iraq are changing rapidly with the appointment of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the initiation of U.S. airstrikes on positions held by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
In this new video series, Washington Institute experts assess the current state of military operations in Iraq and evaluate Abadi’s ability to extricate his country from deadlock, defeat, and disintegration.
Lafer Fellow Michael Knights assesses ISIS’s strengths and weaknesses and discusses whether Abadi can win Sunni support.
Senior Fellow Michael Eisenstadt, director of the Institute’s Military and Security Studies Program, asserts that the U.S. military effort in Iraq will be limited but long-term and that it must be accompanied by a campaign to win hearts and minds.
Defense Fellow Jeffrey White addresses the ISIS threat to the Middle East and the West as a terrorist state.
Read the latest Washington Institute analysis on Iraq .
