This Special Report, authored by Dr Leanne Piggott, provides a general framework for analysing the region's security environment before considering the present political and security situation in Iraq that has arisen in the wake of the 2003 invasion.

It provides the context for identifying the impact of the war on wider regional security and considers the key currents and players likely to influence Middle East security over the next five to ten years. It concludes with some reflections on the implications for Australian policy.