Abbas Kadhim
Senior Resident Scholar and Director, Iraq Program, AGSI
Abbas Kadhim is a senior resident scholar and the director of the Iraq Program at the Arab Gulf States Institute. Previously, he was a resident senior fellow and the director of the Atlantic Council’s Iraq Initiative. He is an Iraq expert and author of Reclaiming Iraq: The 1920 Revolutionand the Founding of the Modern State.
Previously, he was a senior foreign policy fellow at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. He was formerly an assistant professor of national security affairs and Middle East studies at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California and a visiting assistant professor at Stanford University. He also previously held a senior government affairs position at the Iraqi Embassy in Washington, DC.
His other books include Governance in the Middle East and North Africa and The Hawza Under Siege: A Study in the Ba’th Party Archive.
He earned a PhD in Near Eastern studies from the University of California, Berkeley.
Analysis
Iraq’s at the Epicenter of the Regional Fallout of Confrontation With Iran
The U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran has exposed Iraq’s structural fragilities: territorial permeability, economic monoculture, energy dependence, and politically mediated sovereignty.
Iraq’s Post-Election Impasse: Sovereignty, Power, and the Impact of External Vetoes
The government-formation crisis is a test of whether Iraq can assert genuine sovereignty in a system still shaped by foreign influence, factional vetoes, and constitutional loopholes.
Events
Mar 5, 2026
12:00pm - 1:00pm
Caught in the Crossfire: Iraq and the Expanding Regional War
On March 5, AGSI will host a discussion on Iraq's internal and external challenges in navigating the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran.
Speakers
Jan 8, 2026
Outlook 2026: Prospects and Priorities for U.S.-Gulf Relations in the Year Ahead
On January 8, AGSI hosted a virtual roundtable with its leadership and scholars as they look ahead and assess trends likely to shape the Gulf region and U.S. foreign policy during the coming year.
Speakers
Mar 9, 2023
20 Years After the U.S. Invaded: What’s Next for Iraq?
On March 9, AGSIW hosted a discussion reflecting on the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq ahead of the 20th anniversary.
Speakers
Sep 8, 2022
As Failed Government Formation Escalates Into Violence, What’s Next for Iraq?
On Thursday September 8, AGSIW hosted a discussion on the current political crisis in Iraq.
Speakers
The Long Game in Iraq: Are Shia Clerics and Activists Finding Common Cause To Confront the State?
On June 29, AGSIW hosted a discussion of Geneive Abdo's recent paper examining cooperation between influential Iraqi clerics and civil society activists.
Speakers
