event
Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

The Political Crisis in Iraq: Any Hope for Change?

Thu. June 23rd, 2022
Youtube and Facebook

Since parliamentary elections last October, Iraq has been embroiled in a deep political crisis, which reached a climax after the resignation in June of the largest Shia bloc in parliament, that of Muqtada al-Sadr. The election results, which came after years of political and social instability, were not reflected in the makeup of a new government, as representatives of pro-Iran militias disputed the election results in order to remain in power.

How will the mass resignation of the Sadr bloc impact Iraq’s political process? Is change possible through political institutions when political parties also retain military power? Will these resignations from parliament pave the way for the return of the protest movement, as a new government is formed?

Join us on Thursday, June 23 from 16:00 till 17:30 Beirut time (09:00 till 10:30 EDT) for a panel discussion on the topic with Akeel Abbas, Marsin Al Shamary, Mohanad Hage Ali, Harith Hassan and Zeinab Shuker. The discussion will be held in English and will be livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook.

Viewers may submit their questions using the live chat feature on Facebook and YouTube during the event. For more information, please contact Josiane Matar at josiane.matar@carnegie-mec.org.

Political ReformMiddle East
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
event speakers

Akeel Abbas

Akeel Abbas is an Iraqi academic and journalist.

Marsin Alshamary

Marsin Alshamary is a research fellow with the Middle East Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School - Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Mohanad Hage Ali

Deputy Director for Research, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

Mohanad Hage Ali is the deputy director for research at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center.

Harith Hasan

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center

Harith Hasan is a nonresident senior fellow at the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, where his research focuses on Iraq, sectarianism, identity politics, religious actors, and state-society relations.

Zeinab Shuker

Zeinab Shuker is an assistant professor of sociology at Sam Houston State University, Texas. Her research interests revolve around comparative global political economy, democracy, climate change, and theory, with special emphasis on the Middle East in general and Iraq in particular.