Switzerland reopens embassy in Iraq. But is the political situation stable enough? 

Switzerland has reopened its embassy in Iraq after a hiatus of more than three decades. The diplomatic move signals confidence in Iraq’s post-conflict recovery, although security and political challenges remain. Switzerland made its official comeback in Iraq in early September. It reopened its Baghdad embassy 33 years after shuttering its previous mission in 1991 due to the Gulf War. “Together with my team, I have the honor to reopen the Swiss representation and make sure that the Swiss flag is again permanently flying in the Iraqi capital,” said Swiss Ambassador to Iraq Daniel Hunn in a message posted on the embassy website on September 3. Switzerland has no immediate plans to establish a traditional embassy building in Baghdad. Like other Western diplomatic missions in Iraq, Swiss diplomats will reside and work in a hotel for security reasons. The level of violence between Sunni and Shiite armed militias may have dropped compared to the height of sectarian conflict, but they ...