'Acute risk' that Iraq could become once again victim of internal conflict as Iran war progresses

AFP / France 24
by FRANCE24
March 18, 2026
3 min read

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A Princeton fellow warns Iraq faces acute risk of internal conflict as the Iran war escalates, threatening regional stability.

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Zaid Al-Ali, a visiting fellow at Princeton University and former UN advisor in Iraq, warns that Iraq faces an "acute risk" of internal conflict as the Iran war escalates. Until the conflict erupted, Iraq had maintained a precarious balance between U.S.-aligned and Iranian-aligned interests, but that equilibrium is now threatened. Iraq's sectarian tensions and competing regional allegiances could reignite if the broader conflict continues to intensify. The country's ability to avoid becoming a proxy battleground depends on whether it can sustain its neutrality amid mounting pressure from both sides. Al-Ali's assessment underscores the fragility of Iraq's stability in a region increasingly divided by the U.S.-Iran confrontation.

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