Bangladesh, Aug. 24 -- For much of the past two decades, Iraq has been characterized as a contested battleground-a stage upon which the ambitions of regional actors and global powers collided. The country endured cycles of foreign occupation, sectarian violence, and militia dominance that made its sovereignty appear fragile at best. Yet, under the leadership of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Iraq is demonstrating a surprising recalibration of statehood. It is no longer simply the theater of conflict it once was, but rather an emergent strategic epicenter in Middle Eastern politics-one that both Washington and Brussels increasingly view as indispensable to their long-term regional agendas.

This transformation is neither accidenta...