The Academic Research Institute in Iraq

History

The Institute was founded in 1989 by a consortium of American universities, colleges, and museums in order to promote scholarly research in and on Iraq and exchange between American and Iraqi scholars. Having received permission from Iraqi authorities, TAARII began the process of establishing an institute in Baghdad in the fall of 1990.

At that time, the initial scope of the institute was to be limited to Ancient and Medieval studies, with some latitude to include fields that related to such studies. Philology, epigraphy, and related studies in the ancient fields were completely acceptable, as were grammatical, literary, historical, and other approaches in Medieval manuscript research. Discussions seemed to indicate that there might be some hope of scholars working in the National Archives and in the libraries of the Abdul Qadir al-Gailani Mosque in Baghdad and the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf. The National Archives housed a rich collection of Ottoman and later documents related to Iraq.

The organization hired its first Resident Director in June 1990, and he and his wife were scheduled to arrive in Baghdad in September. The Kuwait Crisis of early August and the ensuing Gulf War prevented them from taking up residence. During the following 13 years of sanctions, the Iraqi authorities made it clear that they would accept the institute in Baghdad, but the continued sanctions precluded the possibility. Seeing little chance of an end in the embargo, the Board of the institute decided in 1994 to put the organization in a dormant state, continuing to make yearly reports to federal and state oversight bodies but suspending other operations.

Anticipating another major change in Iraq, the Board met in conjunction with the Middle East Studies Association in Washington in November 2002. At that meeting, it was decided to revive the organization, renaming it The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TAARII), and to call a general meeting of Institutional Members, in preparation for adapting to a situation in which the regime in Iraq would be changed or the sanctions would be lifted.

In 2017, TAARII began doing business as The Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TARII).

TARII’s officers, members, and staff are working to publicly open the TARII Research Center and Library in Baghdad. A 2003 visit allowed McGuire Gibson, TARII’s founder and current Vice President, to have discussions with the Director of the State Board of Antiquities, the President of the University of Baghdad, the President of the Iraqi Academy of Sciences, and other academic and cultural figures. All welcomed the idea of an American institute, which would serve as a mechanism for connecting academics of both countries at a number of levels. Of particular importance for them would be the increase in possibilities for Iraqi students to gain placement in programs at American universities.

Collaboration and work at the Center continues with the support of ministry and academic officials in Iraq, as well as the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in Washington, DC and the US Embassy in Baghdad. In 2021, TARII furnished and equipped the Center, with it’s library, hostel, and office, with the support of the US Embassy, including the shipment of the TARII library collection to Baghdad. Collection donations, however, are ongoing so the library continues to grow.

Since 2022, TARII also has a regional office at the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage in Erbil.

Also in 2022, TARII became a registered non-governmental organization (NGO) in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, a rare status for US-incorporated NGOs.