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Military & Security

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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
Photo of Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu standing alone in parliament.
Video
Brief Analysis
Pausing Israel's Judicial Overhaul: Toward Compromise or Deepening Crisis?
A former Israeli intelligence official joins two other experts to discuss how the situation might affect the government’s domestic political prospects, relations with Washington, and ability to counter external security threats.
Mar 31, 2023
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  • David Makovsky
  • Tamar Hermann
  • Zohar Palti
Brief Analysis
Inside Iran’s Regime (Part 3): IRGC Economic Frustrations
Top commanders have purportedly raised a slew of concerns with the Supreme Leader, from funding shortfalls to corruption among regime elites.
Mar 30, 2023
◆
  • Henry Rome
Iranian and international negotiators participate in nuclear talks in Vienna, 2021.
Articles & Testimony
‘No Deal, No Crisis’ Is No Plan for Iran
The West is in the middle of a steadily escalating nuclear crisis, even if policymakers are reluctant to admit it.
Mar 29, 2023
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  • Henry Rome
  • Louis Dugit-Gros
A page from a supposedly leaked Iranian document
Brief Analysis
Inside Iran’s Regime (Part 1): Growing Fissures and Poor Morale in the IRGC?
A recently leaked document—if genuine—may indicate substantial internal skepticism toward the regime’s handling of the current domestic crisis, and perhaps even pressure for limited reforms.
Mar 28, 2023
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  • Patrick Clawson
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
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  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
Articles & Testimony
Orbital Fluctuations Among the Iran-Supported Militias in Iraq
Astronomical models provide a surprisingly helpful illustration of how Iran-backed armed groups wield power in the MENA region.
Mar 22, 2023
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  • Michael Knights
Brief Analysis
Hezbollah Infiltrates Israel (Part 2): Potential Responses
Israel should act quickly on multiple fronts to show Hezbollah that it will not shy away from escalation, especially if the organization continues to test it.
Mar 22, 2023
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  • Nadav Pollak
Muhandis company launch event leadership attendeees
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Muhandis Company: Iraq’s Khatam al-Anbia
Similar to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Iraqi "resistance" groups have long sought a company with preferential access to lucrative state contracts, and the Sudani government is finally providing them after years of opposition—on the Saudi border no less.
Mar 21, 2023
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  • Michael Knights
  • Hamdi Malik
  • Crispin Smith
◆ Militia Spotlight
A suspected Hezbollah tunnel under the Lebanon-Israel border discovered by the IDF - source: Reuters
Brief Analysis
Hezbollah Infiltrates Israel (Part 1): Another Step Toward Changing the Rules of the Game
Despite representing a significant escalation, the incident also continues a longstanding pattern of behavior aimed at rewriting the informal understandings established since the 2006 war.
Mar 21, 2023
◆
  • Matthew Levitt
Lebanon Flag
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
Can Federalism Work in Lebanon?
For those promoting federalism in Lebanon, a historical analysis of the country's geographic and ethnosectarian divisions demonstrates the necessity of inclusive discussion and collective engagement.
Mar 20, 2023
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  • Robert Rabil
Fikra Forum
Fikra Forum
How Iraqis View Life after the Fall of Saddam—Twenty Years Ago and Today
Two decades after the fall of Saddam Hussein, widespread frustration with the current state of Iraq is leading increasing numbers to express a negative view of life in the post-Saddam era.
Mar 19, 2023
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  • Munqith Dagher
Rayan al-Kildani and Muhandis
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Profile: Kataib Babiliyoun (50th PMF Brigade)
Kataib Babiliyoun pretends to be a local Christian unit, but its members have been recruited from Shia Muslim communities in southern Iraq with the goal of dominating Iraq's strategic Nineveh Plains region.
Mar 16, 2023
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  • Michael Knights
  • Yaqoub Beth-Addai
◆ Militia Spotlight: Profiles
NPU Nineveh Plains
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Nineveh Plains Christians Defend Against the Babiliyoun Militia
An Iran-backed militia run by a notorious human rights abuser was kicked out of a Christian town after it tried to replace local police leaders.
Mar 16, 2023
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  • Yaqoub Beth-Addai
◆ Militia Spotlight
PMF troops in Iraq
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Mainstreaming Hashd Commanders (Part 2): Fifty-Fold Increase in Officer Training
This year has seen a massive increase in the training of Iraqi militia officers at Defense Ministry academies, and a dedicated PMF training college might be developed under expanded legislation.
Mar 15, 2023
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  • Amir al-Kaabi
  • Michael Knights
◆ Militia Spotlight
Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Abu Zaynab al-Lami
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Mainstreaming Hashd Commanders (Part 1): Advanced Education for Senior Militiamen
U.S.-designated terrorists and human rights abusers are beginning to receive senior ranks, staff college certification, and national security degrees at Iraqi and Arab military schools.
Mar 15, 2023
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  • Michael Knights
  • Amir al-Kaabi
◆ Militia Spotlight
Illustration of chess pieces and the Russian and Ukrainian flags - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
A Year of War in Ukraine
As the conflict enters year two, it remains unclear if the West has fully internalized the right lessons about Moscow, its partners in the “Global South,” or the parameters of long-term victory.
March 2023
◆
  • Anna Borshchevskaya
Articles & Testimony
How Europe Is Quietly Putting ‘Strategic Autonomy’ into Practice
The hard lessons learned in Syria have given European leaders the confidence and tools they needed to respond forcefully in Ukraine.
Mar 9, 2023
◆
  • Louis Dugit-Gros
Protesters wave flags and placards in front of the Knesset to demonstrate their opposition to judicial reforms proposed by the coalition government of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu - source: Reuters
Video
Brief Analysis
The National Security Implications of Israel's Judicial Debate
A panel of former senior Israeli officials discusses how the convulsive domestic debate may affect vital issues related to military preparedness, Iranian nuclear advancement, Palestinian terrorism, and more.
Mar 8, 2023
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  • David Makovsky
  • Shimrit Meir
  • Yaakov Amidror
  • Uzi Dayan
  • Zohar Palti
Turkish President Erdogan meets Ukrainian President Zelenskiy in Kyiv - source: Reuters
Articles & Testimony
Unpacking Turkey’s Non-Binary Ukraine War Policy
Erdogan's stance has been pro-Ukrainian but not anti-Russian, enabling him to strike a delicate balance between NATO expectations, Moscow’s economic lifeline, and domestic political pressures.
Mar 7, 2023
◆
  • Soner Cagaptay

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Military and Security Studies Program

The Washington Institute's Military and Security Studies Program has established itself as an unrivaled source of reliable, incisive, and forward-looking analysis concerning several of the most critical national-security challenges facing the United States today: The U.S. military role in the Middle East, Iran's nuclear program and its proxy armies, the ongoing conflict is in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, the regional proliferation of missiles and weapons of mass destruction, the security dimensions of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and many other security issues on the frontline of the U.S. policymaking agenda.

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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.
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley
Grant Rumley is the Goldberger Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where he specializes in military and security affairs in the Middle East.
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