Relationship dossier
Iraq
Sweden
Relationship assessment
Security and humanitarian cooperation coexist with serious diplomatic friction over Quran burnings.
Iraq toward Sweden
-5Iraq cooperated with Sweden through the international security effort against ISIS in Iraq. In 2023, the Iraqi government expelled Sweden’s ambassador in response to Quran burnings in Sweden, sharply worsening bilateral ties.
Sweden toward Iraq
+30Sweden contributed to the international effort against ISIS in Iraq, including support for training Iraqi security forces, and has provided humanitarian assistance related to Iraq. These actions represent substantive cooperation with the Iraqi government.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship has a practical cooperative foundation in security and humanitarian engagement, but it has also experienced serious diplomatic strain. Iraq’s 2023 expulsion of Sweden’s ambassador over Quran burnings was a major rupture, tempering the significance of ongoing cooperative interests.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Iraq and Sweden have cooperated on security and humanitarian matters, including Sweden’s contribution to the international effort against ISIS in Iraq. That cooperation has been complicated by Iraq’s sharp diplomatic response to Quran burnings in Sweden in 2023, including the expulsion of Sweden’s ambassador. The relationship therefore combines practical cooperation with significant political friction.
Areas of tension
- Iraq’s diplomatic response to Quran burnings in Sweden, including the expulsion of Sweden’s ambassador in 2023.
Key developments
Sweden contributed to the international effort against ISIS in Iraq, including support for training Iraqi security forces.
Iraq expelled Sweden’s ambassador in response to Quran burnings in Sweden.
Major uncertainties
- The extent and current status of Iraqi-Swedish security and development cooperation are unclear.
- The lasting effects of the 2023 diplomatic rupture on bilateral government engagement are unclear.