11:03 GMT, January 24, 2012 Washington | The United States Institute of Peace announced today the release of “Iraq, Its Neighbors, and the United States: Competition, Crisis, and the Reordering of Power,” a volume that examines how Iraq’s evolving political order affects its complex relationships with its neighbors and the United States.

With the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq complete, this volume underscores how Middle East and U.S. diplomats must now navigate the region’s complex political dynamics to help promote stability in Iraq. Editors Henri Barkey, Scott Lasensky, and Phebe Marr, along with expert contributors, lay out the realities of the political situation in Iraq; evaluate Iraq’s bilateral relationships with neighbors Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Arab States, Syria, and Jordan; and assert that Iraq still needs the support of neighboring countries and the United States.

Noting that continued violence, political corruption and an oil-dependent economy remain serious challenges to Iraq’s ongoing stability, the authors also recognize signs of progress, such as increasing levels of democratic participation and civil activism and a growing free press.

The experts depict a region unbalanced, shaped by new and old tensions, struggling with a classic collective action dilemma, and anxious about Iraq’s political future as well as America’s role in the region. While Iraq strongly desires a regional role, it will likely be a relatively weak country with fragmented leadership for some time. Regional powers—especially Iran—will attempt to exert influence. The United States is one of these regional players, with an important though diminishing role inside Iraq. Iraq’s transformation into a cohesive, single-state actor will require a considerable transition phase as the United States eliminates its military presence in Iraq but ramps up business, education, and cultural exchanges and increases engagement with Iraq’s neighbors.

“Iraq, Its Neighbors, and the United States” offers unique value in the breadth of its findings and in the common framework of analysis employed by the contributors. The book provides a comprehensive picture of the role that the United States and Iraq’s neighbors could play in advancing the country’s transition to security and stability.