Marsin Alshamary

Jan 21, 2025 | brookings.edu | Marsin Alshamary |Hamzeh Hadad

The collapse of the Assad regime in neighboring Syria has significant political and security implications for Iraq. Of immediate concern is the security vacuum in Syria, which may create spillover effects across the border reminiscent of 2014, when the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) established control over territory in both countries.

Aug 16, 2024 | brookings.edu | Marsin Alshamary

On August 4, 2024, the Iraqi parliament held the first reading of a bill amending Iraq’s personal status law (PSL), which has been in place since 1959. If passed, these amendments may reinforce sectarian identity and undermine women’s rights. The proposed amendments would give Muslim citizens the option of selecting either the current, largely secular personal status law, or a religious law—depending on their sect—as the basis of all family law matters upon their marriage.

Jul 4, 2024 | muse.jhu.edu | Marsin Alshamary

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Iraq's ruling Ba'th Party launched "influence operations" abroad to manipulate international politics to its favor and, in later years, to end the United Nations–imposed sanctions. This occurred against the backdrop of a post–Cold War world in which the United States attempted to use Iraq's transgressions to forge a "rules-based order," thus catapulting a relatively unknown regional power to the world stage for decades to come.

May 26, 2024 | iraq-businessnews.com | Marsin Alshamary

By Marsin Alshamary, for The Clingendael Institute. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. A scramble for legitimacy: Iraq's political elites since the October 2019 protestsIraqi political elites exhibited a variety of responses to the 2019 October protests, the largest demonstrations in post-2003 Iraq.

Apr 15, 2024 | brookings.edu | Madiha Afzal |Marsin Alshamary |Aslı Aydıntaşbaş |Pavel K. Baev

Brookings scholars offer their insights following Iran’s drone and missile attack against Israel on April 13, 2024. Their responses provide perspectives on the implications for various actors as well as a range of policy issues. Three historic events happened Saturday night. First, the long-simmering Iran-Israel war became an overt and direct military confrontation for one night at least.