Several years of war, internal violence, and unrest have taken a severe toll on the Iraqi population. As US troops withdraw and Iraq begins the next chapter in its history, it is important to consider the status of the country’s most vulnerable populations and the challenges they face. There are approximately 5 million displaced Iraqis, over 2 million living outside of the country as refugees, and more than 2.8 million internally displaced (IDPs). Baghdad itself remains divided by partition walls, and eleven out of eighteen governorates have taken measures to restrict IDP movement.
This report, the first from the "Iraq's New Reality" conference series, examines the impact of conflict on minorities, refugees and the internally displaced. This report was produced jointly by CIGI and the Stimson Center in Washington, DC.