Meghan O'Sullivan says the Middle East's Kurdish population could help promote moderation in the region.

Max Boot says the presence of active bases in Iraq would allow the United States to project power and influence in the region.

Meghan O'Sullivan says President Obama's road in Libya may prove more similar to President George W. Bush's in Iraq than it now appears.

Amy Belasco of the Congressional Research Service explains the estimated allocation for funds authorized by the enactment of the sixth FY2011 Continuing Resolution through March 18, 2011 and breaks down several cost components of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the War on Terror.

The surge of U.S. troops into Iraq helped decrease violence and set the stage for the eventual U.S. withdrawal.

Dan Senor and Roman Martinez discuss Donald Rumsfeld's memoir, Known and Unknown.

Isobel Coleman and John Chen examine whether opportunities created by and for women in Iraq will be able to continue.

Max Boot argues that the United States cannot afford to ignore Iraq now, when it is so close to a successful outcome.

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's return to Iraq after self-imposed exile in Iran bolsters voices that want all U.S. troops out by the end of 2011 and marks the transition of his group from a militia to a powerful political force, says CFR's Mohamad Bazzi.

Iraq's coalition government is a promising resolution to nine months of political wrangling after national elections, says expert Joost Hiltermann, but questions loom about how effective the power-sharing agreement will be.

Mohamad Bazzi says that as Nouri al-Maliki has finally cobbled together Iraq's new government, the bitter compromises and power-sharing deals are likely to unleash a sectarian clash between Shias, the minority Sunnis, and Kurds.

Mohamad Bazzi discusses Nouri al-Maliki's second term as prime minister of Iraq.

Mohamad Bazzi argues that war has rendered Iraq a pawn in regional battles, and placed the entire Middle East at risk for sectarian conflict.

Mohamad Bazzi says violence is on the rise as political maneuvering, inside and outside Iraq, creates a power vacuum.

Mohamad Bazzi discusses Muqtada al-Sadr's involvement in the formation of Iraq's government and the selection of its new prime minister.

Despite reports of an emerging breakthrough, Iraq's political deadlock remains unresolved and seemingly far from the compromises necessary to clear the way for a governing coalition, says expert Joost R. Hiltermann.