The past several months have been among the most consequential Iraq has faced in years.

Since the Iran war began on February 28, Iraq has been pulled deeper into a conflict it did not choose. Military confrontations have spilled onto Iraqi territory, while disruptions to oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz have exposed just how vulnerable Iraq’s economy remains to regional instability.

At the same time, Iraq has undergone a major political transition. After six months of deadlock, intense political competition, and pressure from both Washington and Tehran, a new government took office in May under Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, a 40-year-old businessman and political outsider with no previous experience in elected office.

The war has also brought Iraq’s long-running struggle over sovereignty and state authority into sharper focus. Iran-backed militias operating outside state control have launched attacks on neighboring states and targets inside Iraq. Iran, meanwhile, has continued to strike Kurdish opposition groups on Iraqi territory that it considers a threat. Most recently, U.S.-Saudi strikes have targeted militia positions inside Iraq. The result is a troubling reality: Iraq is increasingly being used as a battlefield by outside powers and armed groups, even as its government tries to keep the country out of a wider war.

These pressures have made difficult questions about who holds power in Iraq impossible to avoid. Since June, debate over militia disarmament has gained unprecedented momentum. The new government has also launched one of Iraq’s most ambitious anti-corruption campaigns in years.

In response, we have expanded EPIC’s policy briefings, issue papers, video analysis, and weekly reporting to help audiences in Washington, Baghdad, and beyond understand what is happening, why it matters, and what practical choices remain. This update highlights our recent work on militia disarmament, corruption, Iraqi sovereignty, and the regional fallout from the Iran war.

At the same time, our work continues inside Iraq with Iraqi partners on another set of challenges that will shape Iraq’s future for decades: water, air quality, agriculture, and climate resilience. We’ll share a separate update on those efforts soon.

FORTHCOMING EPIC RESEARCH:
Iraq in the New Middle East

One of our largest ongoing projects examines Iraq’s place in a rapidly changing Middle East and the implications for U.S. policy. Our forthcoming report, Iraq in the New Middle East: Options for U.S. Policy, addresses a longstanding gap in Washington’s approach to Iraq. While the United States has lacked a clearly defined long-term strategy since the defeat of ISIS, other regional and global powers — including Iran, Russia, and China — have expanded their political, economic, and strategic influence across the country.

To inform the report, EPIC Senior Fellow Ahmed Ali recently returned from several months of field research in Iraq, where he conducted dozens of interviews with senior Iraqi and regional officials, civil society leaders, and policy experts. The research also included focus groups and roundtable discussions to ensure a broad range of Iraqi perspectives on the country’s future and the role the United States can play.

This project is part of EPIC’s broader effort to ground U.S. policy toward Iraq in sustained field research and Iraqi perspectives. We look forward to sharing the completed report and its policy recommendations later this year.

The Iran War and Its Fallout

From the first days of the Iran war, it was clear that Iraq would be among the countries most exposed to its fallout. Iraqi armed factions and U.S. forces exchanged attacks inside Iraq, while other military activity underscored how vulnerable the country had become to a widening regional confrontation.

To help explain these developments, we published Iraq Caught in the Middle: The Iran War’s Impact and What Comes Next, examining how the conflict was reshaping Iraq’s security and political environment.

ANALYSIS: HOW THE IRAN WAR IS RESHAPING IRAQ

The war also exposed Iraq’s structural economic vulnerabilities. Iraq relies on oil exports for roughly 90 percent of government revenue, leaving the country acutely vulnerable to disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz. The war has turned that vulnerability into one of Iraq’s most serious fiscal challenges in years. To explain the infrastructure constraints and long-term policy failures that left Iraq so exposed, we published Iraq’s Oil Export Crisis: Risks and Policy Priorities.

ANALYSIS: IRAQ’S OIL EXPORT RISKS

Understanding Iraq’s New Government

The selection of Ali al-Zaidi as Iraq’s new prime minister surprised nearly everyone. At just 40 years old and without a traditional political background, Zaidi represented a striking departure from Iraq’s established political elite.

To explain how this unexpected outcome came about, we produced a special briefing, Who is Ali al-Zaidi?, followed by a second analysis examining how Iraq’s new prime minister has sought to navigate the competing pressures of Washington, Tehran, and Iraq’s domestic political forces during the Iran war.

VIDEO: WHO IS ALI AL-ZAIDI?

VIDEO: IRAQ BETWEEN WASHINGTON AND TEHRAN

EPIC also contributed to broader policy discussions about Iraq’s political transition. In May, EPIC’s Programs Director Omar Al-Nidawi had the opportunity to moderate a panel on government formation during the Atlantic Council’s Iraq Dialogue, where leading experts examined what the new government could mean for Iraq’s relationships with the United States, Iran, its Arab neighbors, the Kurdistan Region, and Iraq’s competing political factions. The event drew hundreds of participants in person and many more online.

PANEL: WHAT IRAQ’S NEW GOVERNMENT MEANS

The Debate Over Militia Disarmament

The participation of Iraqi militias in the Iran war intensified calls — from Washington, Iraq’s Arab neighbors, and many Iraqis themselves — for Baghdad to bring all weapons under state control. Yet public discussion of this issue has often been dominated by contradictory statements, political messaging, and uncertainty over what “disarmament” would actually entail.

To help clarify the debate, we partnered with the Stimson Center to publish What Would Militia Disarmament in Iraq Actually Mean — and Can It Be Achieved?, examining both the political obstacles and the practical realities of any future disarmament effort.

ANALYSIS: CAN IRAQ DISARM ITS MILITIAS?

We also produced a companion video briefing, Are Iraqi Militias Disarming? Here’s What We Know, to explain the rapidly evolving developments in accessible terms.

VIDEO: ARE THE MILITIAS DISARMING?

Tracking Iraq’s New Anti-Corruption Campaign

Corruption remains one of the greatest obstacles to effective governance, economic development, and public trust in Iraq. Like several of his predecessors, Prime Minister Zaidi launched an ambitious campaign targeting entrenched corruption networks within the state, resulting in the arrest of more than a dozen lawmakers. Yet many observers have questioned whether the effort represents genuine reform or another episode of selective enforcement.

We have worked to bring greater context and nuance to this debate. In June, EPIC’s Programs Director Omar Al-Nidawi joined a roundtable hosted by the Center for the National Interest to examine the structural roots of corruption and the political constraints facing any serious reform effort.

We also published a special Iraq Briefing, Iraq’s Anti-Corruption Crackdown: Inside the Green Zone Raids, assessing the early stages of the campaign and the factors likely to determine whether it succeeds or stalls.

VIDEO: CAN THE CORRUPTION CRACKDOWN WORK?

To complement that discussion, we published Iraq’s Latest Anti-Corruption Campaign: A Turning Point or Another Selective Purge? through 1001 Iraqi Thoughts, examining why Iraq’s history of selective prosecutions continues to fuel skepticism despite the unprecedented scope of the current campaign.

Analysis: Iraq’s Crackdown – Reform or Purge?

Join Team EPIC for the 2026 “In Their Shoes” 5K

Before we close, we want to invite you to join Team EPIC in support of our friends at the Iraqi Children Foundation (ICF).

On Saturday, August 29, EPIC friends and supporters will gather at Burke Lake Park in Fairfax, Virginia for ICF’s annual “In Their Shoes” 5K. You can run, walk, or participate virtually from anywhere in the world!

ICF and EPIC are separate organizations with distinct but complementary charitable missions, and we are proud of our long history of working together in support of Iraq’s children and communities. Over the years, that partnership has included Soccer Salam, the Summer of Hope, and other initiatives, as well as more than a decade of joining ICF for the “In Their Shoes” 5K. We are proud to stand with ICF’s work protecting and empowering Iraq’s most vulnerable children, and we would love to have you with us this year.

REGISTER WITH TEAM EPIC TODAY

Bring a friend, invite your family, or rally your workplace, faith community, or neighborhood group. Every participant helps show solidarity with the children of Iraq and all those working on their behalf.

Across this work, our collaborations with the Atlantic Council, the Stimson Center, and the Center for the National Interest are helping bring EPIC’s Iraq-focused research and expertise into wider policy conversations.

At EPIC, we believe good policy begins with good information. Your support makes it possible for us to provide timely analysis, rigorous research, and informed dialogue while sustaining our long-term partnerships and work inside Iraq. Thank you for helping us advance practical solutions for peace, accountable governance, and a more prosperous future for all Iraqis.