Workshop: Iraq after the Withdrawal of Coalition Forces: Sovereignty, Security, International Partnership

On Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 10:30 AM, the Center for Federalism Studies in cooperation with College of Political Science at the University of Duhok, organized a workshop for the students at the College of Political Science under the title "Iraq after the Withdrawal of Coalition Forces: Sovereignty, Security, International Partnership." The event was held at the American Corner of the University of Duhok.

The workshop commenced with an opening speech by Dr. Najm-Alddin Mohi-Aldeen Yaseen, Director of the Center for Federalism Studies at the University of Duhok, who outlined the objective of the workshop: to focus more on students, particularly in the practical field, and to encourage them to emerge as an elite and distinguished stratum in society in the future.

Subsequently, a speech was delivered by Assist. Prof. Dr. Hawar Khalil Tahir, Dean of the College of Political Science at the University of Duhok, highlighting the significance of such academic activities for students and emphasizing the necessity of conducting them to foster students' capabilities.

Following that, the workshop panelist, Mr. Ashti Fathi Abdullah, provided the attendees with a brief overview of the workshop's theme. This was followed by the introduction of the student groups:

• Group 1: Comprising students from the Department of International Relations and Diplomacy representing the Iraqi government, who discussed the importance of the coalition forces' withdrawal, emphasizing the protection of Iraq's sovereignty and the strengthening of domestic institutions to fully safeguard Iraqi sovereignty.
• Group 2: Comprising students from the Department of Political Systems and Public Policy representing the coalition forces, who discussed past assistance and support provided to Iraq, alongside exploring how and in which domains they can continue to assist Iraq during the post-withdrawal phase.

Finally, Mr. Ibrahim Saeed Omar presented the workshop's conclusions based on the students' deliberations:

• From the perspective of the Iraqi state: At the current stage, Iraq does not require the presence of foreign forces, and efforts have been made to strengthen internal institutions across all sectors to preserve Iraq's sovereignty.
• From the perspective of the coalition forces: They will remain cooperative in maintaining Iraq's stability and sovereignty whenever Iraq requests assistance in any field.

Overall, the workshop featured scientific and productive discussions presented by the students to the audience. The event concluded with the distribution of certificates of participation to the attendees.