# Attacked by All Sides: Iraq's New Government Faces Old Problems

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/middle-east-focus-529488/attacked-by-all-sides-iraq-s-new-government-faces-old-problems
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/middle-east-focus-529488/attacked-by-all-sides-iraq-s-new-government-faces-old-problems.md
Podcast: [Middle East Focus](https://stenobird.com/podcast/middle-east-focus-529488)
Published: 2026-06-11T19:45:00+00:00
Episode link: https://middleeastinst.libsyn.com/attacked-by-all-sides-iraqs-new-government-faces-old-problems
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/middleeastinst/Middle_East_Focus_6.11.26_mixdown.mp3?dest-id=531685
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/middle-east-focus-529488/episodes/attacked-by-all-sides-iraq-s-new-government-faces-old-problems
Duration seconds: 2128

## Resource

After months of deadlock following the November 2025 elections, Iraq's parliament approved a new government under Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on May 14, 2026 — just as the country has become a battleground in the US-Israel-Iran war. Zaidi inherits a daunting brief: reviving a struggling economy, reining in armed factions, and steering Iraq through a perilous regional landscape. Dr. Renad Mansour, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme and director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House, joins host Alistair Taylor to discuss the war's impact on Iraq — from Iran's militia networks to the surge of attacks on the Kurdistan region — and how it's reshaping Baghdad's ties with Tehran and Washington. Recorded on June 9, 2026.

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## Transcript

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