The story: Iraq’s controversial de-Ba’athification institutions have come under renewed scrutiny, with efforts to have the file moved to the judiciary. Coming amid calls for transitional justice after the sudden end of Ba’ath Party rule in neighboring Syria, both critics and proponents have begun considering parallels between the two contexts. The ensuing debate has highlighted Iraq and Syria’s divergent Ba’athist experiences—and the fraught political challenges to overcoming their legacies.     

The coverage: Longstanding debates over the future of Iraq’s Accountability and Justice Commission (AJC)—the institution charged with...