Leslie H. Gelb says Israeli threats undercut prospects for a settlement with Iran.

Iraqi filmmaker Oday Rasheed discusses his second film, Qarantina, which follows the story of a broken family in Baghdad who takes in a mysterious boarder.

Qarantina is part of the Global Lens 2012 film series and was co-presented with the Global Film Initiative.

Iraqi filmmaker Oday Rasheed discusses his second film, Qarantina, which follows the story of a broken family in Baghdad who takes in a mysterious boarder. Qarantina is part of the Global Lens 2012 film series and was co-presented with the Global Film Initiative.

Leslie H. Gelb explains why federalism is the best approach for creating a peaceful and independent Iraq.

As the last U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq this month, an emerging political battle among the country's top leaders has raised concerns over its stability. It underscores the difficult road ahead for the fragile democracy and potential for greater violence, says CFR's Ned Parker.

Max Boot says that at the moment, Iraq is an uneasy mixture of good and bad, volatile and stable, healthy and diseased—a strange witches' brew that could blow up or, just possibly, turn into an elixir for the entire region.

Meghan O'Sullivan states, "While Americans have been welcoming the 'end' of the war in Iraq over the past few days, a political crisis of serious proportions has been unfolding in Baghdad."

Leslie H. Gelb interviews U.S. vice president Joe Biden.

With the United States formally marking the end of the Iraq war, all U.S. combat troops are scheduled to withdraw by December 31. Listen to former National Security Council official Meghan O'Sullivan and correspondent Ned Parker, who reported from Iraq and has just returned from the region, together with Foreign Affairs Editor Gideon Rose discuss the road ahead for Iraq.

Richard N. Haass assesses the lessons of the Iraq war, concluding that wars of choice will in the future be harder to wage.

As the U.S. military formally ends operations in Iraq, four top expert voices in the debate on the war differ over whether it merited the cost in blood, treasure, and U.S. credibility.

If Iraq can attract foreign investment and revive its petroleum industry, it stands to become the most advanced Arab country, claim Bloomberg editors.

CFR's Stephen Biddle discusses the increasing emphasis on non-military ties between the United States and Iraq.

President Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki gave this joint press conference on December 12, 2011.

Vice President Joe Biden gave these remarks in Baghdad, Iraq on December 1, 2012.

Kenneth Katzman explains how sectarianism in Iraq impedes governance and human rights advances.

The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) issued this quarterly report in October 2011; it covers the period of July-September 2011.

Ray Takeyh states, "Iran may have been able to project its influence in an Iraq beset by civil war, but Tehran increasingly is on the margins as Iraq reconstitutes its national institutions."

Max Boot says the end of the U.S. military mission in Iraq is not a triumph but a defeat for the United States.

An interactive slideshow detailing events since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The pullout of U.S. troops by year's end points to the troubling rift in Iraqi politics and big questions about the country's stability, writes CFR's Ned Parker.

President Obama gave these remarks, regarding the ending the combat mission in Iraq, on October 21, 2011.

Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefts of Staff, gave this statement on the situations in Afghanistan and Iraq before the Senate Armed Services Committee on September 22, 2011.

Hoshyar Zebari, minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Iraq, analyzes Iraq's growth under democracy, and reaffirms that U.S. and international efforts were worth the cost.

Hoshyar Zebari, minister of foreign affairs of the Republic of Iraq, analyzes Iraq's growth under democracy, and reaffirms that U.S. and international efforts were worth the cost.

Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Hoshyar Zebari discusses Iraq's progress toward stable democracy and the examples it can provide for the Arab Spring.

Meghan L. O'Sullivan says that while the situation in Iraq has fallen short on hopes and expectations, Iraq's achievements are hardly minor, and the strategic benefits of U.S. intervention there may materialize in the next several years.

In testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, Ray Takeyh says that mutual antipathy to the presence of the Iranian opposition party Mujahidin-i Khalq in Iraq is the one issue that has brought Tehran and Baghdad together.

A rise in Iraq's violence and sectarian tensions--and the highest U.S. monthly combat deaths since 2008--come amid mounting concerns over the government's role and questions about the U.S. troop presence, says expert Sean Kane.

Mohamad Bazzi says Iraq faces a decision on the U.S. troop presence, but the unwieldly government coalition means that domestic rivalries could force the issue.