In this episode of Battlegrounds, H.R. McMaster and former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi discuss the future of Iraq and the Middle East, the threat of Iranian influence in the region, and how to break the cycle of sectarian violence.

H.R. McMaster in conversation with Haider al-Abadi on September 28, 2022 at 9:00am PT.

Dr. Haider al-Abadi was the Prime Minister of Iraq and led the country’s successful military campaign against the Islamic State (Daesh) as Commander in Chief. He was born in Baghdad in 1952 into a professional, middle class family. He lived in exile in the United Kingdom in for twenty-seven years due to his involvement with the political opposition to Saddam Hussein. During his exile, Dr Abadi founded his own company specializing in rapid transit systems. He also led the Islamic Dawa Party in the UK and was a member of the party’s leadership worldwide. In 2003, he returned to Iraq to join the new government, occupying the positions of Minister of Communications, Advisor to the Prime Minister, Chair of the Parliamentary Finance and Economic Committees and Deputy Speaker of Parliament between the years 2006 and 2014.