ISW Tracking of Iraq’s 2016 Political Crisis

Updated on May 24: Iraq faces a major political crisis that threatens to collapse the current government and exacerbate political unrest. Political stability in Iraq is critical to the ability of the U.S. to continue anti-ISIS operations, not only to defeat ISIS but also to prevent its reconstitution. This page provides a comprehensive collection of ISW reporting and analysis of this political crisis, which ISW has covered since it began. As the crisis continues, ISW’s analysis and reporting will continue. This page will be updated accordingly with the most recent posts appearing at the top.

This reporting has been led by ISW's Iraq Analyst Patrick Martin with the constant and never-ending help of Emily Anagnostos, Rachel Bessette, and Hannah Werman.  The ISW Counterterrorism Team, lead by Harleen Gambhir with invaluable support from Claire Coyne, was responsible for the comprehensive timeline below.