Richard N. Haass discusses the lessons to be taken from the history of U.S. military involvement in Iraq--and their implications for how to move forward in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran.

While President Barack Obama defends the U.S. troop drawdown in Iraq this month, U.S. and Iraqi military officials are seeking a longer force commitment.

Stephen Biddle argues that troop withdrawal from Iraq should be slow and gradual.

Despite political uncertainty and a recent uptick in violence, the United States is winding down military operations in Iraq, a drawdown that will test Baghdad's nascent democratic institutions.

Mohamad Bazzi says that the United States has lost leverage in being able to force Iraqi leaders to end their current political stalemate.

Iraq's two leading parties will probably not pull together a coalition government until September, says Iraq expert Reidar Visser, and Washington has failed to push along the political process.

Rachel Schneller says withdrawal from military engagement in Iraq is overdue for the United States.

Mohamad Bazzi says Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's rise could stoke sectarian tensions in Iraq--and help Iran.

Mohamad Bazzi argues that Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is positioning himself as "kingmaker" in Iraq.

Mohamad Bazzi explains how Muqtada al-Sadr reshapes Iraqi politics.

This report offers a comprehensive analysis of the Iraq War's impact on the Middle East as it relates to U.S. policy in the region.

Iraq's new parliament convened Monday, but bargaining on a coalition government continues. The United States can facilitate, but not push, the outcome, says CFR's Brett McGurk.

Rachel Schneller reviews The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006–2008 by Thomas E. Ricks.

Max Boot argues that Kurdish success in Iraq suggests what Iraq can become in a few years.

Max Boot says, "Unless the U.S. does more to address the Iraqi prime minister's postelection moves, billions of dollars and thousands of lives could be for naught."

CFR President Richard N. Haass discusses strategies for teaching the Afghanistan and Iraq wars with professors as part of CFR's Academic Conference Call series.

This module features teaching notes by CFR President Richard N. Haass, author of War of Necessity, War of Choice: A Memoir of Two Iraq Wars, along with other resources to supplement the text. In this CFR Book, Dr. Haass contrasts the decisions that shaped the conduct of two wars between the United States and Iraq, and writes an authoritative, personal account of how U.S. foreign policy is made. The preface to the paperback edition assesses not only Iraq but also the war in Afghanistan and a potential conflict with Iran.

Iraq's political standoff may be resolved with a compromise candidate, says CFR's Rachel Schneller. But it won't happen according to a U.S. timetable. And it shouldn't affect U.S. plans to withdraw combat troops this summer.