All Policy Analysis by Michael Knights

What we learned about the detainee and his description of being recruited by Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada.

NATO stands ready to increase its commitment in a slow and steady manner consistent with Baghdad’s needs, but careful communication will be crucial, as will a more strategic discussion on how to combine different assistance efforts.

The administration’s early recourse to armed force may have surprised Tehran, but the proxy tests will continue, suggesting the need for sustained U.S. intelligence support and multilateral engagement with partners.

Even Iran’s proxies now have proxies, but authorities can still untangle and attribute their illegal acts through expanded use of rich open-source evidence.

دو رخداد معماگونه مربوط به پهپادها در عربستان سعودی از یک‌ سو شکاف‌های موجود در پوشش اطلاعاتی ایالات متحده را آشکار ساخته و از سوی دیگر پیچیدگی روزافزون تاکتیک‌های فریبی را نشان می‌دهد که شبکه‌ یکپارچه شبه‌نظامیان ایران در عراق و یمن استفاده می کنند.

تهران و نیروهای نیابتی‌اش شاید برای هر گونه اقدامی تا بعد از مراسم تحلیف صبر کنند، درنتیجه احتمالا بایدن باید تصمیم بگیرد که چگونه بین امنیت پرسنل آمریکایی و شانس تعامل دوباره با ایران توازن برقرار کند.

Proxy rocket attacks in Iraq require a clear response, otherwise the safety of U.S. troops and the prospect of nuclear negotiations will both be in doubt.

Militia Spotlight provides timely, high-quality evidence, analysis and contextualization of militia activities in Iraq and Syria, both within government agencies and outside them.

یکی از ثمرات عادی‌سازی روابط اعراب و اسرائیل باید همکاری قوی‌تر در دفاع موشکی به رهبری ایالات متحده میان کشورهایی باشد که با بیشترین تهدید از جانب ایران مواجه‌ اند.

Despite welcoming the idea of separating the nationalist “shrine units” from the Iran-leaning Popular Mobilization Forces, Washington should lighten its touch on the issue.

The Iraqi government continues to sharpen the leadership of various commands and bolster civilian control, giving the U.S.-led coalition more leverage to fight the Islamic State with a light footprint.

In the year since their most iconic leaders were killed, Iran-backed militias in Iraq have been changing in crucial ways, providing rich insights into how Baghdad and its international partners should approach them in 2021.

The latest sanctions against a senior leader in the Iranian-backed terrorist militia are a reminder that such figures cannot slip onto the political spectrum merely by changing their job title.

کاهش هزینه‌ها در اقلیم کردستان عراق امری ضروری است هرچند به تعویق افتاده، اما بازیگران بین‌المللی باید نسبت به اصلاح و بهبود جنبه‌های سیاسی‌شده در قانون جدید جبران کسری بودجه اقدام کنند.

The Biden administration should embrace the new sanctions against the civilian head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, a decision that is supported by strong evidence of human rights abuses and can help hold other violators accountable.

Persian Summary

History may be repeating itself as Tehran develops new, smaller, and more secure Iraqi cells reminiscent of the formation of KH itself.

Although halting the escalation of militia attacks on American personnel is crucial, simply evacuating the Baghdad embassy and downscaling the bilateral relationship would allow Iran to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

As technocrats increasingly fill key government roles, U.S. officials need to help Baghdad withstand the inevitable counterpunch from political and militia factions used to dictating such appointments.

To strengthen Iraq’s capacity for resisting militia and foreign influence, Washington should keep supporting the campaign to remake the military one commander at a time.