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Michael Knights

  • Jill and Jay Bernstein Fellow
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  • Military and 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, Yemen, and the Gulf Arab states.

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

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

Policy Articles by Michael Knights

Militia demolish hoardings at July 14 monument, May 26, 2021
Brief Analysis
Profile: Badr Organization
Sep 2, 2021
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  • Michael Knights
  • Crispin Smith
  • Hamdi Malik
An Iraqi member of a Shia PMF militia
Brief Analysis
Muqawama Struggle to Show Cohesion on "Withdrawal" of U.S. Forces
Aug 3, 2021
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  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
President Biden meets Iraqi Prime Minister Kadhimi at the White House
Kadhimi’s Confident Return Visit to the Oval Office
Aug 3, 2021
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  • Michael Knights
Sahab drone at Camp Ashraf, June 26, 2021
Brief Analysis
The Drones of Kataib Hezbollah's Jazira Command
Jul 20, 2021
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  • Hamdi Malik
  • Crispin Smith
  • Michael Knights
Iranian military leaders inspect drones.
Brief Analysis
Militias Parade Under the PMF Banner (Part 2): Ground Combat Systems
Jul 3, 2021
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  • Farzin Nadimi
  • Michael Knights
Brief Analysis
Militias Parade Under the PMF Banner (Part 1): Drone Systems
Jul 3, 2021
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  • Farzin Nadimi
  • Michael Knights
All Policy Analysis
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