Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Iran in Iraq by Michael Rubin

Recommendable! 

"... Iran-Iraq relations are complex. Both Iran and Iraq are majority Shi’ite, but ethnic and national rivalries sow deep divisions. During the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, the majority of Iraqi soldiers were Shi’ite but remained loyal to Iraq; Arab ethnicity and national pride trumped sectarian solidarity. ... Iraqis blame Iranian dumping of cheap manufactured goods for undercutting Iraq’s fragile manufacturing and agricultural sectors. ... In reality, most of the Iranian-backed and directed groups were founded years prior to the Islamic State crisis. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps founded the Badr Corps in 1982. Kata’ib Hezbollah has been active since October 2003. Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq was founded in July 2006, and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba was formed in 2013. These groups freely acknowledge both loyalty to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and receipt of Iranian assistance. ..."

Iran in Iraq | American Enterprise Institute - AEI

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