In The News: ISW Experts on Iraq

As clashes continue throughout Iraq and Syria, ISW Senior Fellow LTG James M. Dubik (U.S. Army, Ret.), ISW Research Director Jessica D. Lewis, and Iraq Team Lead Ahmed Ali have lent their perspectives to the rapidly-changing situation on the ground. 

Fighting Al-Qaeda in Iraq is in U.S. Interests- The Washington Post

by ISW Senior Fellow LTG James M. Dubik 

"Iraq is once again at a crisis point. Given the sacrifices the United States, coalition partners and so many Iraqis made to bring the country back from the precipice of 2006, it is more than unsettling to see a third battle of Fallujah unfolding. But rather than point fingers and assign fault for this foreseeable threat, the focus needs to be on how to best move forward." Read more at  The Washington Post.

Iraq Calls on Fallujah Residents to Expel al-Qaeda - The Associated Press

by ISW Iraq Team Lead Ahmed Ali

"Ahmed Ali, an Iraq researcher at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, cautioned that a military assault on Fallujah would likely lead to civilian casualties and "possibly invoke other violent tribal responses." It could also give al-Qaeda a chance to launch attacks in other parts of the country given the concentration of forces in Anbar.

"It is important to recognize that (al-Qaeda) cannot be decisively defeated in Anbar. The (Iraqi military) presence in Anbar is therefore likely to be long-term, which increases the opportunities for (al-Qaeda) to exert control elsewhere in Iraq," he wrote." Read more via NBC News.

Black Flags over Fallujah -The Weekly Standard

by ISW Research Director Jessica D. Lewis

"This is not just Iraq's war. AQI is now operating on three fronts, in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. The moderate Sunnis are the answer in each of these places, and the United States should be shaping policies to back them. Otherwise we leave them to observe our negotiations with Iran, our failure to hold Assad accountable for chemical attacks, and our provision of aid to Maliki. And we leave them to wonder if we simply don't care about their fate or are actually hostile to them."

For media inquiries, contact Maggie Obriwin at [email protected] or 202-293-5550 x205.

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