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Current Issues Briefing
Sectarian Reconciliation in Post-Conflict Iraq
A Kurdish man relaxes with his grandson in a marketplace in Erbil, Iraq.
UN Photo: P. Sudhakaran
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Date:
Tuesday, February 11, 2003
Time:
10:00–12 Noon
Location:
U.S. Institute of Peace
1200 17th St., NW
Washington, D.C.
Directions
The Hussein regime over the years has often exploited tensions between the diverse religious and ethnic communities within Iraq for its own political gain. On February 11 the U.S. Institute of Peace in cooperation with the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies hosted a briefing to examine the challenges of ethnic reconciliation in a post-Hussein Iraq. Issues that the briefing explored included:
- The effects of Saddam Hussein's policies on relations between Kurds, Sunni and Shi'a Muslims, and other religious and ethnic groups within Iraq;
- Steps to prevent sectarian violence in the wake of a conflict in Iraq; and
- Ideas for Iraq's future governance that will promote sectarian reconciliation.
Moderated by Tamara Cofman Wittes, program officer and Middle East specialist in the Institute's Research and Studies Program, the discussion was followed by questions from the floor.
Speakers
- Amatzia Baram
Senior Lecturer, University of Haifa, and former Institute Senior Fellow
- Rend Rahim Francke
Executive Director, Iraq Foundation
- Hatem Mukhlis
Chief of Political Section, Iraqi National Movement
- Jihan Hajibadri
Program in International Peace and Conflict Resolution, American University
Moderator
- Tamara Cofman Wittes
Middle East Specialist, United States Institute of Peace
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