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In the days following Pope Francis' visit, two high profile abductions and killings of activists and dissidents' family members brought Iraq's perennial problems with militia violence roaring back into focus.
While there is obvious fury at the Islamic State, Iraqis have also expressed outrage at security forces and pro-Iran militias whom they blame for Iraq's endemic insecurity.
Iraq is using Baathist-era laws to indict critics, prompting anger that penal codes imposed by a dictatorial regime are being used to crush dissent.
![A group picture after the meeting in Baghdad on August 28, 2021. [Getty]](/sites/default/files/styles/large_16_9/public/2021-08/GettyImages-1234911589.jpg?h=6b96277c&itok=JO14sTgO)
The Baghdad summit may represent a start in creating a framework for regional de-escalation, but Iraqi elites have shown little progress in ameliorating domestic woes.
![Demonstrators gather to protest against assassinations of civil activists at Tahrir Square in Baghdad, Iraq on 25 May, 2021. [Getty]](/sites/default/files/styles/large_16_9/public/2021-06/GettyImages-1233096236.jpg?h=199d8c1f&itok=0vweoGsP)
The arrest of a prominent commander of the Popular Mobilisation Forces has triggered a tense standoff between the Iraqi government and Iran-backed militias.
Iran views US reticence to continue operating in Iraq not only as a sign of weakness but as an opportunity to further cement its hold and power over Iraqi affairs.
The Syrian economy has not looked in a worse position for decades with few options for the bankrupt regime.
Syria's Idlib remains a hive of military activity despite a Russian-Turkish ceasefire meant to reduce violence in the densely populated province.
Aid has been a bargaining tool by powers in the Syria war, but with the coronavirus crisis sweeping through the country it has become a matter of life or death.