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Iraq

Policy Analysis on Iraq

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The KRG Turns Thirty: The Future of U.S.-Kurdish Relations in Iraq

Join us for a webcast conversation taking stock of U.S.-Kurdish relations on the thirtieth anniversary of the election of the first local government of Iraqi Kurdistan. Watch live starting at 1:00 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT) on Tuesday, May 17, 2022.

May 17, 2022, starting at 1:00 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT)

Vance Serchuk
Amberin Zaman
Bilal Wahab

Arab Approval of UAE, Bahrain Peace with Israel

New Arab Polls on Ukraine, Iran, Israel, and China: Analysis and Implications

Three public opinion experts discuss what March and April surveys in key states reveal about local attitudes toward U.S. policy.

David Pollock
Catherine Cleveland
Munqith Dagher

Tahira

Maps & Graphics

Muqawama Cyber-Surge (Part 2): Attributing Attacks to Militia Platforms

Sabereen News has seemingly broadened its capabilities to include simple hacking tactics like DDoS attacks, and it might quickly proceed to more complex exploits.

Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith

◆ Militia Spotlight

Tahira

Maps & Graphics

Muqawama Cyber-Surge (Part 1): Chronology of Recent Attacks

Sabereen News appears to have added cyberattacks to its normal activities of spreading militia propaganda and disinformation, claiming operations against Israeli, Turkish, and Saudi targets.

Crispin Smith
Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

Sabereen sistani

Maps & Graphics

Sabereen's Suspension (Part 2): Causes and Consequences

The network's hiatus may have been ordered in response to its recent lean toward Russia, or perhaps its role in enabling a controversial arson attack on a political office.

Crispin Smith
Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Al-Maymun

Maps & Graphics

Sabereen's Suspension (Part 1): Signs of Dissent and Noncompliance

The network was closed down almost entirely from March 28 to April 8, albeit with one apparent effort by rebellious members to refuse the suspension and blame Iran.

Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Rocket crater, Omar oilfield in Syria, April 6, 2022

Maps & Graphics

Spring Awakening: A New Wave of Militia Strikes or Just a Blip?

Militia groups appear to be increasingly exercising their different kinetic capabilities in Iraq and Syria, but why now?

Michael Knights
Crispin Smith

◆ Militia Spotlight

Articles & Testimony

Kurdish Infighting Could Undermine a Sovereign Iraqi Government

Shortsighted squabbles between the KDP and PUK may soon wind up sending the country back to elections—and the threat of Iranian political domination.

David Schenker

Militia Russian propaganda

Maps & Graphics

From Russia With Love? Sabereen's Ukraine Coverage

Alongside an apparent technical uplift, the militia network's coverage of the crisis has gone far beyond that of even the most pro-Russian outlets in Iraq.

Crispin Smith
Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

The Baghdad-Kurdistan Energy Arena: Policy Opportunities

Washington has many good options for avoiding a Kurdish economic meltdown and turning Iraq’s internal energy dispute into a net win for all players, but it must pursue them quickly.

Michael Knights

Nujaba clip

Maps & Graphics

Nujaba's Regime Change Threat to the Kurdistan Democratic Party

With its first Kurdish-language video, the militia has upped the stakes by hinting at regime change in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

An Iranian Fateh-110 mobile missile launcher on parade

Iran’s Cross-Border Strikes: A Pattern in Search of a Policy

The latest strike on Iraq points to a brazen, illegal, and dangerous strategy of exercising leverage via missile and drone attacks—a practice that has gone unchecked for too long.

Michael Knights

Tunisian citizens who fled the Russian invasion of Ukraine arrive in Tunis - Source: Reuters

Middle East Students Stranded in Ukraine

Regional governments are scrambling to repatriate thousands of their trapped citizens, and the United States could play a key role in facilitating their safe return.

Carol Silber
Calvin Wilder

Abu Hussein in public

Maps & Graphics

Exposing Kataib Hezbollah's Royal Family? Insights from Recent Leaks

The unmasking of Abu Hussein and his brothers puts the deposed Kataib Hezbollah official on the receiving end of his favorite tactic: leaking the faces and names of rivals.

Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights
Crispin Smith

◆ Militia Spotlight

A Ukrainian flag flies at a naval base in Crimea in 2014 - source: Reuters

Middle East Responses to the Ukraine Crisis

So far, official statements from the region have ranged from rejecting Russia’s moves to treating them as a natural extension of existing policy.

Updated Mar 4, 2022

Margaret Dene
Hannah Labow
Carol Silber

United Nations headquarters building in New York - source: Reuters

The UN Resolution on Ukraine: How Did the Middle East Vote?

A comprehensive record of what regional officials said—or didn’t say—about the emergency wartime vote in the General Assembly.

Targeting the Islamic State: Jihadist Military Threats and the U.S. Response

Two scholars of jihadism assess the group's evolving approaches to conventional and insurgent warfare, and U.S. options for combating them.

Ido Levy
Craig Whiteside

Flames emerge from flare stacks at Nahr Bin Umar oil field, north of Basra, Iraq - source: Reuters

The Death of Oil Federalism? Implications of a New Iraqi Court Ruling

The legal decision and its political fallout are threatening some of the country’s key interests, including its aspirations toward federalism, its relations with Turkey, and its ability to attract sorely needed international investment.

Bilal Wahab

Maps & Graphics

Profile: Liwa Khaibar

With probable links to Kataib Hezbollah, this minor facade group claimed a major rocket attack on al-Asad Air Base, but mainly limits itself to claimed bombings against U.S. supply convoys.

Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Ahd TV content

Maps & Graphics

Profile: Al-Ahd Satellite Television

A closer look at the "resistance" television channel owned and operated by U.S.-designated terrorist movement Asaib Ahl al-Haq.

Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

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