Bridging the U.S.-Iraq Business Gap

Despite improvements in Iraq’s security environment and a hefty new budget that allocates $153 billion for this year alone, American businesses are still reluctant to enter that market amid unclear rules, widespread corruption, the risk of Iran sanctions, and other challenges. This is a loss for both countries, as U.S. firms miss the opportunity to explore largely untapped markets and Iraqis miss the benefits of connecting to U.S. technology and growth capacity. To discuss ways of bridging this gap, The Washington Institute is pleased to announce a virtual Policy Forum with Mais Abbas Abousy, Safwan Al-Amin, and Amer Aladhadh, moderated by Bilal Wahab, the Institute’s Wagner Fellow.

Mais Abbas Abousy is a senior attorney with the Commercial Law Development Program at the U.S. Commerce Department’s Office of the General Counsel, where she primarily advises governments in the Middle East and North Africa on legal reform and economic development issues. For over a decade, she has led technical assistance to improve Iraq’s business legal environment. A native Arabic speaker who grew up partly in Baghdad, she previously served as director of programs for Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights.

Amer Aladhadh is an Iraqi American economist who serves as an advisor to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and chief executive of the government’s Reform Management Cell. Previously, he advised Qatar’s Commerce Ministry, participated in the UN Economic Commission for Europe Public-Private Partnerships working party, and conducted quantitative analysis for renowned hedge funds on Wall Street.

Safwan Al-Amin is an international attorney and public policy advisor who counsels corporations and regional governments on legislative and regulatory matters. Since obtaining advanced degrees from Yale, Harvard, and the University of London, he has published regularly on legal and constitutional matters related to Iraq.