Conference Highlights – The Invasion of Iraq: Regional Reflections
HIWARAAT CONFERENCE SERIES
The Invasion of Iraq: Regional Reflections
September 14-16, 2023
The 2003 invasion of Iraq marked a critical turning point in America’s relationship with Iraq and its neighboring countries, a region of strategic importance encompassing vital energy and military interests, and reshaped its diplomatic relations worldwide. Held on September 14-16, 2023, at the Four Seasons, Doha, this conference was convened by the Dean of Georgetown University in Qatar, Dr. Safwan Masri, in collaboration with the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS). Taking a regional perspective, the gathering of experts from around the world provided an opportunity to reflect on the many geopolitical and socioeconomic consequences of the conflict that continue to reverberate across the globe twenty years later.
Opening Day Summary Video
Day Two Summary Video
Closing Day Summary Video
Conference Program
Day 1: Welcome and Opening Remarks
Keynote Address
His Excellency Barham Salih, Former President of Iraq
Dr. Barham Salih served as the eighth President of the Republic of Iraq from 2018-2022. In addition to serving as Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region from 2009-2012, Dr. Salih is also the founder of the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani.
“With dictatorship gone, Iraq had a chance to heal its wounds and forge a new path based on coexistence and security. However, I have to admit and acknowledge painfully that those expectations and hopes have not been fully realized. The transition has been anything but easy or smooth. The legacy inherited was far more difficult than anticipated.”
—Barham Salih
In Conversation with Barham Salih
Discussion with Peter Harling, founder and director of Synaps Network, on Iraq’s transformation over the past 20 years, and what it means for the future.
Opening Panel Discussion
The Iraq War and Global Diplomacy
Al Jazeera Presenter Laila Al-Shaikhli hosted an in-depth conversation with Ambassadors Timmy Davis and Johnathan Wilks, on US and UK engagement in Iraq and its aftermath.
Panelists:
- His Excellency Timmy Davis, Ambassador of the United States to the State of Qatar
- His Excellency Jonathan Wilks, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the State of Qatar
Closing Remarks
Dean Safwan Masri, Georgetown University in Qatar
“Ours is not the only conversation taking place on the anniversary of the Iraq invasion, but I am convinced that it is one of the most authentic, nuanced, and counterintuitive. Because it is connecting the Global South with the Global North. Because it is taking place in the world. Because it is happening here, and features people from here. Our guests and experts are immersed in this region’s story and often troubled history, its hopes and aspirations, and its heartbreaks.”
—Dean Safwan Masri
Day 2: Breakfast with Ayman
Through a series of short interviews conducted by MSNBC news show host Ayman Mohyeldin, this breakfast show format offered an engaging look into current issues in Iraq.
Covering Iraq: 20 Years On
Journalists and authors discuss the pitfalls of covering Iraq.
- Bassam Haddad, George Mason University
- Mina Al-Oraibi,The National, UAE
- Jasim Al-Azzawi, Al Jazeera
- Othman Al-Mukhtar, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed
Iraqi Political Landscape
Scholars and analysts reveal what the data says about politics in Iraq.
- Laleh Khalili, Exeter University
- Rasha Al-Aqeedi, Independent Researcher
- Zeidon Alkinani, Arab Center, Washington, DC
Youth and Activism in Iraq
Activists talk about what matters to youth in Iraq today.
- Maha Yassin, Institute of Regional and International Studies
- Mohamed Noeman, Student, GU-Q
Author Reading and Discussion
Irada Al-Jubori, Assistant Professor and Associate Dean for Scientific Affairs at the College of Mass Communication, University of Baghdad, offere da reading from her short story “A Paper Nest,” a poignant tale chronicling the tragic life of an Iraqi woman following the Iraq war.
Opening Plenary: Regional Security Perceptions Post-US Invasion of Iraq
This insightful discussion moderated by Karine Walther, AssociateProfessor of History at GU-Q, offered scholarly analysis of the lasting consequences of the war on regional and international dynamics, and the perception of states in the region about their own vulnerabilities to internal pressures and external shocks.
Panelists:
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University
May Darwich, University of Birmingham
Vali Nasr, Johns Hopkins University
Concurrent Sessions: In the Neighborhood
Three concurrent panels discussed the views and experiences of the Iraq war and its aftermath from the perspective of its neighboring countries, including Iraq’s changing relationship with its largest neighbors and the view from Qatar.
Iraq and its Neighbors: Iran, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia
Panelists:
- Mehran Kamrava, Chair, GU-Q
- Mina Al-Oraibi, The National, UAE
- Mohammed Al-Sudairi, Australian National University
- Fanar Haddad, University of Copenhagen
- Nasser Hadian, University of Tehran
- Ozden Zeynep Oktav, Istanbul Medeniyet University
In the Neighborhood: Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine
Panelists:
- Abdullah Al-Arian, Chair, GU-Q
- Peter Harling, Synaps Network
- Hiba Khodr, American University of Beirut
- Karim Makdisi, American University of Beirut
- Bassel Saloukh, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies
The View from the Peninsula: Kuwait and Qatar
Panelists:
- David Roberts, Chair, King’s College London
- Ghanim Alnajjar, Kuwait University
- Bader Al-Saif, Kuwait University
- Laleh Khalili, Exeter University
- Imad Mansour, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies
Film Screening and Discussion
The film “Our Feelings Took the Pictures: Open Shutters Iraq” documents a group of Iraqi women refugees living in Syria as they learn to take photographs and share their life experiences with each other. A film discussion was led by Iraqi project manager Irada Al-Jubori, University of Baghdad.
Day 3: Concurrent Sessions
Beyond the Neighborhood
Building on the previous concurrent session, these panels discussed the broader global effects of the invasion of Iraq, including the Arab Spring movements, and shifting relations with Europe, Russia, and China.
Arab Spring Connections: Tunisia, Sudan, Libya, Egypt, and Syria
Panelists:
- Rogaia Abusharaf, Chair, Georgetown University in Qatar
- Dean Safwan Masri, Georgetown University in Qatar
- Bassam Haddad, George Mason University
- Fanar Haddad, University of Copenhagen
- Samia Nakhoul, Thomson Reuters
The View from Europe: European International Relations since the US Invasion of Iraq
Panelists:
- Gerd Nonneman, Chair, Georgetown University in Qatar
- Meltem Müftüler-Baç, Sabanci University
- H.E. Dr. Cristian Tudor, EU Ambassador to Qatar
Russia and China: Calculations for a New Global Order
Panelists:
- Si Liu, Chair, Georgetown University in Qatar
- Mohammed Al-Sudairi, Australian National University
- Jonathan Fulton, Zayed University
- Nikolay Kozhanov, Qatar University
- Samuel Ramani, University of Oxford
Transnational Issues
This concurrent session looked at three areas of cross-cutting rising interest and concern in the aftermath of the Iraq invasion, including the rise of extremism, the lasting effects of the war on Iraqi women, and what good governance looks like moving forward.
The Emergence of Da’esh
Panelists:
- Muhanad Seloom, Chair, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies
- Rasha Al-Aqeedi, Independent Researcher
- Othman Al-Mukhtar, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed
- Inna Rudolf, King’s College London
Iraqi Women Post-US Invasion
Panelists:
- Nadya Sbaiti, Chair, Georgetown University in Qatar
- Bushra Al-Obaidi, Al Rafidain University
- Zainab Saleh, Haverford College
- Ala Talabani, High Council for Iraqi Women
Good Governance and Durable Solutions
Panelists:
- Andrew Mills, Chair, Thomson Reuters
- Hassan Janabi, Ministry of Water Resources, Iraq
- Maha Yassin, Institute of Regional and International Studies
Closing Plenary
US Foreign Policy towards the Region: The Bush Presidency and Beyond
In this closing plenary moderated by GU-Q Faculty Chairperson Edward Kolla, policy experts, analysts, and historians discuss what the US may have learned from the invasion of Iraq, and what this means for its foreign policy today.
Panelists:
Juan Cole, University of Michigan
Flynt L. Leverett, Pennsylvania State University
Trita Parsi, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
Randa Slim, Middle East Institute
Closing Remarks
Dean Safwan Masri, Georgetown University in Qatar
“I think that today, and in the days ahead, we will reflect on what we heard and learned here. That is the point of Hiwaraat, to inform, to exchange ideas and knowledge, to listen, to share penetrating insight, to discuss and debate, and to connect… and it has been really rewarding to witness how many great conversations seem to have been going on. The dialogue doesn’t end here, it starts at this moment.”
—Dean Safwan Masri
