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Iraq

Policy Analysis on Iraq

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Federal Police wounded at Speicher
Brief Analysis
Kataib Hezbollah’s Escalating Feud with the Iraqi Security Forces
The leading Iran-backed militia is increasingly picking territorial fights with military forces controlled by Baghdad.
May 19, 2023
◆
  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Alex
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Ashab al-Kahf Claims Six-Year-Old Unsolved Murder of U.S. Soldier
The group stopped hinting and actually took credit for the 2017 murder of U.S. soldier Alexander Missildine, who was then supporting Iraqi combat operations to liberate territory from the Islamic State.
May 18, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
◆ Militia Spotlight
CMC March 16, 2023 draft regulation of digits; media content in Iraq
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraqi CMC Draft Regulation on Digital Content in Iraq
English translation of the March 16, 2023, draft regulation on digital content by the Iraqi Communications and Media Commission.
May 15, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
CMC van
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Communications and Media Commission
After falling under the control of “resistance”-linked board members, this key Iraqi media institution began a widespread crackdown on freedom of expression.
May 15, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
  • Crispin Smith
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Bafel Talabani
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Roots of the Rift between Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan's PUK
The tensions between Turkey and the PUK are not new, though recent actions by both sides have exacerbated the situation despite shared economic interests.
Apr 28, 2023
◆
  • Mehmet Alaca
Kufa Mosque
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Sadr’s Withdrawal and the New Splinter Group of Ashab al-Qadiya
By suspending the Sadrist Movements activities, Sadr hopes to prevent the growth of a new Mahdist splinter group that threatens his religious and political credibility.
Apr 28, 2023
◆
  • Haider al-Musawi
Sabereen Wagner
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Militia-Russia Love Affair: April 2023 Update
Iraqi militia officials are still regularly praising Putin's invasion of Ukraine and even conferring honorary Shia Muslim status on Russian officials.
Apr 26, 2023
◆
  • Amir al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
Quds Day speech
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Akram Kaabi Feted in Quds Day Communiques
In an ungrudging division of labor, senior militia figure Akram Kaabi is being built up by other factions as the main anti-U.S. "resistance" leader in Iraq.
Apr 26, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Basra Lynx crash May 6, 2006
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Ashab al-Kahf Threatens U.S. Helicopters
In its latest threats to U.S. aviation, the oldest militia facade group in Iraq made an interesting callback to a deadly 2006 shootdown of a British helicopter.
Apr 25, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Articles & Testimony
Twenty Years After the War, Iraq Needs U.S. Support
Much like the Iraqi people are doing, the United States should turn the page on history, engaging on ideas that foster prosperity and enable the relationship’s long-term success.
Apr 19, 2023
◆
  • Bilal Wahab
Brief Analysis
Israel May Lose Oil Access in Baghdad-Kurdish Deal
Years of quiet and fairly lucrative oil trading between the Kurds and Israel are now being threatened by messy legal disputes involving Baghdad and Turkey.
Apr 13, 2023
◆
  • Simon Henderson
  • Bilal Wahab
  • Henry Rome
Video
Brief Analysis
Twenty Years After Saddam: The Future of the U.S.-Iraq Relationship
A Conversation with David Petraeus
A former coalition commander joins Washington Institute experts to discuss the war’s legacy, the country’s current challenges, and how U.S. policy should evolve in response.
Apr 10, 2023
◆
  • David Petraeus
  • Bilal Wahab
  • Michael Knights
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Photo of an oil facility in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
KRG Oil and the Slipping Dream of Financial Independence
Following the ICC's decision, the KRG has limited options in its fight for financial independence from Baghdad.
Apr 6, 2023
◆
  • Nawras Jaff
Articles & Testimony
The Rise and Fall of Kurdish Power in Iraq
Despite thirty years of landmark achievements, the KRG’s endless quest for economic independence has only entrenched its internal divisions and kleptocracy while shifting its dependency—from Iraq to Turkey, and from foreign aid to oil revenues.
Spring 2023
◆
  • Bilal Wahab
Qahaliboun drone
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militias Try to Conceal Iraqi Role in Lethal Strike on American Base
Top "resistance" groups sought to avoid embarrassing the Sudani government, but at least one propaganda channel gave away Iraqi involvement.
Apr 3, 2023
◆
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Crispin Smith
◆ Militia Spotlight
LG
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Liwa al-Ghaliboun (Brigade of the Victors)
Liwa al-Ghaliboun is an Iraqi cell that is directed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force and has undertaken proxy attacks on U.S. personnel in Syria.
Apr 3, 2023
◆
  • Crispin Smith
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Brief Analysis
The Urgent U.S. Role in Restarting Iraq-Turkey Oil Exports
A pipeline arbitration ruling has imperiled a recent Baghdad-Kurdistan breakthrough, but this roadblock can be removed if the United States acts urgently to disrupt spoilers and help constructive players.
Mar 31, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
Families of Islamic State fighters in Syria - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Reintegration of Foreign Terrorist Fighter Families: A Framework of Best Practices for the U.S.
An in-depth report that draws on case study investigations, scholarly analyses, and interviews with practitioners and stakeholders to propose a new framework for reintegrating the families of foreign fighters who supported the Islamic State.
Mar 2023
◆
  • Devorah Margolin
Brief Analysis
Planning Beyond a Baghdad-Kurdistan Budget Deal
Iraq’s bloated 2023 budget has created space for the Kurds to get a share of the wealth this year, but preparing for the next leap to permanent solutions is more important.
Mar 24, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
Muhandis company launch event leadership attendeees
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
How to Use Militia Spotlight: Profiles
The profiles are a repository of institutional memory on the various armed groups, facade groups, and social organizations associated with Iraqi militias, to be used as concise reminders of how these entities are connected.
Mar 24, 2023
◆
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles

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The Washington Institute's Rubin Family Arab Politics Program 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 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 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
Bilal Wahab is the Nathan and Esther K. Wagner Fellow at The Washington Institute.
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