At the invitation of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Iraq’s Ambassador to Japan Mr. Lukman Faily will give a lecture on the topics detailed below in Tokyo on June 25 (Mon).

On December 15, 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama declared an end to the war in Iraq. Since then, all U.S. troops in the country have made a complete withdrawal. On 29 March 2012 in Baghdad, Iraq, a summit meeting of the Arab League was held for the first time in 22 years. The event provided an opportunity for the country to once again become a member of international society, and to showcase its successes in improving public safety and national reconstruction. However, with sporadic bombing incidents and the like still taking place, Iraq remains in an unstable state.

On the other hand, since the end of 2010, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen have all been witness to the felling of a long-term administration by a popular uprising. After a period with an interim government, these countries now have an elected parliament and president. In Syria, anti-government protesters have clashed with security authorities and there have been cases of massacres of civilians. Moreover, Iran's nuclear development program is causing levels of tension to rise and fall dramatically.

In light of these circumstances, what kind of foreign policy is being adopted by the government of Iraq? In this upcoming lecture, Ambassador Faily will discuss the Arab Spring and its impact on Iraq, as well as the relationship between Iraq and the new governments of Tunisia and Egypt, and Iraq's political standpoint regarding the situation in neighboring countries such as Syria and Bahrain.

We hope you will join us at what promises to be a highly informative and entertaining event.
Details of the event are as follows:

• Admission:
  Admission is free.
• Registration:
  Advance registration is required. Please fill out the registration form on this page by 24:00 on Sunday, June 24, 2012.
  The venue has limited seating and registration is on a first-come first-served basis. Personal information obtained at the time of registration will be used to announce future seminars and events organized or supported by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.