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This R&D provides resources on corruption in Iraq. Since the 2003 U.S. invasion, successive Iraqi governments have struggled to battle the problem, which has reduced the confidence of the Iraqi people in the post-Saddam regime. On Saturday, hundreds of angry Iraqis overwhelmed the Green Zone in Baghdad, a fortified headquarters for the Iraqi government, and demanded the creation of a technocratic government to solve the nation’s problems. Transparency International, a civil society organization that documents incidences of global corruption, ranks Iraq 161 out of 168 in its corruption index.
50,000 defence employees don’t exist; Corruption & mismanagement is killing #Iraq https://t.co/2Zo8CIEl64 @TheNatlInterest @ASPI_org #ausdef
— David Feeney (@Feeney4Batman) May 2, 2016
Greatest threat to #Iraq not #ISIS but broken politics, corruption & mismanagement. Emma Sky with on-point analysis: https://t.co/PajrWdYxAZ
— Lucy Kafanov (@LucyKafanov) May 2, 2016
#Iraqi civilian’s 1st glimpse into the #greenzone. Their comments sum up why reform & tackling corruption is urgent. https://t.co/cOUR36wTNq
— Tirana Hassan (@TiranaHassan) May 2, 2016
Iraq has largely stayed under the radar during the 2013-2014 extemporaneous speaking season, which is a far cry from when the country was the focal point of many rounds between 2002 and 2008. However, on the eve of this year’s National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) National Tournament, Iraq has come back into the public eye in light of the collapse of the Iraqi Army in Mosul and Tikrit. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIL), forced the Iraqi Army to flee last week and are now threatening to capture Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. The ISIS, who have been active in the Syrian civil war and aim to create a Sunni caliphate that encompasses territory from both countries, could threaten Middle East instability, lead to the partition of Iraq, and have a negative impact on global oil markets.
Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany 
Extempers are probably filing a great deal of articles at the moment about the ongoing conflict in Syria. The United States is preparing for a possible intervention there, but it is important to go back to a conflict that also involved some of the current issues regarding Syria: a country that is under the rule of a tyrant, questions of weapons of mass destruction use, and uncertainty about who will fill the power vacuum if that tyrant is eliminated. The invasion of Iraq in March 2003 was supposed to inaugurate a process of nation building in the Middle East, whereby Iraq would be a beacon of democracy for other Middle Eastern nations. Ten years later and two years after the withdrawal of American troops, Iraq is witnessing an increase in sectarian violence, at its highest levels since 2008 and there are fears that if Iraq descends into anarchy and violence that the sacrifices of American and coalition personnel made in the 2003 invasion and occupation were for naught. The U.S. media has largely ignored Iraq over the past year, focusing most of its attention on Syria and other uprisings in the Arab world. However, this neglect is unwarranted, as Iraq could have significant implications for American foreign policy in the region.