Historian Charles Tripp guides the listener through Iraqi history in a segment featuring rare archival newsreels and historic speeches. We explore the development of the Iraqi state from the British Mandate in 1920 to the successful move for independence, followed by alternating waves of liberalization and deliberalization, the emergence of a brutal and autocratic regime under Saddam Hussein, the 8-year Iran-Iraq, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, and the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. We end with the emergence of a fragile liberal democracy and the prospects for Iraq’s future. (Total time: 19:05 minutes.)

We hear from key American and Iraqi officials about the 2008 negotiations between the US and Iraq that led to the signing of an important security agreement and laid the foundation for the future of the US-Iraq relationship. Guests include: Sami al-Askari, former advisor to President Nouri al-Maliki; Ryan Crocker, former Ambassador to Iraq; Brett McGurk, former Special Assistant to President Bush and Senior Director for Iraq and Afghanistan; and Dr. Mowaffak al-Rubaie, former National Security Adviser of Iraq. (Total time: 13:14 minutes.)

Al-Iraqiya’s Karim Hamadi interviews General Richard Myers, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the time of the US invasion of Iraq. (Total time: 10:23 minutes.)

Topics include: the ramifications of removing Saddam Hussein from power; American readiness for dealing with the aftermath of the invasion; the presence of al-Qaeda in Iraq; and the future of Iraq after the withdrawal of American troops.

Civil-military reconstruction teams (from the America Abroad radio program, Winning the Peace, extended version) and the challenges they face. Guests include: John Crifield, USAID Representative; Rick Olson, former special assistant to the Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction; Dick Hawkins, PRT Team Leader; John Bennett, PRT Team Leader; and Col. Gerry Gibbons, PRT Deputy Team Leader. (Total time: 23:31 minutes.)

Topics include: what PRTs are and what they aim to do; the relationship between US troops and local Iraqis; how security affects development and development affects security.

Interview with Iraqi artist Ahmed al-Karkhi, who fled from Iraq to Syria and arrived as a refugee in the United States in 2010. (Total time: 10:19 minutes.)

Topics include: the artistic community in Iraq past and present; life in Iraq under Saddam; the effects of war on Iraqi civilians; the relationship between art and political commentary.

Interview with Karim Hammadi, a leading journalist with Iraq’s al-Iraqiya television station. (Total time: 6:01 minutes.)

Topics include: the diversity of programming in the Iraqi media landscape; the dangers inherent in reporting the news in Iraq; and the future of Iraqi media.