Atlantic Council Convenes 2026 Iraq Dialogue in Washington on Economic Reform and Stability

The Atlantic Council's Iraq Initiative convened the 2026 Iraq Dialogue in Washington, D.C. on May 13, bringing together senior Iraqi officials, US policymakers, private-sector energy executives, and regional experts. The conference focused on three themes: Iraq's economic diversification challenge amid the ongoing Hormuz crisis, the prospects for the incoming Zaidi government's reform agenda, and the security situation as the US withdrawal timeline approached September 2026. US State Department officials privately encouraged Iraqi counterparts to push Zaidi toward appointing a technocratic interior minister outside the PMF orbit. KRG representatives raised the issue of unpaid civil servant salaries and Article 140's implementation before a Kurdish audience that included diaspora investment community members. The dialogue occurred one day before parliament's scheduled confidence vote on Zaidi's partial cabinet.