The Killing of Major General Qassem Soleimani | Initial Observations

Qassem Soleimani was the Al-Quds Force commander. The Al -Quds force is an elite unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRG). The IRG reports directly to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Soleimani was the mastermind, behind Iran's hegemonic vision in the Middle East. And he did so primarily by creating, supporting, and nurturing a network of militias - agents and proxies - throughout the Middle East including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Iraqi Shi’ite militias, Yemeni Houthi forces, Afghan and Pakistani Shi’ites militias, etc. Under Soleimani's command, Iran deepened its hold in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and the Gaza Strip.

Zoom-In on the Middle East | December 15, 2019

The Middle East is a chain of links. Everything is connected. Understanding the links is critical to developing an accurate picture of reality. I wanted to take the opportunity to provide a contextualized snapshot of the region along with my predictions of what we can expect in the short term. I hope you find this brief overview helpful.

I am frequently asked, in the face of the regional challenges, what should the US Middle East policy be? In October 2019, in an article entitled: Part 3 | Alarms on Lebanese-Israeli Border: Preemptive Actions to Prevent a Wide-Scale War in The Middle East, I published my US policy recommendations. I stand by those recommendations today.

Beyond Despair: Protests in Iraq – October 2019 Immediate Observations

Over the past week, mass protests and riots have spread throughout Iraq's major cities.

Reportedly, more than 100 protestors have been killed, and more than 6,000 have been injured.  This is not the first time such protests have broken out in Iraq – particularly in Baghdad and southern Iraq. And like before, most of the protesters are Shi'ites.

However, there are two main differences between past protests and the current wave:

Belly Dancing in Baghdad

On July 2, 2019, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abd al-Mahdi, issued Decree 237. making  the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) known as Al-Hashd al-Sha'abi, part of the Iraqi army. Going forward they will be subject to Iraqi army orders and regulations and be under the command and control of the Army's Supreme Commander – the Iraqi Prime Minister. Accordingly, the PMU units will have formal Iraqi military titles (Brigade, Battalion, Division, etc.) and PMU personnel will have Iraqi military ranks.