Dr. Ali Taher Al-Hammood, Managing Director of Al-Bayan Center for Studies and Planning, participated in the “Iraq Dialogue 2026” forum organized by the Iraq Initiative of the Atlantic Council in Washington, in the presence of a distinguished political, academic, diplomatic, and media elite from Iraq and the United States.
In his speech during a dedicated dialogue session on “Government Formation in the New Iraqi Political Landscape,” Al-Hammood emphasized key issues including Iraqi-American relations, political stability, economic reform, energy, and Iraq’s position within current regional transformations.
He explained that the new government possesses a strategic vision for addressing pending issues, particularly economic reform and security stabilization, but that these visions require internal and international support in order to achieve genuine political, economic, and security reforms.
Al-Hammood added that the upcoming government will face major challenges, foremost among them the issue of armed factions due to American and international pressure on Iraq, as well as internal Iraqi discourse stressing the necessity of resolving this issue. He also pointed to the challenge of maintaining balance in relations between Tehran and Washington, managing relations between Baghdad and Erbil, and strengthening ties with neighboring Arab states.
Al-Hammood affirmed that Washington is required to provide symbolic signals in the field of economic reform, noting that Iraq needs such signals in order to leverage them as a balancing element in its other regional and international relations.
In contrast, Al-Hammood stressed the importance of ensuring the continuity and stability of the current political system in Iraq, affirming that there is an Iraqi consensus on its importance, the preservation of its constitutional pillars, and the implementation of the constitution and the law, as well as the consolidation of political institutions.
He indicated that Iraq is undergoing a structural crisis that is not limited to Baghdad alone, but extends to Erbil, in light of the passage of many months without the formation of a government in the Kurdistan Region.
