Iraqi Diplomacy at Stake: Can Baghdad Defuse the US-Iran Crisis?

In an attempt to prove its regional weight, Baghdad plays a pivotal, complex, and risky role by presenting itself as a reliable mediator to calm the raging conflict between Washington and Tehran. The success of this delicate mediation depends almost entirely on the Iraqi negotiator's skill and ability to carefully balance the protection of the country's supreme national interests against attempts to ease polarization and military escalation between the two conflicting parties, both of which possess widespread influence and clearly intersecting interests on Iraqi soil.