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Michael Knights

  • Jill and Jay Bernstein Fellow
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Expertise

  • Military & Security
  • Iraq
  • Gulf States
Michael Knights
Download High-Resolution Portrait

Michael Knights is the Jill and Jay Bernstein Fellow at The Washington Institute, specializing in the military and security affairs of Iraq, Iran, and the Gulf states. He is a co-founder of the Militia Spotlight platform, which offers in-depth analysis of developments related to the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.

Dr. Knights has traveled widely in Iraq, Yemen, and the Gulf states, and regularly briefs U.S. government policymakers, congressional committees, and U.S. military officers on regional security affairs. He has worked extensively with local military and security agencies on the ground in Iraq, the Gulf states, and Yemen.

Dr. Knights has undertaken exhaustive research on lessons learned from U.S. military operations in the Gulf during and since 1990. He earned his doctorate at the Department of War Studies, King's College London, and later worked as the head of analysis for a range of security and oil companies, directing information-collection teams in Iraq, Libya, and Yemen. He previously worked as a defense journalist for the Gulf States Newsletter and Jane's Intelligence Review.

Michael Knights
Download High-Resolution Portrait

Contact

(202) 230-9550 (media inquiries only)
(202) 452-0650 (other inquiries)
mknights@washingtoninstitute.org

Follow

  • https://twitter.com/Mikeknightsiraq twitter

Featured Publications

Iraqi forces marching
Back to Basics
U.S.-Iraq Security Cooperation in the Post-Combat Era
Questions about the viability of the Iraqi security forces—brought into sharp focus by the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan—require a data-led analysis of where the forces are today and what mix of U.S., NATO, and European efforts can help them thrive in the future.
Oct 26, 2021
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  • Michael Knights
  • Alex Almeida
Accidental Allies cover
Accidental Allies:
The US–Syrian Democratic Forces Partnership Against the Islamic State
To some, America's partnership with the SDF exemplified an economy-of-force effort that minimized U.S. casualties and wrested control of northeast Syria from the Islamic State. To others, it was a cautionary tale about a U.S. military hoodwinked into working with a terrorist group.
Jun 22, 2021
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  • Michael Knights
  • Wladimir van Wilgenburg
Maps & Graphics
Honored, Not Contained:
The Future of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces
In this detailed Policy Focus, meant as a primer for Iraqi and international agencies, leading scholars examine the current status of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces.
Mar 23, 2020
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  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
Maps & Graphics
How to Secure Mosul:
Lessons from 2008-2014
In early 2017, Iraqi security forces are likely to liberate Mosul from the Islamic State, which has held the city
Oct 12, 2016
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  • Michael Knights
The Future of Iraq's Armed Forces
Efforts to rebuild Iraqi forces should focus on establishing support units in the right proportion to combat brigades.
Mar 10, 2016
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  • Michael Knights
Maps & Graphics
The Lines That Bind: 100 Years of Sykes-Picot
A century after diplomats Mark Sykes of Britain and François Georges-Picot of France drew up a secret agreement to divide
Dec 19, 2016
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  • Andrew J. Tabler
The Long Haul:
Rebooting U.S. Security Cooperation in Iraq
The challenge posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has created some strange dynamics, among them the
Jan 22, 2015
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  • Michael Knights
Rising to Iran's Challenge:
GCC Military Capability and U.S. Security Cooperation
At a time of declining U.S. military spending and growing concern about Iran's hegemonic ambitions and nuclear intentions, the Gulf
Jun 12, 2013
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  • Michael Knights

Recent Policy Analysis by Michael Knights

Drawing of oil pipeline, Iraq, Kurdistan
In-Depth Reports
The Necessary U.S. Role in Fixing the Baghdad-Kurdistan Energy Dispute
Jun 27, 2022
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  • Michael Knights
Ahrar Sinjar
Brief Analysis
Profile: Ahrar Sinjar
Jun 8, 2022
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  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
  • Alex Almeida
  • Anwar al-Zamani
Ahrar Sinjar drone image
Brief Analysis
Ahrar Sinjar: Fasail Employment of the Yazidi Community
May 26, 2022
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  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Alex Almeida
  • Anwar al-Zamani
A Turkish Bayraktor UAV on display at an airshow - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
The Muqawama's Duel with Turkey
May 17, 2022
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  • Alex Almeida
  • Michael Knights
Sabereen sistani
Brief Analysis
Sabereen's Suspension (Part 2): Causes and Consequences
Apr 11, 2022
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  • Crispin Smith
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
Al-Maymun
Brief Analysis
Sabereen's Suspension (Part 1): Signs of Dissent and Noncompliance
Apr 11, 2022
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  • Hamdi Malik
  • Crispin Smith
  • Michael Knights
All Policy Analysis by Michael Knights
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