Researcher Mirsa Khorma: What the Iraqi Institute for Dialogue is doing is critical

The Baghdad International Dialogue plays an important role in reshaping Iraq's relations with major regional and international countries in a number of ways.

According to Mirsa Khurma, Director of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center for Scholars, this conference and the important work that IIED is doing in terms of research and analysis is crucial to open up diverse channels of communication and dialogue with scholars from around the world, especially between Iraqis and foreign scholars and researchers.

She adds that these types of conferences and dialogue sessions held annually by the Institute always provide an opportunity to come up with creative ideas and solutions to the many challenges facing the region, in addition to providing an analysis of opportunities and avenues for cooperation.

Khorma emphasizes that the institute's role is really important not only in research and analysis, but also in bridging the gap with the policymaking community in Iraq.

She notes the importance of having academic voices that are able to work closely with the government and also with regional governments in order to provide actionable recommendations that will be utilized by the government in Iraq or in regional initiatives to promote national security relations and interests. Therefore, she sees a critical role for the institute in this regard.

In short, the Baghdad International Dialogue is reshaping Iraq's relationships by:

• Providing a platform for dialog and communication between Iraqi and international researchers and policymakers.
• Produce innovative ideas and solutions to regional challenges that can contribute to building trust and fostering cooperation.
• Provide in-depth analyses of opportunities for collaboration.
• Facilitate the process of translating academic research and recommendations into practical policies that can be utilized by the Iraqi government and regional entities to strengthen relations and achieve common interests.