New from our Hub in Iraq: Strategic Study on Stability and Extremism in Anbar

Our GCSP Alumni Hub Leader in Iraq, Dr Tareq Hamid Al Fahdawi, recently co-authored an article on Peace and Extremism in Anbar, featured in Small Wars & Insurgencies (Taylor & Francis, February 2026).

The article provides a strategic assessment of post-ISIS stability in Anbar (2003-2025) examining the structural drivers of recurring extremism and the long-term risks facing post-conflict environments. It reflects on Anbar’s path since 2003, tracing how cycles of conflict, governance challenges, and social pressures have shaped the province’s security landscape. Looking across the pre-ISIS, ISIS, and post-ISIS periods, it suggests that lasting stability may depend not only on military outcomes, but also on broader political inclusion, economic opportunity, and community trust. The analysis highlights how underlying conditions can influence whether fragile peace endures or gives way to renewed unrest.

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This article was written by Dr Tareq Hamid Al Fahdawi, Director of the University of Anbar Centre for Strategic Studies and GCSP Alumni Hub Leader Iraq

With:

• Dr Omar Hamid Shukur, Lecturerat College of Political Science, University of Anbar, Anbar, Iraq.
• Asst. Prof. Dr Moataz Ismail Kalaf, Head, Department of Strategic Planning and Public Policy at the University of Anbar Centre for Strategic Studies, Anbar, Iraq.
• Asst. Prof. Dr Falah Mubarak Bardan, Head of the Department of Future Studies and Crisis Management at the University of Anbar Centre for Strategic Studies, Anbar, Iraq.