On Wednesday May 6th the Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law organized a one-day expert discussion in The Hague on the deeper causes of the current Iraqi conflict and feasible approaches towards its resolution. This report is a headline synthesis of the much richer discussion, and only reflects the Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law Secretariat’s impressions. In accordance with Chatham House Rule, no direct attributions have been made.

Organized in three thematic sessions, “The regional dimensions of the conflict”, “The domestic dimensions of the conflict” and “The phenomenon of the Islamic State”, the presentations and discussions throughout the day centered on the question of whether Iraq could and would remain a unitary state going forward. The aim of the day was to assess what policies and practical measures by the international community could help bring the conflict in Iraq to a peaceful resolution.

Besides this report, a blog post was written, drawing on much of the discussion of May 6th: ‘Not all is what it seems: Five inconvenient ‘truths’ of the Iraqi crisis’.