CIAO DATE: 4/5/2008
January 2008
United States Institute of Peace
In meetings conducted in Beirut and Baghdad in mid-January 2008, a high-ranking and broad cross-section of the Iraqi political spectrum expressed views on the current political situation, main priorities for the next year, prospects for moving forward on key issues, and the American military presence in Iraq. The Iraqis, numbering about 40, included parliamentary leaders, members of the presidency and their staffs, top government officials and leaders in both the Anbar and Baghdad "Awakenings" (tribal groups prepared to fight Al Qaeda and guard their own neighborhoods).
This USIPeace Briefing summarizes the key results of these meetings, which occurred during a sharp decline in violence from the levels experienced in 2006 and early 2007. Rend al-Rahim, executive director of the Iraq Foundation, spent 2003-2005 as Iraqi representative and chief of mission in Washington before becoming a senior fellow at USIP in 2006-2008. Daniel Serwer, vice president for peace and stability operations at USIP, was on his fifth visit to Iraq since 2004. In each meeting, it was made clear that Serwer and and Rahim are not U.S. government officials and do not speak for the U.S. government. The focus of the conversations was primarily on Sunni/Shia relations.