After a U.S. occupation, years of sectarian violence and a jihadist insurgency, Iraq has become an improbable haven of calm in the Middle East.

Iraqis head to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new 329-member parliament, amid high regional tensions and a struggle for stability in the Middle Eastern nation. More than 21 million people are eligible to vote,

Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced visit to Baghdad Monday, as the country is tearing itself apart. In a nearly two-hour meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister, Kerry said the U.S. will continue to work with the Iraqi government. Margaret ...

Under the law, 25% of the country's 329 parliamentary seats must go to women, and nine seats are allocated for religious minorities. The position of speaker of Parliament is also assigned to a Sunni according to convention in Iraq’s post-2003 power-sharing system, while the prime minister is always Shiite and the president a Kurd.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani tells Newsweek his vision of making his country a global trade, investment and innovation hub.

Sudani, a Shiite, seeks a second term as the fate of pro-Iranian militias has become a central issue in the election.

The U.S. military has begun reducing its mission in Iraq under an agreement made with Iraqi officials last year.

Former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki remains a potent force in Iraqi politics despite long-standing accusations that he fuelled sectarian strife and failed to stop Islamic State from seizing large areas of the country a decade ago.