On February 27, 2020 IRIS hosted Dr Nawroz Saeed, the Manager of the response to Coronavirus in Sulaimani Province, for an interview and discussion. Saeed spoke about the challenge that the outbreak poses for local & regional health policy. Key Takeaways: 1) The heightened concern about Coronavirus in Sulaimani Province... Read More

On February 17, 2020, IRIS hosted a policy roundtable discussion with Joshua Stacey of Social Inquiry. Mr. Stacy presented data from a report conducted by IOM and Social Inquiry entitled “When Affordability Matters: The Political Economy and Economic Decision Making of Iraqi IDPs.” The report highlights the diverse socio-economic factors... Read More

On November 25, 2019, IRIS hosted a panel discussion with Abdulaziz Jarba of Al-Tahreer Association for Development, Dr. Zmkan Ali Saleem of IRIS, and Dr. Mahmood Azo of Mosul University entitled "The Failure of Reconstruction in Iraq: Spotlight on Mosul." The panel was chaired by IRIS Director, Dr. Mac Skelton... Read More

On November 11, 2019, IRIS hosted a roundtable discussion with Simona Foltyn of France 24 English, Faris Kamal Nadhmi of Salahaddin University, and Dr. Renad Mansour of Chatham House and IRIS entitled "Iraq Protests: State Violence & The Challenge of Reform." The event was chaired by IRIS Director Dr. Mac... Read More

On November 6, 2019, IRIS hosted a roundtable discussion with Robina Fellow at Yale Law School, Dr. Mara Revkin, entitled "Can Community Policing Increase State Legitimacy? Preliminary Findings from Iraq." Dr. Revkin presented data from a research paper on a community policing program currently taking place in 13 Iraqi cities... Read More

On October 8, 2019, IRIS hosted a roundtable discussion with IRIS staff Dr. Mac Skelton, Zainab Hamid, Dr. Zmkan Ali Saleem, and Rahman Al Jebouri titled "The Protest Movement: Causes and Consequences." The presenters discussed the distinction between the demonstrations that emerged in October and previous protest movements, the structural... Read More

On September 19, 2019, IRIS hosted a roundtable discussion with Brian Joseph of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) entitled "Promoting Democracy in the Post-9/11 Era." Mr. Joseph spoke about the problems that arise when democracy promotion programs ignore the specific local conditions impacting citizen engagement . Democratic institutions and... Read More

On September 16, 2019, IRIS hosted a roundtable discussion with Abdulaziz Al Jarba of the Al-Tahreer Association for Development entitled "The ISIS Occupation of Mosul: Causes and Consequences." The discussion included an analysis of the security and political environment in Mosul from 2003 to the present. Mr. Jarba also highlighted... Read More

On October 21-23, 2018, The Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS) at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS) hosted the first session of the Iraq Leadership Fellows (ILF) program class of 2018/19. The session was followed by two more sessions that took place in March and July, 2019... Read More

Hosted at the University of Mosul on June 17, 2019, this panel discussed the challenges to rebuilding the state in Iraq, with a particular emphasis on reconstructing recently liberated areas, negotiating power-sharing between provinces and the central government, and understanding the role of civil society in the process. The panel... Read More