Iraq faces a critical window to disarm Iran‑backed militias as Tehran weakens and Washington pressures Baghdad to rein them in.
Browsing: Militias
Maliki’s return is Iran’s strategic move to cement militia control, not a fix. Washington must impose real costs, not just protest.
Iraq’s next prime minister, a constrained Shia bloc appointee, must bridge a public-elite gap and manage militias to secure progress.
U.S. must leverage post-war militia restraint to roll back Iranian influence in Iraq, focusing on airspace control and economic sectors.
A new Iraqi law risks permanently embedding Iran-backed militias into the state, demanding urgent U.S. diplomatic intervention to prevent its passage.
Iraq seeks to maintain U.S. military and financial support, fearing a full American withdrawal that would empower Iran and threaten stability.
Iraq’s apparent calm before elections masks enduring fragility; real stability depends on codifying rules for oil, budgets, and militias afterward.
Iraq’s crackdown on Kataib Hezbollah aims to weaken Iran’s strongest proxy and counter militia-empowering legislation ahead of critical elections.
U.S. sanctions and calls for PMF disarmament challenge Iraqi sovereignty and risk fracturing security cooperation, political bargaining, and economic stability.
Facing existential threats, the PMF has abandoned its cross-border militant role for the Axis of Resistance. Internally, factions now compete for control of its multi-billion dollar budget, crafting a new narrative as defenders against Sunni jihadism to justify their power