Iraq forms an uncompleted government under PM Ali al-Zaidi, dodging immediate confrontation over the cabinet role of Iran-backed militias in Baghdad.
Browsing: Militias
Baghdad faces structural paralysis as the breakdown of US-Iran co-sponsorship forces an elite, high-stakes showdown over sovereign paramilitary control.
Iraq’s PMF attacks US forces to stay relevant. Post-war, structural pressure may force transformation—or extinction.
Iraq’s caretaker government cannot control Iranian-backed militias attacking US interests. Washington’s strategy of strengthening the prime minister’s office has visibly failed.
Washington starves Iran’s Iraqi militias by squeezing dollar flows. No bombs. Just payroll collapse. Maliki era is dead.
Iraq’s last source of legitimacy is a reclusive cleric. But even Sistani’s fatwa cannot stop Iran-backed militias.
Iraq’s balancing act fails. Iran-linked militias launch 750 strikes. Oil exports halt. Gas imports cut. Fiscal collapse looms.
Iranian militias strike Iraq’s oil fields, targeting US and Chinese firms. Western investment is at risk; Iraq’s energy dependence on Iran may persist.
“Confronting these militias is like taking on the Sicilian Mafia—they have penetrated the judiciary, the economy, and the security services to the point of state paralysis.”
The state cannot control armed factions. Protesting Washington is safe. Confronting militias is impossible. Sovereignty is violated from within before without.