Jun 11, 2026
After months of deadlock
following the November 2025 elections, Iraq's parliament approved a
new government under Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on May 14, 2026 —
just as the country has become a battleground in the US-Israel-Iran
war. Zaidi inherits a daunting brief: reviving a struggling
economy, reining in armed factions, and steering Iraq through a
perilous regional landscape. Dr. Renad Mansour, deputy director of
the Middle East and North Africa Programme and director of the Iraq
Initiative at Chatham House, joins host Alistair Taylor to discuss
the war's impact on Iraq — from Iran's militia networks to the
surge of attacks on the Kurdistan region — and how it's reshaping
Baghdad's ties with Tehran and Washington.
Recorded on June 9, 2026.