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Iraq

Policy Analysis on Iraq

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Articles & Testimony

How the Islamic State Feeds on Coronavirus

The pandemic has shut down counterterrorism operations, and the group is relishing the extra breathing room in Iraq.

Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

U.S. Policy in the Middle East Amid Great Power Competition

Viewing regional issues through this broader strategic lens will require Washington to accept painful trade-offs and take a tougher stance with difficult allies.

Michael Singh

How to Serve U.S. Interests by Saving Kurdistan’s Economy

Unless Washington intervenes with cost-effective, forceful measures, Iraqi Kurdistan could be the first Middle Eastern economy to implode under the pressure of coronavirus and low oil prices.

Michael Knights

Maps & Graphics

A Year Since Baghuz, the Islamic State Is Neither Defeated nor Resurging (Yet)

Although attack statistics have declined, the continued lack of stable governance in Diyala and Deir al-Zour shows that Washington and its partners have not absorbed the lessons provided by previous insurgencies.

Aaron Y. Zelin

Maps & Graphics

In-Depth Reports

Honored, Not Contained: The Future of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces

In this detailed Policy Focus, meant as a primer for Iraqi and international agencies, leading scholars examine the current status of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces.

Michael Knights
Hamdi Malik
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi

Giving Iraq’s Next Prime Minister Space to Succeed

As the next well-qualified, Iraqi-chosen candidate navigates the delicate ratification process, Washington can avoid disrupting his efforts by temporarily ignoring militia provocations and providing quiet, symbolic support where needed.

Michael Knights

Iraq’s Health, Financial, and Security Crises Sharpen the Urgency of Forming a Government

Allawi’s cabinet failure may indicate growing Iraqi agency at Iran’s expense, but the path toward political stability remains tortuous and foggy.

Bilal Wahab

Articles & Testimony

How the U.S. Can Stop the Surge of Deadly Rocket Attacks in Iraq

Congress and the Trump administration should privately agree to some ground rules for timing deterrent strikes on truly high-value targets, while quietly deploying more force-protection assets like Patriot missiles.

Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

The Shia vs. the ‘Shia Crescent’

Whether by force or politics, Iran desperately needs to reconsolidate power among Shia constituencies throughout the region, but this challenge may prove insurmountable given current public sentiment in Iraq and Lebanon.

Hanin Ghaddar

Articles & Testimony

‘Fighters Without Borders’: Forecasting New Trends in Iran Threat Network Foreign Operations Tradecraft

To hide its fingerprints on future attacks against U.S. interests, the regime is focusing on its regional 'Shia Liberation Army' and potentially seeking to radicalize lone actors.

Matthew Levitt

Articles & Testimony

The Middle East’s Future of Perpetual Pandemics

If outbreaks like the coronavirus shift from ‘black swan’ events to regular occurrences, globalization trends in the region may reverse, with sobering consequences.

Michael Knights

U.S. soldiers at an Iraqi base after a rocket attack by Iran-backed militias

U.S. Strategy Toward Iran: Restoring Deterrence, Enabling Diplomacy

Three experts discuss how Washington can manage escalation and catalyze diplomacy while still using its military instruments to apply pressure.

Michael Eisenstadt
Kori Schake
David Deptula

Establishing a Response Ratio for Iranian and Proxy Attacks

Enhancing deterrence and protecting Americans in Iraq and Syria requires a more formalized system for rationing out retaliatory strikes at the proper intensity, time, and place.

Michael Knights

Maps & Graphics

Latest Battle for Idlib Could Send Another Wave of Refugees to Europe

Various displacement scenarios may unfold as the fighting escalates, each carrying a high risk of negative humanitarian and economic consequences even if the parties live up to their promises.

Fabrice Balanche

The Persistent Threat from the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda: The View from the UN

The head of the UN team charged with monitoring each group assesses their prospects for bouncing back and recommends further steps that governments can take to counter them.

Edmund Fitton-Brown

Centering Iraq Policy on Human Rights and Fair Elections

The surest way to counter Iran’s malign influence is to proactively focus on human rights issues that the new prime minister can actually affect, such as organizing free elections and preventing further violence against protestors.

Michael Knights

Shia Militias in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon Post-Soleimani

Will the various regional militias once controlled by Qasem Soleimani continue to take sometimes-unwanted direction from Tehran after his death? Read or watch a spirited conversation with three experts.

Michael Knights
Phillip Smyth
Hanin Ghaddar

Articles & Testimony

Soleimani Is Dead: The Road Ahead for Iranian-Backed Militias in Iraq

Iraqis have expressed broad political, religious, and public support for checking the militias more quickly, so the U.S. government should take several steps toward that end.

Michael Knights

U.S. Do’s and Don’ts in Iraq

To ensure that new protests, new sanctions, and new political leadership wind up helping rather than hindering Iraqi sovereignty, Washington must handle upcoming developments with great care.

Michael Knights

Articles & Testimony

U.S.-Iran Tensions: Implications for Homeland Security

On January 15, 2020, Ambassador Barbara Leaf testified at a hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security on the homeland-security implications of ongoing tensions between the United States and Iran. The following are her prepared remarks. Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member Rogers, Distinguished members of the Committee, Thank you for

Barbara A. Leaf

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