An NIF Zoom event on where Iraq is today, the U.S. role, how we arrived here, and if the U.S. can play a constructive part in Iraq’s future.

Disclaimer: NIF events are by email invitation only and are non-transferable. Please note that when registering for any of our events, all required fields must be properly filled out. We reserve the right to deny entry for those who fail to do so, i.e. inputting “NA” in the “organization” or “job title” section.

Speakers

Dr. Tallha Abdulrazaq, Researcher at the University of Exeter’s Strategy & Security Institute, award-winning academic specializing in counterterrorism, security, and military history, columnist and regular contributor to international media outlets providing expert analysis on issues including Iranian strategic ambitions in the Middle East, Turkish-Arab relations, and the security and political situation in Iraq since 2003

Geneive Abdo, Visiting Fellow at The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, Consultant at the World Bank, formerly a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Doha Center, previously worked at the Atlantic Council and the Stimson Center, former Non-Resident Scholar at the Brookings Institution, worked with the United Nations and before that as a foreign correspondent covering the Middle East

Moderator

Hamdi Rifai, Executive Director at the Council of United Syrians & Americans, government affairs specialist focused on foreign policy between the United States, Eurasia, and the Middle East, expert analyst on international affairs, national security, and legal issues who frequently appears on Fox News, Al-Hurra, Al-Jazeera, the BBC, and TRT

About our Speakers: 

Dr. Tallha Abdulrazaq is an award-winning academic who holds a PhD in strategy and security from the University of Exeter in England. He specializes in counterterrorism and military history, with a particular focus on the operational development of the Iraqi armed forces during the Iran-Iraq War. He is also a columnist and a regular contributor to international media outlets, providing expert analysis and commentary on issues including Iranian strategic ambitions in Iraq, Syria, and the wider region, Turkish-Arab relations, and the security and political situation in Iraq since 2003.

Geneive Abdo is a visiting fellow at The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW) and a consultant at the World Bank, and was formerly a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Center. Her current research focuses on the shifting political and religious alliances within Shia communities in the Middle East. Abdo has worked at several Washington-based think tanks, including the Atlantic Council and the Stimson Center. She was a non-resident scholar at the Brookings Institution from 2013-17. Among her extensive list of publications, including monographs and works in scholarly journals, Abdo is the author of four books on the Middle East, including The New Sectarianism: The Arab Uprisings and the Rebirth of the Shi’a-Sunni Divide (Oxford University Press, 2016). Her articles and commentaries have been published by The New York Times, Newsweek, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy Magazine, and The Washington Post, and she has been awarded the John Simon Guggenheim fellowship and Nieman Fellowship for study at Harvard University. Abdo was formerly the liaison officer for the Alliance of Civilizations, a United Nations initiative established by former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, which aimed to improve relations between Islamic and Western societies. Before joining the United Nations, Abdo was a foreign correspondent, where her 20-year career focused on coverage of the Middle East and the Muslim world. From 1998 to 2001, Abdo was the Iran correspondent for The Guardian and a regular contributor to The Economist and the International Herald Tribune. She was the first American journalist to be based in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

About our Moderator: 

Hamdi Rifai is the Executive Director at the Council of United Syrians & Americans. Mr. Rifai is a government affairs specialist focused on foreign policy between the United States, Eurasia, and the Middle East. He has appeared frequently throughout the years as an expert analyst on international affairs, national security, and legal issues on Fox News, Al-Hurra, Al-Jazeera, the BBC, and TRT.

Note: additional speakers may be announced later.