IRAQ’S CONSTITUTION AT TWENTY YEARS - Join the Atlantic Council’s Iraq Initiative for an event examining the legacy of the Iraqi constitution and its impact on Iraq’s democracy.

Nearly twenty years after its ratification, the 2005 constitution continues to shape, yet also constrain, Iraq’s governance and democratic development, as well as the conception of Iraqi identity. Rather than facilitating inclusive governance and state-building, critics contend it has contributed to institutional paralysis and complicated and ambiguous power sharing, as well as reinforced sectarian fragmentation.

This event will critically assess how Iraq’s constitutional framework has contributed to or inhibited Iraq’s democratic development. It will examine the complicated relationship between religion and the state, the nature of federalism in Iraq—including the relationship between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government—and whether Iraq’s democratic institutions are functioning as intended.

ORIGINAL AIRDATE: 10/23/2025