The Centrality of Iraq in the Iranian Strategic Mentality, written by Firas Elias provides readers with a comprehensive insight into the Iranian strategy in Iraq and the region. Researchers, often when analyzing Iranian geopolitics, do not offer a comprehensive description of this complicated variable, unlike Elias who provides throughout this book a richly detailed analysis and description of the dimensions and geopolitical variables which play an integral role in shaping Iran’s strategy in post-2003 Iraq. The book is divided into four chapters: The first chapter provides an overview of the approaches shaping Iran’s strategy through addressing four main topics: the basic approach to understanding Iran’s strategy, its intellectual and theoretical principles; its main goals, and its key tools. The second chapter defines Iran’s significance in the Iranian strategy through analyzing Iranian hegemony and expansion; Iraq’s geostrategic position in the Iranian perception; Iran’s penetration of post-2003 Iraq; and the dimensions and goals of Iranian strategy in Iraq. The third chapter reviews the Iranian strategic output in Iraq through analyzing the main variables affecting the Iranian strategy in Iraq as follows: variables related to the internal environment in Iran and Iraq and variables related to the regional and international environment. Finally, the fourth chapter forecasts the future of the Iranian strategy in Iraq through reviewing potential scenarios. The book was published by the International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah) in 2018 and written by Firas Elias, a political science and national studies researcher.

Purpose: A one-day international symposium hosted by the Marine Corps University (MCU) and the Marine Corps University Foundation to enhance the overall understanding of Iran, exploring its internal dynamics, regional perspectives, and extra-regional factors and examining its near-term political and strategic options and their potential impact on the course of action of the United States and the USMC.

This book provides the first comprehensive study of the evolution of the Iraqi military from the British mandate era to post-Baathist Iraq. Ethnic and sectarian turmoil is endemic to Iraq, and its armed forces have been intertwined with its political affairs since their creation. This study illustrates how the relationship between the military and the political centre in Iraq has evolved, with the military bringing about three regime changes in Iraq’s history before being brought under control by Saddam Hussein, up until the 2003 war. The instability that followed was partly due to the failure to create a new military that does not threaten the government, yet is still strong enough to deter rival factions from armed conflict. The reconstitution of the armed forces will be a prerequisite for an American withdrawal from Iraq, but this book argues that immense challenges lie ahead, despite the praise from the Bush administration for the progress of the new Iraqi army.

"Drawing on the unusually extensive official documentation that has emerged through multiple inquiries on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as insider accounts of CIA deliberations, the contributors to this volume offer careful and insightful analyses of the national security decision-making process, the foreign policy roles of the President and Prime Minister, the roles of Congress and Parliament, the management and limits of intelligence, the shaping of public opinion, and the ethics of humanitarian military intervention. The book also discusses the dilemmas faced by Australia, a junior ally in the War on Terror, and their implications for Australian intelligence."--BOOK JACKET.

"U.S. policy toward the Middle East has relied heavily on military instruments of power and has focused on regional threats--particularly the Iranian threat--with the goal of keeping partners on "our side." These long-standing policies have largely fallen short of meeting core U.S. interests and adapting to new regional realities and strategic imperatives. RAND researchers offer an alternative framework, suggesting that the U.S. strategic priority must center on reducing regional conflict and the drivers of conflict. This revised strategic approach puts a greater focus on addressing conflict and socioeconomic challenges that are creating unsustainable pressures on the region's states and immense suffering among its people. Researchers analyze how the tools of U.S. policy--political, security, economic, diplomatic, and informational instruments--would need to adjust to more effectively address such challenges in ways that are mindful of limited resources at home. Researchers also examine how the United States deals with both partners and adversaries in and outside the region and consider how to better leverage policies to the benefit of U.S. interests and the region. The researchers recommend specific actions organized into the following three pillars: (1) shifting resources from the current heavy reliance on military tools to a more balanced approach that prioritizes economic investments, governance, diplomacy, and programs focused on people; (2) favoring a long-term time horizon to reduce regional conflict and support growth and development, even at the cost of short-term risks; and (3) working multilaterally with global and regional partners to address key challenges." -- from the publisher.

Presenting the views of leading experts on strategic considerations in Eurasia, this volume shows that the 11 September attacks and subsequent developments have affected the way in which international relations are evaluated. In addition, these developments have turned the concept of asymmetric threats, including large-scale international terrorist