This analysis examines each of America’s grand strategic failures in war-fighting since 1945, and its failures to learn the right lessons from these wars.

This study shows that the emergence of trade union organizations and social movement organizations in the post-war era played an important role in shaping Iraq’s current political, social, and economic landscape beyond the meta-narratives of war and sectarianism.

Iraq’s public sector has shown formidable resistance to reform. The goal of this briefing is to guide policymakers, international financial institutions and development agencies in their design and implementation of public sector reform programmes in Iraq.

This Evidence Check was commissioned by the NSW Ministry of Health to provide a summary of evidence from Australia and other countries related to the effectiveness and appropriateness of community-based psychosocial support services and programs for refugees and asylum seekers.

This paper provides a summary of Australia’s military operations in Syria and an overview of key associated issues, particularly those relevant to the Parliament. Many of these matters are also relevant to the conduct of operations in Iraq, but this paper does not specifically address...

In the battle against Islamic State in west Mosul, Iraqi and US-led coalition forces failed to take adequate measures to protect civilians.

Building on his in depth reporting in Mosul in late 2016 and early 2017, Matt Brown explores the fight for this vital city in Iraq and the challenges that face the Iraqi Army, Iraqi people, their government and the wider coalition forces, including Australia, who...

Turkey, Syria and Iraq depend on the Tigris-Euphrates river system for their food and water security. Both rivers have contributed to interstate tension and hostility, and the region is yet to agree on a water-sharing mechanism that could lead to more amicable relations.

Foreign policy is typically a blandly bipartisan affair in liberal democracies like Australia and the United States. Although different slogans are employed by left and right, major political parties support broadly liberal foreign policy goals. Both sides of politics want to preserve peace and national...

“I am an anthropologist. Anthropologists, as a group, study the diversity of human cultures to understand our commonalities and differences, and to use the knowledge of what is common to us all to help us bridge our differences. My research aims to help reduce violence...

In this analysis, Andrew Zammit argues that Australians fighting in Iraq and Syria pose a threat to Australia’s security and examines the options for responding to that threat, including through non-coercive means. Key Findings Australian foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq pose a serious national...

Overview: This report is the first publication from a continuing, open-source study of the coalition campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). With Australian blood and treasure committed to the efforts of the coalition, it is important for ASPI to provide...

Prime Minister Tony Abbott claims Australian use of air strikes and Australian special forces to fight Islamic state militants in Iraq amounts to "a mission" rather than "a war".

The greatest threat to Australia as a result of the Iraq violence will be a new theatre for Australians to earn battle experience – possibly returning home as experienced and networked Islamic extremists.

The UN refugee agency annual statistics show that more than 51 million people were forcibly displaced at the end of 2013, the largest number since the end of World War II. Half of the world's refugees in 2013 were children. UNHCR's annual Global Trends report...

The war against Al Qaeda and its allies may well become the defining conflict of our age. Certainly it is cited as evidence of a transformation of war that is sweeping away older modes of warfare. This paper seeks to explain the reasons for the...

This report, written by Albert Palazzo, an Australian Army official, details Australia’s participation in the Iraq War. Once classified 'secret,' the report was released with 500 redactions and referred to by the Army as an 'unofficial history that reflects the author’s own views.'

On the most fundamental moral question the country faces, almost nothing has been promised, writes Greg Gardiner.

The Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee devoted much of its examination during the budget estimates hearings in May 2004 to the matter of the duties of Australian personnel in Iraq particularly with regard to the treatment of Iraqi detainees. Since then, the...

The quest for democracy shouldn’t obscure the real lessons of Iraq, argues Clive Hamilton.

The intense debate over the war in Iraq and American foreign policy has raised age-old questions about the rights and wrongs of intervention in the internal affairs of sovereign states, the pre-emptive use of force and the 'export' of democracy, but there has been little...

As the major combat operations of the war in Iraq appear to be drawing to a close, it is important to put in context the financial costs of Australia's military contribution. This Current Issues Brief gives some preliminary estimates of military costs up to now...

The war in Iraq raises again the issue of media coverage of conflict and the public's right to know. News that the United States military has 'embedded' 500 journalists in its fighting units suggests that the public will receive a more complete picture than it...

The military action to forcibly remove the regime of Saddam Hussein raises the question of whether to apply a similar solution to the Kim Jong-Il regime in North Korea. This paper outlines the difficulty of a military solution in the North Korean situation.

This paper examines the objectives and plan of the US in post-Saddam Iraq and the Middle East. These include the humanitarian and security problems and the regional and wider impact of a war on Iraq.