In this Associated Press article, John Daniszewski writes that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wants to create a new security accord with the United States, but is unwavering that it must respect Iraqi interests.

Bing West, a correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly and a former assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration, says fighting in Iraq is largely over and the war is nearly won.

Ahmet Davutoglu, the chief foreign policy aide to Turkey's prime minister, says he fears recent optimism on Iraq in the United States overlooks significant, dangerous problems which remain unresolved.

Listen to Stephen Biddle, senior fellow for defense policy at CFR, discuss his recent Foreign Affairs article, "How to Leave a Stable Iraq," with students as part of the CFR Academic Conference Call Series.

Linda Robinson says the turnaround in Iraq was not due to a single silver bullet, but rather a multifaceted strategy crafted and carried out by those in Baghdad -- not, despite recent claims, in Washington.

Daniel Senor focuses on Sen. Joseph Biden's plan for segregation of Iraq along ethnic and sectarian lines.

A discussion of how to proceed in Iraq, and what the following steps within that country should be.

With violence down and U.S. troop deaths at their lowest point since the Iraq war began, military analysts are in near-agreement that Iraq is more secure today. But CFR's Stephen Biddle and Steven Simon disagree on how to ensure stability continues. They discuss their views during this inaugural Foreign Affairs Live debate.

With violence down and U.S. troop deaths at their lowest point since the Iraq war began, military analysts are in near-agreement that Iraq is more secure today. But CFR's Stephen Biddle and Steven Simon disagree on how to ensure stability continues. They discuss their views during this inaugural Foreign Affairs Live debate.

Anthony H. Cordesman, an expert on military affairs, says that "substantial progress" has been achieved in Iraq but that political questions leave the future open to question.

Official optimism runs high amid improved security and a growing role for Iraqi forces, but analysts caution against premature celebrations.

Noemie Emery, contributing editor to the Weekly Standard, says Sen. Barack Obama's opposition to the troop surge in Iraq raises questions about his judgment on foreign policy matters. Emery says the surge's success has caused "incoherence" in the Democratic Party's line on Iraq.

The situation in Iraq is improving. With the right strategy, the United States will eventually be able to draw down troops without sacrificing stability.

Analysts are studying whether al-Qaeda in Iraq, severely diminished over five years of war, is moving its war against the West to Afghanistan.

From the September/October 2008 issue of Foreign Affairs: The next U.S. president will face problems that will require strength and a renewed sense of national purpose to solve.

As a new round of sectarian violence grips Kirkuk, experts doubt provincial elections will bring lasting peace.

“Having recently returned from a research trip to Iraq, we are convinced that a total withdrawal of combat troops any time soon would be unwise,” write Stephen Biddle, Michael E. O’Hanlon and Kenneth M. Pollack. Although recent success in Iraq has prompted more calls for withdrawal, a continued American presence is needed to preserve the fragile peace in that country.

Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) released its quarterly report in July 2008.

Concerned that a U.S. drawdown in Iraq will leave a power vaccum, Arab Gulf countries are looking for ways to prop up their neighbor.