Marsin Alshamary

Iraq must not be a staging ground for war with Iran | Brookings Iraq has long balanced between Washington and Tehran, but the coming weeks will test Iraq’s resolve and capability like never before.

My article for @brookings.edu with @hamzehhadad.bsky.social on the value of Iraqi stability for the region, and the cost of allowing it to descend into the regional war: www.brookings.edu/articles/ira...

Why Iraq’s stability demands deeper democratic reforms | Brookings If change is to occur in Iraq, outside actors must press for meaningful reforms through parliamentary opposition.

As Iraqis head to the polls next week, @marsin.bsky.social and I write for @brookings.edu on the need to raise the bar for democratic performance. www.brookings.edu/articles/why...

Iraqi lessons for Syria’s post-Baathist constitution | Brookings The parallels between Iraq and Syria offer a valuable opportunity for Syria to learn from its eastern neighbor.

My latest piece with @marsin.bsky.social for @brookings.edu on the 20th anniversary of the Iraqi constitution & lessons for Syria, primarily regarding federalism. www.brookings.edu/articles/ira...

Understanding Iraq's Stability Dividend Podcast Episode · Iraqi Voices · 2025-09-29 · 29m

Also available on Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/i...

Understanding Iraq's Stability Dividend

🎙️The best podcast on Iraq is back!

Hassan Hadad, @alwaeli.bsky.social, Ali Al-Mawlawi, and @hamzehhadad.bsky.social discuss how sustained political calm has translated into a stability dividend and examine what steps are needed to secure long-term prosperity.

open.spotify.com/episode/3LS5...

Coming from @stanfordpress.bsky.social in the summer of 2026! @lisablaydes.bsky.social and I edited a book "Ba'thist Iraq through Archives" with a star studded list of contributors!

Delighted that my book Iran's Grand Strategy is on @gideonrachman.bsky.social list for Financial Times Best Summer Books 2025 🙏🏽https://www.ft.com/content/b649f946-5878-43d8-9af8-c63bc0f51c9b

How the US may join the war between Iran and Israel Our weekly podcast on democracy in America. This week, President Donald Trump has said he’ll decide whether to join the war within two weeks. How entangled might the country become in a foreign war? A...

Talking to Economist on definitions of victory and how the US may join the war between Iran and Israel www.economist.com/podcasts/202...

Iraq’s search for security and sovereignty after Assad’s collapse Iraq must recalibrate its relationship with a weakened Iran, in dialogue with the new Trump administration.

My first piece for 2025, co-authored with @marsin.bsky.social for @brookings.edu.

www.brookings.edu/articles/ira...

The Protest to Parliament Pipeline | Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs In the lead up to the October 2021 federal elections, the streets of Baghdad were lined with posters of female candidates. Some were familiar faces with clear political baggage and history, like Sara ...

Excited to share my latest paper for HKS. I am thankful to the International Development Research Centre in supporting this research.

The Protest to Parliament Pipeline: Investigating the Link Between Activism and Women’s Political Participation in Iraq www.belfercenter.org/publication/...

A scramble for legitimacy: Iraq’s political elites since the October 2019 protests | Clingendael Iraqi political elites exhibited a variety of responses to the 2019 October protests, the largest demonstrations in post-2003 Iraq.

A little later than I would have liked, but between teaching & the war in Gaza, you can understand the delay. Find my second report for Clingendael, examining whether Tishreen protests had an impact on the behavior of Iraqi political elites.

www.clingendael.org/publication/...

Proxy battles: Iraq, Iran, and the turmoil in the Middle East The cycle of escalation in the Middle East since 7 October means Iraq has once again found itself a staging ground for Iranian-US conflict. But the relationship between Iraq and Iran is complex and…

With the recent escalation in the Middle East, my latest policy paper for @ecfr.bsky.social provides a lens through which to understand Iraqi-Iranian relations.

ecfr.eu/publication/...

A seminal book on the Iraq war that will inform generations to come. Released today: global.oup.com/academic/pro...

You can tune into the virtual book launch with @hamzehhadad.bsky.social & @jonathanlorddc.bsky.social here: www.cnas.org/events/virtu...

Iraq: Signs of Stability in a Volatile Region Regional spillover from the war between Hamas and Israel may test Iraqis' newfound confidence in their political and national institutions.

Interesting numbers from Gallup on Iraq. PM Sudani with the highest approval ratings of any Iraqi premier since tracking began in 2012. Also perceptions more negative amongst citizens in Iraqi Kurdistan than the rest of Iraq. Realities have flipped from a decade ago. news.gallup.com/poll/610355/...

US confronts ‘Axis’: Who are Iran’s allies? Can they be deterred? Alongside the war in Gaza, Iran’s regional allies and U.S. forces have engaged in scores of attacks and retaliations. Both the U.S. and Iran say they want to avert a wider war, but the clashes’ in...

I’m quoted in this article by The Christian Science Monitor on the recent attack on a U.S. base in Jordan & the American response in Iraq & Syria. www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle...