Washington must deepen its partnership with Iraqi Kurdistan by providing air defenses to counter Iranian-backed militia strikes and ensure regional stability.
Browsing: PMF
Iraq’s complicity with Iran-backed militias during the current war demands a U.S. recalibration of security aid and targeted sanctions against Baghdad officials.
Iraq’s governance reaches a point of terminal absurdity as state-funded militias attack the very national infrastructure the government protects.
Iraq’s “balancing act” has failed as Iranian-aligned militias and U.S. retaliatory strikes turn the country into a focal point of regional chaos.
“Iran created Frankenstein. The P.M.F. was designed as an instrument of Iranian power projection, but it has developed its own interests, economy, and political identity.”
Iraq’s parliament is advancing a law to permanently institutionalize the Iran-backed PMF as a parallel military structure.
U.S. ambiguity on the PMF risks Iraqi stability and elections, demanding clearer support for sovereignty.
U.S. sanctions and calls for PMF disarmament challenge Iraqi sovereignty and risk fracturing security cooperation, political bargaining, and economic stability.
The PMF is trading its revolutionary doctrine for a strategy centered on financial power and political protection. By exploiting fears of regional instability, the organization is consolidating control over state resources and patronage networks to prevent its dissolution or military integration.
Iraqi Prime Minister al-Sudani is navigating a delicate path toward sovereignty by balancing Western energy partnerships with Iranian political influence. As Iraq prepares for the 2026 transition, its future depends on reining in militias and successfully integrating into regional economic networks.