All Policy Analysis by Michael Knights

As attacks on international targets continue, the United States should help Iraqis take the lead in responding to nonlethal incidents and exploiting militia missteps.

Washington expects Iraqi leaders to put their lives on the line to defend the country’s sovereignty and secure the government center, but they can’t do so without at least a little U.S. help.

Baghdad, Erbil, and their foreign partners should focus on mending harmful intra-Kurdish rifts, forging a multiyear budget deal, and reactivating elite counterterrorism coordination, among other initiatives.

On July 6, 2020, Iraq’s most prolific security commentator Husham al-Hashemi was assassinated in Zayouna, a social melting pot neighborhood of east Baghdad. At 8:19 pm, he arrived outside his home, driving his own unarmored white SUV. Seconds before, two motorbikes pulled up, each carrying two young men. They knew

After Kataib Hezbollah was caught red-handed prepping new rocket strikes, justice needs to be served, and Iraq’s government needs to be better secured.

The reform measures called for by PMF leaders are so opaque that they could enable militia consolidation masquerading as security sector improvements.

Two experts assess the recent attack patterns and future prospects of a group that once seemed on the cusp of defeat in both countries.

Three experts examine one of the most sensitive problems facing Iraq's new prime minister: the future of militias that were mobilized to fight the Islamic State but have since balked at subsuming themselves to the government's authority.

Two security experts comb incident data from the past year to explain how the group is resurging and what factors are most likely to accelerate this troubling trend.

After his promising start, the new prime minister needs time and latitude to stamp his authority on the country’s security sector, even as militia rockets fall in Baghdad.

If Kadhimi’s nomination goes through, it would be good news for Iraq, but Washington’s troubled relationship with Baghdad still needs a radical strategic reset.

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

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.

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.

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.