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Iraq

Policy Analysis on Iraq

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CMC head
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraq's Militia-Led Communications Commission Clamps Down on Press Coverage of Security Issues
The CMC's latest restrictions on press freedoms indicate that Iran-backed groups fear they could be ousted from power much like Bashar al-Assad next door.
Dec 16, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
Security forces the Iraqi-Syrian border, after it has been reopened for trade and travel, in Al Qaim, Iraq in 2019 - source: Reuters
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Nujaba Projects Paranoia Over Domestic Security
Nujaba's immediate allergic reaction to regime change in Syria is a bellwether of how vulnerable Coordination Framework militias feel as pro-Iran hierarchies come tumbling down.
Dec 16, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
HH
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Hashem al-Haidari Calls for Preemptive Actions Against U.S. Embassy
One of Iran's most trusted lieutenants in the Iraqi militia scene is loudly rattling his saber against the U.S. presence in the Middle East.
Dec 16, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Articles & Testimony
The Emergence of Two Distinct Jihadist Ways of War
Comparing the offensive that toppled Assad with the Islamic State's 2014 campaign in Iraq shows how HTS has innovated its approach by mixing old and new tactics.
Dec 12, 2024
◆
  • Ido Levy
Articles & Testimony
Remaining, Waiting for Expansion (Again): The Islamic State’s Operations in Iraq and Syria
Despite the group's expansion in other parts of the world, its original base in Iraq and Syria remains relevant due to the area's uncertain status quo and the looming prospect of U.S. military withdrawals.
Dec 5, 2024
◆
  • Aaron Y. Zelin
A soldier from Iraq's Counter Terrorism Service participates in a joint training exercise with U.S. colleagues - source: U.S. Department of Defense
Brief Analysis
How Washington Can Salvage Iraq’s Counter Terrorism Service
CTS is the most successful U.S. partner force in Iraq, which is why Iran-backed terrorist groups are trying to penetrate and corrupt it.
Dec 3, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
Muqawama under threat
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraqi Militias Downscaling Their Anti-Israel Actions
Iran-backed groups were already powering down for weeks before Israel delivered a stark warning on November 18, after which attacks dropped off almost entirely.
Nov 26, 2024
◆
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Faces shown on Nov 6 IRI claim video of drone strike on Jordan Valley
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militia List of U.S. “Greatest Hits” Gives Insight Into Attack Cell Structure
A poster of thirty-six militia “martyrs” provides useful data about who was killed by U.S. forces at specific times and places.
Nov 26, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
Boat from SAD Nov 19, 2024 drone launch vs Israel
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraqi Militias Unveil SAD Aircraft Carrier
Saraya Awliya al-Dam launched a Shahed drone from a small boat in an apparent effort to draw attention by demonstrating a rudimentary new capability.
Nov 19, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Crispin Smith
◆ Militia Spotlight
MIBH
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Anti-Israel Attacks by Iraq-Based Group with Implied Saudi Membership
A group with a Saudi-linked name has claimed six attacks on Israel, but they were probably launched from Iraq using Kataib Hezbollah and/or Houthi drone teams.
Nov 19, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
  • Crispin Smith
◆ Militia Spotlight
DEHS wall poster - Our martyrs are our pride
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Directorate of Education, al-Hashd al-Shabi (DEHS)
An Iraqi militia directorate that has grown into a major state-funded educational foundation, arranging university education for students tied to the PMF and sending some to Iran on scholarships paid by Tehran.
Nov 18, 2024
◆
  • Sary Mumayiz
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
KH drones
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraqi Militias Try to Obfuscate Their Role in Anti-U.S. Attacks
Members of the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" are using facades and unclaimed attacks to distance themselves from the recent uptick in operations against American targets.
Oct 29, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Protestors carrying Iraqi, Lebanon, and KH flags
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militia Mob Attacks Saudi MBC Channel in Baghdad
Provocative Gulf coverage of terrorist leader deaths spurred Kataib Hezbollah to unleash mob violence against the network's Baghdad offices.
Oct 28, 2024
◆
  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Parliament of Kurdistan
Articles & Testimony
Kurdistan’s Pivotal Elections:
A Defining Moment for the Region’s Future
Disenfranchisement, party fragmentation, and external pressures are pushing Iraqi Kurdistan to a breaking point.
Oct 21, 2024
◆
  • Nickolay Mladenov
SaD Shahed-101 with serials Oct 12, 2024
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Tripling of Iraqi Militia Claimed Attacks on Israel in October
The self-styled Islamic Resistance in Iraq has greatly increased its attack claims and is starting to cause fatalities in Israel, inviting a military response.
Oct 15, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Crispin Smith
◆ Militia Spotlight
Armed members of the Iraqi Shiite militia Asaib Ahl al-Haq demonstrate at a funeral in Iraq - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Embracing Asaib Ahl al-Haq: Pragmatism or Naivete?
Some observers argue that the group's plans for Iraq will eventually cohere with U.S. interests, but this view ignores how its leaders are already pursuing the Hezbollah model of terrorist state capture.
Oct 15, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
Energy war
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Deciphering Iraqi Militia Threats of an Energy War
Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah have warned they will attack energy facilities in the Gulf and elsewhere, but how serious are these threats?
Oct 15, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Qasef-2k drone in Iraq, photograph made public on August 23, 2022
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Tracking Anti-U.S. and Anti-Israel Strikes From Iraq and Syria During the Gaza Crisis
Militia Spotlight presents a regularly updated tracker with the best-known information about drone, rocket, and missile attacks against U.S. and allied targets, which have intensified since the Gaza war broke out.
Oct 14, 2024
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
Iraqi flag
Brief Analysis
Turkey Wants to Stitch Iraq and Syria Back Together (Part 2)
Ankara’s push for “soft recentralization” in Iraq will likely include more intensive efforts to establish the Development Road and prioritize Baghdad’s interests, though without abandoning the Kurdistan Region.
Oct 8, 2024
◆
  • Soner Cagaptay
Friday Prayers
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Qais in Tehran, Prominently Seated Behind Khamenei
At a recent event in Iran, the leader of the key Iraqi militia Asaib Ahl al-Haq was strategically positioned in a place of honor directly behind the Supreme Leader.
Oct 7, 2024
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight

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The Washington Institute's Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics focuses on social, political, and economic developments in the Arab world, with an emphasis on the Arab countries of the Levant.

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Featured experts

Michael Eisenstadt
Michael Eisenstadt
Michael Eisenstadt is the Kahn Senior Fellow and director of The Washington Institute's Military and Security Studies Program.
Michael Knights
Michael Knights
Michael Knights is the Jill and Jay Bernstein Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and cofounder of the Militia Spotlight platform, which offers in-depth analysis of developments related to Iran-backed militias.
Bilal Wahab
Bilal Wahab
Bilal Wahab was the Nathan and Esther K. Wagner Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute.
Elizabeth Dent - source: The Washington Institute
Elizabeth Dent
Elizabeth Dent is a Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where she focuses on U.S. foreign and defense policy toward the Gulf states, Iraq, and Syria.
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