Iraq's Political Stalemate and State-Society Relations

On September 25, 2022, IRIS and the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House hosted a roundtable discussion addressing Iraq’s ongoing political crisis from the perspective of Iraqi citizens. The session featured Amira Al-Jaber (Journalist) as well as the Century Foundation Fellow, Sajad Jiyad, Chatham House Research Associate, Hayder Al Shakeri, and IRIS Executive Director, Dr. Mac Skelton, who moderated the discussion. Issues discussed included: How is the absence of a new government shaping everyday life and citizens' access to services? How is the stalemate impacting perceptions of the state and the political parties? Are new political discourses emerging that may coalesce into broader political movements? The discussion approached these questions at the national level as well as in specific local contexts, exploring the extent to which citizen perceptions of the state across different regions converge or diverge.