All Policy Analysis by Michael Knights

Now that the Iraqi government has regained access to half of Kirkuk by force, Washington should act quickly to prevent a violent local backlash.

In the coming days, Kirkuk will either explode into open fighting between Kurdish and Iraqi forces or spur a much-needed dialogue between Baghdad and Erbil.

A six-step plan that can help U.S. officials actively counter Tehran's efforts to deploy its inexpensive proxy forces throughout the Middle East.

Watch experts discuss the potential fallout from the September 25 independence vote in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The Iraqi Kurds have angered their neighbors, but imminent punitive measures could quickly strengthen Iran and disrupt the campaign against the Islamic State.

Iran wants its local allies to create a Shia political bloc or Hezbollah-like arrangement next door, but Washington can curb such ambitions so long as it does not repeat its vanishing trick of 2011.

Despite all the diplomatic posturing and domestic politicking, the day after the referendum may look very much like the day before.

The upcoming independence referendum in Iraq’s Kurdistan region is already yielding positive results in the form of compromise and cooperation among parties and movements whose enmity has long gridlocked Iraqi Kurdish politics.

One large faction of Shia volunteers demonstrates how the PMUs can function under Iraqi -- not Iranian -- control, offering a model that coalition forces should support.

Analysts tracking the insurgent landscape in Iraq can draw many lessons from 2010-14, the period during which the Islamic State recovered its potency.

A compact size, high pay, and rigorous standards have helped the service thrive, but now it needs sustained support to become a lasting monument to U.S. good intentions in Iraq.

In the aftermath of Mosul's liberation, the adjacent Nineveh Plains could be a cockpit for new ethno-sectarian conflict or a test case of cooperative security arrangements, with the anti-IS coalition having strong incentives to ensure the latter.

Risks include a burgeoning jihadist insurgency in areas retaken from the group more than two years ago, including Diyala province, where Iran-backed militias have exacerbated matters by engaging in collective punishment.