Author Archive

Jack Watling

Freelance journalist

Jack Watling is a freelance journalist.
Threats

The Remarkable Resilience of the Prime Minister of Iraq

In December, Haider al-Abadi declared victory over ISIS. But with Iranian militias still to contend with and tensions with the Kurds high, challenges to peace remain.

  • Jack Watling, The Atlantic
Ideas

How Can Iraq Rebuild?

Winning the peace means paying for reconstruction — and inevitably, losing money to corruption.

  • Jack Watling, The Atlantic
Ideas

Why Iraq Needs the Oil

Taking it, as Donald Trump has mused about doing, is not only illegal—it would tear the country apart.

  • Jack Watling, The Atlantic
Threats

After ISIS, Iraq's Militias Face Another Fight: Legitimacy

The Popular Mobilization Forces, or PMF, face a post-war battle for influence that connects Tehran and Washington.

  • Jack Watling, The Atlantic
Ideas

The Shia Power Brokers of the New Iraq

As the embattled country wages war on ISIS in the north, its future may be decided by clerics in the south.

  • Jack Watling, The Atlantic