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All Policy Analysis by Michael Knights
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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
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Michael Knights
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
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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
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
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Militia Spotlight
Articles & Testimony
Remaking Iraq: How Iranian-Backed Militias Captured the Country
The slow-rolling regime change focused on capturing U.S.-supported institutions and turning them against U.S. interests, highlighting the threat that motivated, well-funded groups pose to developing democracies.
Mar 20, 2023
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Crispin Smith
Michael Knights
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
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Militia Spotlight: Profiles
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
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Militia Spotlight
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
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Militia Spotlight
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
The Jurf al-Sakhar Model: Militias Debate How to Carve Out a New Enclave North of Baghdad
Tactical disagreements among "resistance" leaders underline their competition for prime real estate and local partners near the capital.
Feb 20, 2023
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Amir al-Kaabi
Michael Knights
Hamdi Malik
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Militia Spotlight
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Iraq’s "Muqawama Government" Drives Out Prominent LGBTQ Advocate
Officials appear to be cracking down on freedom of speech and alternative lifestyles opposed by the self-styled militia "resistance."
Feb 10, 2023
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Hamdi Malik
Amir al-Kaabi
Michael Knights
Crispin Smith
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Militia Spotlight
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Transnational Muqawama Show Disapproval Via Warithuun Attack on al-Tanf
With probable IRGC-QF acquiescence, a militia facade group struck U.S. targets in Syria to register its defiance against a possible extension of the U.S. presence in Iraq.
Jan 24, 2023
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Michael Knights
Hamdi Malik
Crispin Smith
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Militia Spotlight
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militia Spokesmen Reflect on Sudani Inviting U.S. Forces to Remain
Asaib Ahl al-Haq is signaling pragmatism, while Kataib Hezbollah is contorting its arguments to allow it to play along, albeit without explicitly accepting a U.S. military presence.
Jan 17, 2023
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Ameer al-Kaabi
Michael Knights
Hamdi Malik
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Militia Spotlight
Articles & Testimony
How I Got the Inside Story of the UAE’s Liberation of Aden
By conversing and embedding with Emirati soldiers over the course of several years, a Washington Institute military expert was able to capture the history and stakes of an unsung operation to save Yemen’s strategically crucial port city.
Jan 6, 2023
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Michael Knights
In-Depth Reports
25 Days to Aden
The Unknown Story of Arabian Elite Forces at War
An in-depth look at the dramatic campaign by Arab special forces and Yemeni tribesmen to liberate a crucial port city.
January 2023
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Michael Knights
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Kataib Hezbollah and Kaf Celebrate Attacks on Americans
The militia's media channel has been praising past Iranian-aided terrorist acts that killed and wounded U.S. military personnel in Iraq—and linking them to current activities.
Nov 30, 2022
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Michael Knights
Aya Yousuf
Hamdi Malik
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Militia Spotlight
Articles & Testimony
What Iran’s Drones in Ukraine Mean for the Future of War
Russia’s effective use of inexpensive Iranian aircraft points to challenges that other states may soon face elsewhere.
Nov 10, 2022
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Michael Knights
Alex Almeida
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militias Demonize USAID After U.S. Citizen Gunned Down in Baghdad
Media outlets run by Iran-backed groups have justified the killing by claiming that the targeted civilian was a spy.
Nov 8, 2022
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Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights
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Militia Spotlight
Maps & Graphics
Brief Analysis
Militia Journalist to Head New Prime Minister's Communications Team
Rabee Nader has a long history of working with U.S.-designated terrorist groups Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq, so appointing him could place Prime Minister Sudani's office at risk of potential sanctions.
Nov 3, 2022
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Hamdi Malik
Michael Knights
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Militia Spotlight
Articles & Testimony
The Houthi Jihad Council: Command and Control in ‘the Other Hezbollah’
The Houthi relationship with the IRGC and Lebanese Hezbollah has grown to the point that regardless of whether fighting in Yemen wanes, the Gulf movement may still play an integrated role in Iran’s future military adventures.
October 2022
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Michael Knights
Adnan al-Gabarni
Casey Coombs
Brief Analysis
Scoring Iraq’s New Government: Metrics for Preserving U.S. Interests
The protracted post-election process has been a step backward for Iraqi democracy, so Washington will need to closely monitor the new leadership’s actions and hold Baghdad to measurable benchmarks.
Oct 19, 2022
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Michael Knights
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