For years Iraq's socialist leanings earned it the wrath of Washington. Is Baghdad anchored in the Western camp forever now, or will it swing east again?

The US-led war on Iraq may have changed all that. Political experts believe that Iraq has joined the western camp for good. However, other scholars contend that Iraqi nationalism and regional politics will swing Iraq's political compass eastward once again.

The contest between capitalism and communism is now part of history. So what will determine whether Iraq will adopt moderate or radical policies, protect Iraqi interests or regional conflicts?

Inside Iraq discusses with guests Alain Gresh, deputy director of Le Monde Diplomatique; Vitaly Naumkin, president of center for strategic and political studies and Michael Hudson, Director of the center of contemporary Arab studies at Georgetown University.

This episode of Inside Iraq aired from Friday, May 29, 2009.