Today Iraqis find themselves caught in an array of competing forces. Their country is a battleground for foreign actors, from militias to major powers. Their domestic politics are increasingly violent as the state reacts brutally to popular demands for better governance and accountability. Yet we rarely hear Iraqi perspectives on these turbulent events.

One of the Middle East’s leading young political analysts, Hafsa Halawa, and Lowy Institute Nonresident Fellow Anthony Bubalo, discuss how Iraqis see the future of peace and politics in their country and the wider region.

Hafsa Halawa is an independent political and development consultant and a Nonresident Scholar at the Middle East Institute in the United States. Of Egyptian and Iraqi heritage, she has lived and worked across the region for over a decade. Since 2018, she has been working in Iraq on a range of projects aimed at promoting social cohesion, conflict management, and women’s rights.