Iraq

Policy Analysis on Iraq

The Drones of Kataib Hezbollah's Jazira Command

KH-commanded militia units appear to have exclusive control over Iranian-provided drones, highlighting the group's links to Tehran and its involvement in recent UAV operations.

Jul 20, 2021

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Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

President Joe Biden speaks on the phone in the Oval Office of the White House

Video

Brief Analysis

A Strategy for Iraq: Guidelines for the Biden Administration

A senior State Department official, a Baghdad bureau chief, and an Iraqi scholar explore the opportunities and increasingly desperate dangers facing U.S. policy toward the country.

Jul 16, 2021

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Bilal Wahab
Joey Hood
Jane Arraf

Brief Analysis

Managing Middle East Defense Partnerships Amid Great Power Competition

The U.S. government can counter the narrative of withdrawal by disassociating its regional commitment from the number of “boots on the ground,” building longer-term security cooperation plans, and clarifying its CAATSA sanctions policy.

Jul 13, 2021

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Grant Rumley
Kathryn Wheelbarger

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Are the Muqawama Signaling De-Escalation?

Although attacks on U.S. sites have surged, Iraqi militias appear to be laying the groundwork for de-escalation.

Jul 9, 2021

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Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith

◆ Militia Spotlight

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Profile: Liwa Thar Muhandis

This older facade brand has been brought out of retirement during the summer surge of Iraqi militia attacks on U.S. targets.

Jul 8, 2021

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Crispin Smith

◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Militias Parade Under the PMF Banner (Part 2): Ground Combat Systems

Tehran has bolstered the ground combat capabilities of its proxy militias within the PMF, though the equipment rarely sees combat employment.

Jul 3, 2021

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Farzin Nadimi
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Militias Parade Under the PMF Banner (Part 1): Drone Systems

Drone systems paraded in Camp Ashraf were a show of strength, including the debut of new types of Iranian-provided airframes and control vehicles.

Jul 3, 2021

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Farzin Nadimi
Michael Knights

◆ Militia Spotlight

Articles & Testimony

Biden Wants to Leave the Middle East, But He’s in a Vicious Bombing Cycle in Iraq

Caught between aggressive Tehran-backed militias and a skeptical Congress, the administration needs a better approach.

Jul 2, 2021

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Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

Iranian Website Seizures: Avoiding a Blanket Approach

Tehran is increasingly relying on its vast regional propaganda machine to pursue its anti-American objectives, but policymakers need to be simultaneously more precise and more comprehensive in how they counter it.

Jun 29, 2021

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Hamdi Malik

Brief Analysis

Deterring Militias in Iraq: What Works and What Doesn’t

Striking back one time in twelve will not stop Iranian proxy attacks, so Washington must consider more consistent and painful retaliation in order to protect Americans in the Middle East.

Jun 28, 2021

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Michael Knights

Figure 1: Rocket and drone attacks on coalition "points of presence".

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Iraq’s Drone and Rocket Epidemic, By the Numbers

Attacks on coalition points of presence are increasing in quantity and quality, making U.S. fatalities increasingly likely unless deterrence is restored.

Jun 27, 2021

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Michael Knights
Crispin Smith

◆ Militia Spotlight

In-Depth Reports

Accidental Allies:

The US–Syrian Democratic Forces Partnership Against the Islamic State

To some, America's partnership with the SDF exemplified an economy-of-force effort that minimized U.S. casualties and wrested control of northeast Syria from the Islamic State. To others, it was a cautionary tale about a U.S. military hoodwinked into working with a terrorist group.

Jun 22, 2021

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Michael Knights
Wladimir van Wilgenburg

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

The Iraqi Muqawama Are Feeling Isolated and Threatened

The brazen approach taken by "resistance" factions in recent weeks was designed to undermine the government, but it is now coming back to hurt them.

Jun 19, 2021

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Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

In-Depth Reports

Promoting Sovereignty and Accountability in Iraq:

Guidelines for the Biden Administration

The complexity of Iraq’s challenges might prompt some U.S. officials to balk, but a constructive policy can help advance both Iraqi and American interests in areas ranging from counterterrorism to economic development.

Jun 17, 2021

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Bilal Wahab

◆ Transition 2021

Figure 1: Qais al-Khazali’s interview with iNEWS TV, June 1, 2021

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Qais al-Khazali's Show of Independence

The militia leader is positioning himself as Iran's equal and close partner, aspiring to comparisons with Hassan Nasrallah and Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.

Jun 14, 2021

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Hamdi Malik

◆ Militia Spotlight

Brief Analysis

Iraq’s Judiciary Weak Link

Regardless of the executive branch’s willingness to confront militia abuses, true rule of law cannot take hold unless judges are protected from intimidation and corruption.

Jun 10, 2021

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Michael Knights

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Qais al-Khazali Doubles Down on His Muqawama Membership

The militia leader has not hesitated to provide court-quality evidence that he and his movement Asaib Ahl al-Haq are actively involved in attacks on U.S. forces.

Jun 7, 2021

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Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights
Crispin Smith

◆ Militia Spotlight

Brief Analysis

The Evolution of Iran’s Qods Force Since 1979

By absorbing rival organizations and favoring commanders who lack connections to other regime power centers, the IRGC has used the Qods Force to steadily centralize and monopolize control over the country’s foreign operations.

Jun 3, 2021

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Ali Alfoneh

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Threats Against Iraq's Government Aired on al-Etejah TV

Kataib Hezbollah's television outlet is still airing false claims about the release of Qasim Muslih, as well as coup threats that draw comparisons to Yemen's Houthi takeover.

Jun 1, 2021

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Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith

◆ Militia Spotlight

President Donald Trump speaks about Syria

Articles & Testimony

The Inside Story of How Trump ‘Kept the Oil’ in Syria and Lost

The ambitious plan would have seen Delta Crescent, a tiny Delaware company, try to bring peace and stability to the war-ravaged northeast, but local corruption, a lack of U.S. commitment, and other complications doomed the idea.

May 31, 2021

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Kenneth R. Rosen

Supported by the

Program on Arab Politics

The Washington Institute's 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 is the Kahn Fellow and director of The Washington Institute's Military and Security Studies Program.

Michael Knights

Michael Knights is the Jill and Jay Bernstein Fellow of The Washington Institute, specializing in the military and security affairs of Iraq, Iran, and the Persian Gulf states. He is a co-founder of the Militia Spotlight platform, which offers in-depth analysis of developments related to the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria.

Bilal Wahab

Bilal Wahab is the Nathan and Esther K. Wagner fellow at The Washington Institute.

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Policy Analysis on Iraq

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