This week on Babel, Jon speaks with Dr. Haider al-Abadi, an Iraqi politician who served as prime minister from 2014 to 2018, while the country was battling the Islamic State Group (ISG). They talk about his decision making as prime minister, the Iraqi government's response to the ISG, and the limits of decentralization in Iraq. Then, Jon, Natasha Hall, and Danny Sharp continue the conversation about the roots of systemic corruption in Iraq and the consequences of the country's sectarian political system.

Event, "Statesmen's Forum: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi," CSIS, April 16, 2015.

Transcript, "Haider al-Abadi: Iraq and the Fight Against the Islamic State" CSIS, May 17, 2012