Menu

United States Institute of Peace

Home ▶ Events

The Struggle for Democracy in Iraq: What are the Lessons for American Foreign Policy?

Date: Wednesday, June 15, 2005 / Time: 6:00am - 8:00am 

Share This
Print the Page

Larry Diamond, who served in Baghdad with the Coalition Provisional Authority and has recently authored Squandered Victory: The American Occupation and the Bungled Effort to Bring Democracy to Iraq, joined a panel of experts to discuss U.S. efforts to promote democracy in Iraq and the wider implications for American foreign policy in the Arab world.

Panelists discussed such questions as:

  • As the process to form a government and draft a constitution unfolds in Iraq, how can the balance of powers necessary to a sustainable democracy be achieved? What role will the U.S. play in facilitating such an outcome without exerting undue influence?
  • How will the U.S. experience in Iraq shape American foreign policy and the imperative to democratize?
  • What are the prospects for political change and democratization in other countries in the Arab world?

Speakers

  • Larry Diamond, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution
  • Frederick Barton, Senior Advisor and Co-Director, Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies
  • Daniel Brumberg, Special Advisor, Muslim World Initiative, U.S. Institute of Peace
  • Lawrence Kaplan, Senior Editor, The New Republic
  • Dan Senor, Former Chief Spokesman and Senior Advisor, Coalition Provisional Authority
  • Daniel Serwer, Vice President and Director, Peace and Stability Operations, U.S. Institute of Peace, Moderator

Media Inquiries

Please contact the Office of Public Affairs and Communications at 202.429.3832.

Latest Publications

Southeast Asia Web Scams Reach U.S., Setting Off Alarms for Law Enforcement

Southeast Asia Web Scams Reach U.S., Setting Off Alarms for Law Enforcement

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

By: Priscilla A. Clapp;  Erin West

From their base in ungoverned stretches of Southeast Asia, international criminal networks are prowling the Internet, seeking to defraud victims around the world with sophisticated and psychologically devastating scams. Gangsters operating out of Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, relying on forced labor, have spread their tentacles through Asia, Africa and Latin America and increasingly within the United States, stripping gullible prey of at least $64 billion annually. Clearly, to eradicate such a global menace will require a coordinated international response. Even so, the United States is not internally powerless to confront this striking example of how conflict and corrupt governance in distant parts of the world can directly threaten Americans’ security and well-being.

Type: Analysis

Economics;  Global Policy

Why Is the U.S. Deploying Long-Range Missiles in Germany?

Why Is the U.S. Deploying Long-Range Missiles in Germany?

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

By: Yashar Parsie

On the sidelines of last month’s NATO summit, the United States and Germany announced that Washington will begin episodic deployments of long-range conventional capabilities to Germany. In 1987, the United States and Soviet Union agreed to eliminate these systems under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, but Russia’s violations led the United States to withdraw from the treaty in 2019. Three years later, Russia invaded Ukraine and has engaged in nuclear saber-rattling since then. Washington plans to deploy these systems to strengthen deterrence, but Moscow has criticized them.

Type: Question and Answer

Global Policy

Russia’s War and China’s Rise Set a New Path for South Korea-NATO Relations

Russia’s War and China’s Rise Set a New Path for South Korea-NATO Relations

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

By: Geunwook Lee;  Kwang-Jin Kim

July 2024 marked the third time South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol joined a NATO summit along with the leaders of the alliance’s other Indo-Pacific partner countries (Australia, Japan and New Zealand), informally known as the IP4. This represents a new phase in South Korea’s relations with the Atlantic alliance, but building a lasting friendship will take time and requires navigating a series of challenges. Amid an emerging global division of democratic and authoritarian camps and the challenges posed by China and Russia for both the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions, it is incumbent on both Brussels and Seoul to build a more cooperative relationship. That journey, however, has just begun.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

Is Southeast Asia’s Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone the Key to Indo-Pacific Stability?

Is Southeast Asia’s Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone the Key to Indo-Pacific Stability?

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

By: Nigel Li

Over five decades into the “Asian peace,” there are reasons to be pessimistic about the future security of the Indo-Pacific. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has ignited concerns of conflict in Asia and Moscow’s nuclear threats have unearthed the specter of nuclear war as China rapidly augments its nuclear capabilities. An escalating arms race between the U.S. and China will inevitably leave non-nuclear weapon states caught in the middle. But all is not lost. In Asia, there are existing security mechanisms that could be revitalized to reinforce strategic stability. One of those mechanisms is the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ).

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

Bangladesh’s Revolution Remains Unfinished

Bangladesh’s Revolution Remains Unfinished

Monday, August 19, 2024

By: Geoffrey Macdonald, Ph.D.

On August 5, a student-led revolution toppled Bangladesh’s increasingly repressive prime minister, Sheikh Hasina. After 15 years in power, her government’s sudden and improbable collapse creates the possibility for a new era in Bangladesh. Democratic champions are reinvigorated, but instability and violence will grow in the near term and countervailing forces will likely emerge to blunt progress. Bangladesh’s revolutionary moment is not yet a revolution. Only sustained and deliberate political reform can finish what the students started. The United States can help.

Type: Analysis

Democracy & Governance

View All Publications