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Iraq

Resistance and Information Warfare in Mosul and Raqqa: In Darkness, Light
RUSI Journal, 22 December 2020
Mike Stevens
Information warfare against the Islamic State made extensive use of two-way communication channels between those inside and outside the occupied cities.
Tags: Iraq, Information
Key Middle East Influencers on US Iran Policy and the Implications for the UK
Commentary, 16 December 2020
Sanam Vakil
Israel, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iraq will be looking to influence the Biden administration’s Iran policy. Maintaining access to and engagement with these influencers will be important for the UK’s regional ties.
Tags: Iran's Nuclear Programme, Iranian Nuclear Pathways, United States, Iran, Iraq, UK, Israel
Dealing with Returning Islamic State Fighters
RUSI Newsbrief, 17 July 2020
Sabin Khan
We should take collective global action to hold foreign terrorist fighters to account, prevent impunity, and reverse the growth and influence of global jihadism.
Tags: UK Counter-terrorism, Tackling Extremism, Iraq, Syria, UK, Domestic Security
Private Military and Security Companies: Views from the UK and Russia on Regulation and Accountability
Commentary, 22 April 2020
Alexander Nikitin and Fletch Williams
Russian and UK-based specialists look at how a thriving but often troubling business sector could be better regulated.
Tags: Armed Forces, UK Integrated Review 2021, United Nations, United States, Iraq, Russia, UK, Law and Ethics
Europe and the Coronavirus Pandemic in the Middle East
Commentary, 6 April 2020
Tobias Borck
The pandemic preoccupies Europe. But the continent should not lose sight of potential new crises in the Middle East.
Tags: Egypt, Iran, The Gulf Region, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Israel, Middle East and North Africa
Soleimani’s Killing: The Regional Ripple Effects are Yet to Come
Commentary, 20 January 2020
Jessica White
While the initial furore seems to have abated after the US killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, the ripple effects will continue to spread across the region.
Tags: Terrorism and Conflict, Iran, Iraq, Counterinsurgency, Middle East and North AfricaPages

Key Middle East Influencers on US Iran Policy and the Implications for the UK
Commentary, 16 December 2020Sanam Vakil
Israel, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Iraq will be looking to influence the Biden administration’s Iran policy. Maintaining access to and engagement with these influencers will be important for the UK’s regional ties.
Iran's Nuclear Programme, Iranian Nuclear Pathways, United States, Iran, Iraq, UK, Israel
Private Military and Security Companies: Views from the UK and Russia on Regulation and Accountability
Commentary, 22 April 2020Alexander Nikitin and Fletch Williams
Russian and UK-based specialists look at how a thriving but often troubling business sector could be better regulated.
Armed Forces, UK Integrated Review 2021, United Nations, United States, Iraq, Russia, UK, Law and Ethics
Europe and the Coronavirus Pandemic in the Middle East
Commentary, 6 April 2020Tobias Borck
The pandemic preoccupies Europe. But the continent should not lose sight of potential new crises in the Middle East.
Egypt, Iran, The Gulf Region, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Israel, Middle East and North Africa
Soleimani’s Killing: The Regional Ripple Effects are Yet to Come
Commentary, 20 January 2020Jessica White
While the initial furore seems to have abated after the US killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, the ripple effects will continue to spread across the region.
Terrorism and Conflict, Iran, Iraq, Counterinsurgency, Middle East and North Africa
Judge the Iraqi Government by its Achievements
Commentary, 5 October 2018Jack Watling
Iraq’s post-electoral stalemate is over. But the hard work is just about to begin.
International Security Studies, Military Sciences, Iraq, Global Security IssuesPages

Psychological Occupation and Resistance in Mosul
Multimedia, 6 April 2018Mike Stevens on a new study published by RUSI that tells the extraordinary story of how resistance activists and fighters in Mosul ‘punctured Daesh’s image of invincibility’ leading to the city’s...
Tags: Iraq, Middle East and North Africa
ISIS Faces Endgame in Mosul - Karin von Hippel
Multimedia, 29 June 2017
The 2016 Battle of Fallujah
Multimedia, 3 June 2016RUSI Research Fellow Michael Stephens gives his assessment on the Iraqi government's push to retake the strategically important city of Fallujah from Daesh militants.
Tags: RUSI International, Iraq, Middle East and North Africa
Resistance and Information Warfare in Mosul and Raqqa: In Darkness, Light
RUSI Journal, 22 December 2020Mike Stevens
Information warfare against the Islamic State made extensive use of two-way communication channels between those inside and outside the occupied cities.
RUSI Journal, Iraq, Information
Dealing with Returning Islamic State Fighters
RUSI Newsbrief, 17 July 2020Sabin Khan
We should take collective global action to hold foreign terrorist fighters to account, prevent impunity, and reverse the growth and influence of global jihadism.
UK Counter-terrorism, RUSI Newsbrief, Tackling Extremism, Iraq, Syria, UK, Domestic Security
Russia’s Outreach to Iraqi Kurdistan: A Gambit for Energy Investments and Regional Status
RUSI Newsbrief, 16 January 2020Samuel Ramani
As Russia’s resurgence in the Middle East continues and Moscow hones its position as a regional diplomatic arbiter, Russia’s partnership with the Kurdistan Regional Government will likely continue to...
RUSI Newsbrief, Iraq, Russia, Global Security Issues
No Exit: Outside the Camp, Daesh Incidents are on the Rise. Inside, Tempers are Seething.
RUSI Journal, 18 December 2019Susan Schulman
A photo essay on northern Iraq sheds light on the situation in camps for displaced persons.
RUSI Journal, Iraq, Middle East and North Africa
The US–Turkey Strategic Stalemate
RUSI Newsbrief, 13 June 2019Michael Stephens
Despite Daesh’s military defeat there remains a significant clash between the US and Turkey about Kurdish-controlled areas in Syria. Should Washington continue to support the Kurds?
Turkey, United States, RUSI Newsbrief, Iraq, Syria, Counterinsurgency, Global Security IssuesPages

Learning to Fight Daesh
Events, 11 March 2019A lecture by Lieutenant General Jameel Kamil Al Shimary, President of Iraq’s Defence University for Military Studies.
Iraq, Middle East and North Africa
Iraq, Iran and the US: Economic trends in the wake of sanctions
Events, 31 October 2018In association with the Iraq Britain Business Council, RUSI will host a panel discussion on the future of Iraq, its economic and political stability.
RUSI International, Iran, Iraq, Middle East and North Africa
The Iraq Election Results: What next for Iraq’s political stability?
Events, 16 May 2018This panel event, in partnership with the Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC) assessed the Iraqi election result, the early indications of any political realignment and possible impacts on the...
RUSI International, Iraq, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
A Conversation with Jaffar Hagi, Deputy Speaker of Kurdistan Parliament–Iraq
Events, 15 March 2018Since the referendum on Kurdish independence in September 2017 and the subsequent loss of territory to the Federal Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq has been placed in a...
RUSI International, Iraq, Global Security Issues, Middle East and North Africa
A Conversation with Dr Ibrahim al Jaafari, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Iraq
Events, 14 September 2016A briefing by Iraq’s Foreign Minister and Former Prime Minister, Dr Ibrahim al Jaafari.
International Security Studies, Iraq, Middle East and North AfricaPages

"'If Iran is indeed behind these attacks, it would demonstrate that the country's key decision makers feel the risk of military escalation is one worth taking.'"
Why might Iran be behind the tanker attacks?
In The News, 14 June 2019 Tags: Iraq, Middle East and North Africa
"“It’s not surprising that we’ve seen groups like this break away. There have been arrests and infighting inside the Badr organisation over the past few months," Mr Watling told The National. "
Iraq: powerful Shiite party faces splinter group
In The News, 4 March 2019 Tags: Military Sciences, Iraq, Middle East and North Africa
"[From 02:39:20 onward] They have gone underground, there are estimates that there are 10,000 ISIL fighters in Iraq and Syria. Some are foreign, some are local. There will be challenges in Iraq and Syria, of what to do with those detained, because neither country is obviously capable of managing such large loads. There are numerous internally displaced people, in Iraq it's 1,800,000 and and many of them are perceived to have links to ISIL and are not welcomed back to their community. So there are going to be enormous challenges. "
Today Programme 15/02/18
In The News, 15 February 2019 Tags: Iraq, Syria, Middle East and North Africa
"At the moment ISIS has not yet been defeated, militarily yes, things are looking good, but stabilisation operations will be going on for years to come. "
Pulling US troops from Syria is conditional, says Bolton
In The News, 7 January 2019 Tags: Leadership Centre, Iraq, Syria, The War on Terror, Terrorism, Middle East and North Africa
"“The lesson in operations in the Middle East has been that body armor saves lives, so the default is to put it all on,” says Jack Watling of UK defense think tank RUSI. "
The Overloaded Soldier: Why U.S. Infantry Now Carry More Weight Than Ever
In The News, 26 December 2018 Tags: Military Sciences, Iraq, Middle East and North Africa
International Women’s Day: The Tasks Ahead
Diversity in the UK's Intelligence Agencies
Financing Right-Wing Extremism and Terrorism