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Iraq

Policy Analysis on Iraq

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Pope Francis departs an airplane
Brief Analysis
The Pope Meets the Ayatollah
The Vatican’s outreach to Iraq is laudable in its goal of decreasing religious violence, but Western officials should be realistic about what engagement with Shia religious leaders can accomplish in the near term.
Mar 3, 2021
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  • Mehdi Khalaji
Brief Analysis
Understanding Iran’s Vast Media Network in Arab Countries
Designating Iranian-linked media outlets can limit their activities, but a more holistic strategy is needed if Washington hopes to effectively counter the regime’s regional propaganda machine.
Mar 2, 2021
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
Russian president Vladimir Putin
Articles & Testimony
How Russia Is Responding to Joe Biden’s Syria Airstrike
The omissions in Moscow’s statements on the U.S. operation are as revealing as the predictable hyperbole and hypocrisy.
Mar 1, 2021
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  • Anna Borshchevskaya
U.S. soldiers at an Iraqi base after a rocket attack by Iran-backed militias
Articles & Testimony
Why Biden’s Airstrikes on Iran Militias Matter
The operation on the Iraq-Syria border could prove more significant than critics allow, but only if the administration keeps showing that there are limits to what it will tolerate in pursuing a new nuclear deal.
Feb 26, 2021
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  • Phillip Smyth
Brief Analysis
Biden’s Warning to Iran and Its Proxies: Implications of the Syria Strike
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.
Feb 26, 2021
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  • Michael Knights
Articles & Testimony
The Other Khashoggis: Dissidents in Danger Across the Middle East
With militia targeting of activists on the rise, Western officials need to name the perpetrators, hold them accountable, and support homegrown democratic movements before they are snuffed out for good.
Feb 25, 2021
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  • Hanin Ghaddar
  • Michael Knights
Brief Analysis
Attributing the Erbil Attack: The Role of Open-Source Monitoring
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.
Feb 24, 2021
◆
  • Crispin Smith
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
Articles & Testimony
Rocket Attacks on Erbil: Part 2
The U.S. response needs to get more specific, while the KRG and Baghdad need to patch up their urgent security differences and stop entangling them with broader territorial, constitutional, or budgetary issues.
Feb 18, 2021
◆
  • David Pollock
President Joe Biden speaks on the phone in the Oval Office of the White House
Articles & Testimony
Iran Just Handed Biden His First Credibility Test
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.
Feb 17, 2021
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  • Michael Knights
Brief Analysis
Rockets over Erbil: How to Respond to an Iraqi Militia Outrage
Iran-backed militias took the unprecedented step of rocketing a major city and U.S. base in Iraqi Kurdistan, and the Biden administration must quickly find its own formula for restoring deterrence.
Feb 16, 2021
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  • Michael Knights
Map "Syria's Borders Are Under External Control"
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Assad Regime Has Failed to Restore Full Sovereignty Over Syria
By ceding control of its borders and airspace to various foreign actors, the regime has essentially resigned itself to a limited but potentially durable existence for the long term.
Feb 10, 2021
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  • Fabrice Balanche
Brief Analysis
How the United States Should View Iraq’s Shrine Militias
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.
Feb 5, 2021
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
Articles & Testimony
Tunisians of the Iraq Jihad and How That Set the Stage for the Syrian Jihad
The disproportionate role of Tunisians in both campaigns can be traced to a wide array of factors, including travel routes, prison experiences, battlefield leadership, and propaganda patterns back home.
Jan 29, 2021
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  • Aaron Y. Zelin
Iranian military leaders inspect drones.
Brief Analysis
Drones Over Riyadh: Unpacking the Iran Threat Network’s Tactics
Two enigmatic drone incidents in Saudi Arabia point to gaps in U.S. intelligence coverage and increasingly sophisticated deception tactics by Iran’s integrated militia networks in Iraq and Yemen.
Jan 29, 2021
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  • Michael Knights
Brief Analysis
Baghdad Bombing Spurs Major Intelligence and Military Reshuffle
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.
Jan 26, 2021
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  • Michael Knights
Video
Brief Analysis
Gas in Iraqi Kurdistan: Market Realities, Geopolitical Opportunities
U.S. and Iraqi Kurdish officials discuss the future of the region's natural gas sector, including proposals for surmounting various political and commercial hurdles.
Jan 21, 2021
◆
  • Matthew Zais
  • Barozh Aziz
  • Rob Waller
Brief Analysis
Changing of the Guard: New Iraqi Militia Trends and Responses
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.
Jan 19, 2021
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  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Crispin Smith
Brief Analysis
The U.S. Designation of Kataib Hezbollah’s Abu Fadak
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.
Jan 13, 2021
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  • Michael Knights
Brief Analysis
New Iranian Bill Aims to Officialize a Policy of Avenging Soleimani and Destroying Israel
In addition to prohibiting any negotiations over Iran’s military power or regional ambitions, the legislation would oblige the government to work toward evicting the United States from the Middle East and destroying Israel within twenty years.
Jan 12, 2021
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  • Farzin Nadimi
Brief Analysis
Leveraging U.S. Sanctions on Faleh al-Fayyad
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.
Jan 8, 2021
◆
  • Michael Knights

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