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2. Iran's Use of Shi'i Militant Proxies: Ideological and Practical Expediency Versus Uncertain Sustainability
- Author:
- Alex Vatanka
- Publication Date:
- 06-2018
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Since its 1979 revolution, the Islamic Republic of Iran has incited violent, radical, and often sectarian nonstate groups across the Middle East to serve as proxies in its military campaigns to influence regional and international politics. This “proxy model” has become increasingly salient since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and more recently in Iraq and Syria, and is now Iran’s primary tool for advancing its regional intersts. The U.S. and the West in general have largely paid attention only to radical Sunni groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS. With a few exceptions, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, nonstate Shi‘i militant groups have generally avoided the same intense Western scrutiny. This study compares and contrasts regional conflicts that have been shaped by Iranian proxies and Iran’s successful—and unsuccessful—attempts to recruit to its militant groups. It also identifies the key forces that have shaped Iran’s ideological and operational sponsorship of nonstate militant groups, both Sunni and Shi‘i, as well as its motivations and preferred modus operandi.
- Topic:
- Non State Actors, Violent Extremism, Conflict, Ideology, Shia, and Proxy War
- Political Geography:
- Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, and United States of America
3. Iraq's Political Turmoil
- Author:
- Middle East Institute
- Publication Date:
- 08-2018
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- Three months after Iraq held its latest parliamentary elections the results are still being counted. Meanwhile political parties are jockeying for power and Iraqi citizens are taking to the streets to protest the government’s handling of services and the economy. Dr. Abbas Kadhim, senior fellow at Johns Hopkins SAIS, Omar Al-Nidawi, Iraq director for Gryphon Partners, and Dr. Randa Slim, director of MEI’s Program on Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues, join host Paul Salem to discuss the situation.
- Topic:
- International Affairs
- Political Geography:
- Iraq
4. Iraq’s Fifth Column: Iran’s Proxy Network
- Author:
- Nicholas Heras
- Publication Date:
- 10-2017
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- As Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (I.R.G.C.) campaigns against ISIS, the Islamic Republic is strengthening its Shiite militia proxy networks in Iraq. The I.R.G.C.’s expeditionary wing, the Quds Force, is using political connections in the Iraqi government and historical links to veteran Shiite groups to influence Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (P.M.U.s). P.M.U. groups that express support for Khomeini’s wilayat-al faqih and hold the closest ties to the Quds Force are led by commanders that worked with the Quds Force as fighters in the Islamic Resistance of the 1980s and 1990s. However, Iran’s extensive Shiite militia network does not extend to all P.M.U.s. Differences amongst P.M.U. groups will shape the future of Iraqi Shiite socio-political development as P.M.U. groups transition from active militia activity to participation in mass politics.
- Topic:
- Politics, Military Strategy, Armed Forces, and Islamic State
- Political Geography:
- Iraq, Iran, and Middle East
5. Al-Qaeda versus ISIS: Competing Jihadist Brands in the Middle East
- Author:
- Charles Lister
- Publication Date:
- 11-2017
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- The 2011 political unrest in the Middle East provided al-Qaeda and ISIS with an unprecedented opportunity for growth. While both groups share the goal of establishing an Islamic Caliphate, they approached the goal with different strategies and to differing degrees of success. Al-Qaeda responded to the instability by attempting to soften its image. The group specifically instructed its affiliates to situate themselves in local conflicts and to slow down the implementation of Sharia law. ISIS, on the other hand, focused on seizing territory and violently disrupting state-building efforts. By the close of 2017, al- Qaeda’s rebranding has successfully allowed the group to expand its footprint in a number of Middle Eastern civil wars at the cost of its central authority. ISIS, meanwhile, has lost most of its territory but retains the ideological strength to inspire attacks abroad.
- Topic:
- Counter-terrorism, Al Qaeda, Islamic State, Ideology, and Jihad
- Political Geography:
- Iraq, Middle East, and Syria
6. Wartime Economies in the Middle East A Look into Libya, Syria and Iraq
- Author:
- Tim Eaton, Lina Khatib, Renad Mansour, and Paul Salem
- Publication Date:
- 10-2017
- Content Type:
- Video
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- The Middle East Institute (MEI) hosted Chatham House experts Tim Eaton, Lina Khatib, and Renad Mansour for a discussion on the collapse of central authority and its economic impacts across states in the Middle East and North Africa. MEI senior vice president for policy analysis, research, and programs Paul Salem moderated. The panel explored the development of the war economies of Syria, Libya, and Iraq, examined the commonalities and differences in the three cases, and discussed the challenges of combating the economic power of armed insurgents.
- Topic:
- War, Non State Actors, Economy, and Conflict
- Political Geography:
- Iraq, Middle East, Libya, and Syria
7. Connecting Countries to Stabilize the Middle East
- Author:
- Heidi Larbi
- Publication Date:
- 06-2016
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- This Policy Paper is part of The Middle East Institute's Regional Cooperation Series. Throughout 2016, MEI will be releasing several policy papers by renowned scholars and experts exploring possibilities to foster regional cooperation across an array of sectors. The purpose is to highlight the myriad benefits and opportunities associated with regional cooperation, and the high costs of the continued business-as-usual model of competition and intense rivalry. Infrastructure serves as one of the key tools available to enhance regional cooperation and build toward an integrated Middle East. Under the reign of the Ottoman Empire, the Middle East and North Africa was an integrated web of railways, arterial and trading routes, much of which has disappeared over the last century. A region unaccustomed to division has since fragmented, with each state erecting numerous barriers that hinder integration—from trade tariffs to poor customs services. The economic potential and benefits for the region as a whole lies within deeper integration. This paper explores feasible possibilities for short-term and long-term infrastructure integration across several key sectors: energy, I.C.T., transport and facilitation.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Regional Cooperation, Infrastructure, and Political stability
- Political Geography:
- Iraq, Middle East, Yemen, and Syria
8. Toward a Regional Framework for the Middle East: Takeaways from other Regions
- Author:
- Ross Harrison
- Publication Date:
- 12-2016
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- This Policy Paper is part of the Middle East Institute's Regional Cooperation Series. Throughout 2016, MEI will be releasing several policy papers by renowned scholars and experts exploring possibilities to foster regional cooperation across an array of sectors. The purpose is to highlight the myriad benefits and opportunities associated with regional cooperation, and the high costs of the continued business-as-usual model of competition and intense rivalry. While the prospects for creating a regional architecture in the Middle East may seem grim currently, it is a crucial time to begin thinking about regionalization as a long-term project. The ongoing conflicts in the Middle East are likely to continue over the course of the coming decades, but it is possible that game-changing events could occur that create the political will necessary for adversaries like Saudi Arabia and Iran to cooperate. By looking at steps taken in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America, this paper analyzes the conditions conducive to creating a regional order and how they arise at critical moments in history. Getting regionalization right can help create a pathway toward a regional institutional architecture and will be fundamental to establishing stability in the region.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Regional Cooperation, Water, and State
- Political Geography:
- Iraq, Middle East, Libya, Yemen, and Syria
9. Iran’s Failed Foreign Policy: Dealing from a Position of Weakness
- Author:
- Thomas Juneau
- Publication Date:
- 05-2015
- Content Type:
- Special Report
- Institution:
- Middle East Institute (MEI)
- Abstract:
- In this MEI Policy Paper, Thomas Juneau examines Iran’s role in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and the Arab-Israeli conflict to explain why Iran is not a “rising regional hegemon” but rather a “mid-sized regional power frustrated at not reaching its ambitions.”
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Power Politics, Nuclear Power, and Geopolitics
- Political Geography:
- Iraq, Iran, Middle East, Israel, Yemen, Palestine, and Syria