Apr 9, 2026
Hosts Alistair Taylor and
Matthew Czekaj are joined by MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow
Amb. (ret.) Robert S. Ford to examine what is at stake for Iraq in
the Iran war. The only country to have been hit by both sides, Iraq
is caught in the middle of a regional conflict, with the local
Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) carrying out
attacks on American interests and personnel — and the US
responding. This escalation comes at a period of internal political
transition in Iraq, which has been locked in negotiations to form a
new government since the November 2025 elections. Ford, who served
as Deputy and later Acting Ambassador in Baghdad from 2008 until
2010, unpacks how Iraq is navigating the current moment, how the
Kurdistan region fits into this equation, and what this all means
for the future of US-Iraqi relations.
This episode was recorded on the afternoon of April 7,
2026, before the US announced it had reached a temporary cease-fire
with Iran.