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Iraq

Policy Analysis on Iraq

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Haider al-Gharrawi
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Ansar Allah al-Awfiya (19th PMF Brigade)
One of the top Iraqi proxies for Iran's IRGC-Qods Force, this Sadrist breakaway faction has long garrisoned the Syrian border and killed Iraqi protesters to demonstrate its loyalty.
Nov 27, 2023
◆
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Qais al-Khazali
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militia Hair-Pulling Over Who Are "The Truest Muqawama"
Amid their ceasefire in solidarity with events in Gaza, Iraqi "resistance" leaders went back to their old habits of diminishing each other and spilling their secrets, with interesting results.
Nov 26, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
U.S. soldiers at an Iraqi base after a rocket attack by Iran-backed militias
Brief Analysis
Will an Iraqi Front Open in the Hamas-Israel War?
The risky tit-for-tat strikes between U.S. and militia forces are one symptom of a wider competition between rival actors in Iraq—one that American and European officials should work together on containing.
Nov 21, 2023
◆
  • Bilal Wahab
  • Selin Uysal
Photo of an October 2023 Iraqi demonstration with footprints covering the Israeli and American flags.
Articles & Testimony
Iraq’s Delicate Balancing Act With Iran and the U.S.
Despite reassuring U.S. officials during recent meetings, it is unclear whether Prime Minister Sudani can indefinitely placate an angry public or prevent Tehran’s militia proxies from further escalating the situation.
Nov 19, 2023
◆
  • Bilal Wahab
Photo of a blast wall with a drone mural at al-Asad Air Base in Iraq.
Video
Brief Analysis
Iranian Escalation in Iraq and Syria: Implications and U.S. Options
Four experts discuss what Washington can do about the latest spike in militia attacks against U.S. bases and local partners—even as they try to sustain the counterterrorism mission against the Islamic State.
Nov 17, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Wladimir van Wilgenburg
  • Devorah Margolin
  • Andrew J. Tabler
Photo showing flame and smoke rising over Lebanon's border with Israel.
Articles & Testimony
Gaza War Shows Heightened Risk of Escalation in the Region
Although Washington and its partners have kept the war from spreading so far, the lack of clear rules on some fronts—particularly Syria—has created a dangerous environment in which any actor might inadvertently cross someone’s red lines.
Nov 17, 2023
◆
  • Andrew J. Tabler
Abu Alaa al-Walai and Esmail Qaani
Maps & Graphics
Articles & Testimony
OFAC Designates Iraqi Militiamen (Part 2): KSS and Abu Ala al-Walai
Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada's designation for terrorist activities is long overdue, reflecting its important ongoing role in attacks on U.S. forces in northern Iraq and eastern Syria.
Nov 17, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
KH facilities in Syria under attack December 2019
Maps & Graphics
Articles & Testimony
OFAC Designates Iraqi Militiamen (Part 1): Kataib Hezbollah Commanders
Washington has signaled that its patience is wearing thin with the group's pivotal role in two dozen attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria in a month.
Nov 17, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Member of the Ramadi Widows Outreach Assistance Program distributes food packages in Anbar Province
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Iraqi Civil Society and the Funding Crisis
Financial support for NGOs is a lifeline for their survival and sustainability. For its part, the Iraqi government should realize that a strong civil society benefits the government, as NGOs can be a vital contribution to governance efforts and societal support.
Nov 16, 2023
◆
  • Abdulsalam Medeni
Liwa Abu Fadhal al-Abbas social media flag
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Liwa Abu Fadl al-Abbas
One of the most well-established Iraqi volunteer militias to fight for Iran and the Assad regime, both in the Syrian civil war and during various anti-U.S. actions.
Nov 16, 2023
◆
  • Abdullah Hayek
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Iraq and KRG flags
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Developing a Practical Model to Solve the Iraq-KRG Oil Crisis
Baghdad should allow Kurdistan based oil operators to invest in the rest of Iraq as a part of a solution to the long-standing oil issue between Erbil and Baghdad, using a proven, practical model currently being implemented.
Nov 9, 2023
◆
  • Yerevan Saeed
Liwa al-Imam al-Hussein base in Syria
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Liwa al-Imam al-Hussein
One of the largest Iraqi-Syrian militias, developed by Iran's IRGC-QF to support regime and proxy objectives in and around Syria.
Nov 7, 2023
◆
  • Abdullah Hayek
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Hussein Moanes
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Kataib Hezbollah and the Gaza Crisis (Part 2): Israel's Incursion, Khamenei-Nasrallah Speeches, and Blinken's Visit
Hossein Moanes and Abu Fadak have carefully calibrated their threats, showing a multifaceted yet tightly controlled Kataib Hezbollah response.
Nov 7, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Amir al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
Abu Hussein, head of KH Special Operations
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Kataib Hezbollah and the Gaza Crisis (Part 1): Special Ops in the Lead
The group's earliest reactions to the war were led by its Special Operations wing under Abu Hussein and two spokesmen from his camp.
Nov 7, 2023
◆
  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Akram
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Potential Escalation in Iraq (Part 2): Asaib and Nujaba
Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, and their facade group partners may soon step up their attacks amid the Hamas-Israel war, albeit within limits set by Iran.
Nov 1, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Crispin Smith
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Iraq escalation
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Potential Escalation in Iraq (Part 1): Khamenei and Badr
Iraqi "resistance" elements are becoming more bellicose in their rhetoric against the American presence, signaling a new level of escalation against U.S. troops as part of their efforts to support Hamas in the Gaza war.
Nov 1, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
  • Crispin Smith
  • Ameer al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
Sons of Jazeera and Euphrates Movement
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: The Sons of Jazira and Euphrates Movement
This Ougaidat tribal militia has undertaken attacks on multiple Syrian Kurdish and U.S. sites, with support from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Assad regime.
Oct 31, 2023
◆
  • Abdullah Hayek
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Sons of Jazeera
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Anti-U.S. Attacks Linked to the Sons of Jazira and Euphrates Movement
The "Jazira" brand has begun claiming, through very transparent communiques, that it is undertaking rocket attacks on U.S. bases in Syria.
Oct 27, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
AWH threat against U.S. bases in Kuwait and the UAE, October 24, 2023
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Kataib Hezbollah's Facade Group Threatens Gulf States Again
An Iran-aligned group that presaged two previous drone attacks on Gulf cities has issued a new threat against U.S. targets in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
Oct 24, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
A Marine Corps training jet on board the USS Gerald Ford, CVN-78 - source: Department of Defense
Articles & Testimony
Will Hezbollah Target American Assets Amid Israel’s War on Gaza?
Iranian proxies are deliberately escalating against American forces in the region as a warning against continued support for Israel’s war, but Hezbollah attacks would take the crisis to a different level.
Oct 23, 2023
◆
  • David Schenker

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Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics

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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