MOSUL AFTER ISIS - CAN IT BE SAVED?

Rasha al-Aqeedi
is a fellow at Al Mesbar Studies and Research Center in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with a primary focus on Iraq, the Gulf, and Islamism. She is a native of Mosul.

Moderation: Gudrun Harrer, Senior Editor, Der Standard; Lecturer on Modern History and Politics of the Middle East, University of Vienna and Diplomatic Academy of Vienna

Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, fell under the dominance of the “Islamic State” in June 2014 and was liberated three years later, after a devastating war. It is not only an enormous task to rebuild Mosul and enable refugees to return home. The bigger challenge is to rebuild society, to mend the social fabric – which started to unravel much earlier, prior to the rise of ISIS – and to reestablish trust in the government and the Iraqi state.