A perfect storm has hit Iraq: the COVID-19 virus is spreading throughout the country and overwhelming its healthcare system, a precipitous decline in oil prices is threatening the livelihoods of millions of Iraqis, increasing U.S.-Iran tensions are playing out on Iraqi territory, and a political crisis has stalled the process of government formation for months. On top of all that, millions of Iraqis remain displaced, ISIS still constitutes a major security threat, and pro-Iran militias are increasingly fragmenting, as different groups outbid each other over their loyalty to Tehran and their ability to target the U.S. presence in Iraq. On April 9, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi was named as prime minister designate, the third person to be appointed to the job since Adel Abdul-Mahdi's resignation last November. He now has 30 days to form a government, a task his two predecessors failed to complete, although he appears to have more support across the Iraqi political spectrum and better chances at success than they did. Faced with these myriad socioeconomic, political, and security challenges, can Iraq maintain its tenuous balance? Will Mr. Al Kadhimi succeed in forming a government? What are the potential short- and medium-term economic scenarios for Iraq in light of the oil price war and decreasing global demand? What is the future of the U.S.-Iraq strategic relationship?
The Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to host a panel of experts to address these questions.
Speakers:
Farhad Alaaldin
Chairman, Iraq Advisory Council (IAC)
Farhad Alaaldin is chairman of Iraq Advisory Council. He has served as the political advisor to President of Iraq Barham Saleh from Oct 2018 until March 2019, and also served as political advisor to the former President of Iraq Fuad Masum from July 2014 to Oct 2018. Prior to this period, he was the chief of staff for the Kurdish Regional Government Prime Minister from 2009 until 2011, then senior advisor to the KRG Prime Minister from 2011 till 2012. Alaaldin is a writer and commentator on Iraq and Kurdistan affairs, He writes in English and publishes articles in al-Monitor, WINEP Fikra Forum, Rudaw English, he also writes in Arabic and Kurdish mostly in Iraqi sites and papers such as Rudaw, al-Nas News, NNC among others. Alaaldin is also executive director of RCD-English, member of RCD board of directors. Alaaldin holds a Masters Degree in Leading Innovation and Change from York St. John University
Hafsa Halawa
Non-resident scholar, MEI
Hafsa Halawa is an independent consultant working on political, social and economic affairs, and development goals across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Horn of Africa regions. A former corporate lawyer, Halawa has held positions in government, the UN, INGOs/NGOs, corporate multinationals, private firms, and think tanks. She now consults independently for a similar broad set of clients on a variety of issues, at request.
Yesar Al-Maleki
Non-resident scholar, MEI
Yesar Al-Maleki is an energy economist and Middle East observer with an extensive knowledge of the intertwining subjects of energy, geopolitics, and economics in the region. Currently, he is the Managing Director of Iraq Energy Institute (IEI) in Baghdad where he leads research programs on Iraq’s and Iraqi Kurdistan's oil, natural gas and power sectors, water and environmental challenges, economy, and politics. He has worked for the International Energy Agency (IEA) and various international oil companies. He is specialized in studying the future of rentier states in the Gulf region and prospects of joint economic diversification in the northern region of the Persian Gulf, and has written on the impact of Beijing’s Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) on Middle Eastern port politics, protest movement in oil-rich Basra, OPEC’s oil market balancing measures, Venezuela’s economic woes, and the prospect of Russian energy exports diversification.
Mohammed Radhi Al-Shummary
Professor, Al-Nahrain University
Mohammed Radhi Al-Shummary is a professor at Al-Nahrain University/ College of Political Science, since 2006. And since 2017, he also works as the head of Foreign Relations Office at Hikma National Movement. And before that, he led the electoral campaign of ISCI 2014-2017. Radhi holds a Ph.D in Political Strategic Science. His main fields of interest are strategic performance in foreign policy and international conflict, with focus on Iraq and ME. He has participated in many international programs, conferences and workshops
Randa Slim, moderator
Senior fellow and director, Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues Program, MEI
Randa Slim is a senior fellow and the director of the Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues program at MEI and a non-resident fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced and International Studies (SAIS) Foreign Policy Institute. A former vice president of the International Institute for Sustained Dialogue, Slim has been a senior program advisor at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a guest scholar at the United States Institute of Peace, a program director at Resolve, Inc, and a program officer at the Kettering Foundation. A long-term practitioner of Track II dialogue and peace-building processes in the Middle East and Central Asia, she is the author of several studies, book chapters, and articles on conflict management, post-conflict peace-building, and Middle East politics.