For a man who rose through the notoriously tribal arena of Iraqi politics, Ali Allawi seems to have a penchant for striking out on his own. Minister for Defence and Finance in the post-invasion government, Allawi shot to fame in the West with The Occupation of Iraq, a critique of American mismanagement as well as his ‘venal’ political colleagues. Now retired from politics, Allawi has returned to academia as a Senior Visiting Fellow at Princeton, and written another provocative j’accuse – this one directed at the Muslim world. James Robertson recently caught up with Allawi for The Diplomat to discuss what he calls ‘The Crisis of Islamic Civilization’, as Barack Obama prepares to visit the Middle East to deliver a major address redefining US relations with Islam.

The United States is drawing down its military presence in Iraq, reducing troops from 5,200 to 3,500 as part of a plan developed with the Iraqi government to hand over security responsibilities to its own forces. But the country also faces economic challenges that a new prime minister backed by the U.S. is struggling to solve. Nick Schifrin reports and talks to Ali Allawi, Iraq’s finance minister.

A debate within Iraq over whether it should ask to be exempt from OPEC+ oil supply cuts has resurfaced as low prices squeeze its finances, challenging a government struggling to tackle the destruction of years of war and rampant corruption.