Iraq’s Presidential Vote Exposes KDP’s Shrinking Reach in Baghdad
On April 11, 2026, the Iraqi parliament elected Nizar Amedi, a PUK figure from Duhok, as the new president of…
Turkey, Syria, and Iraq edge toward a rail corridor that bypasses the KRG
On April 4, 2026, Turkish Transportation Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that Ankara will revive “the railway line from Nusaybin to…
Exposed and Disposable: Why Iranian Kurdish Groups May Be the War’s Biggest Losers
As the United States and Iran are reported to have reached a tentative two-week ceasefire, attention is already turning to…
Written by
Arivan
Has the Kurdish Moment in Iran Passed?
In the early days of the Iran war, there was serious discussion about deploying Iranian Kurdish armed groups as a ground force alongside the air campaign. That discussion coincided with…
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Written by
Arivan
Bombed by Both Sides, Iraq Faces a War That Could Unravel It From Within
The map of Iraq since February 28 shows three overlapping wartime geographies layered inside one state. Anti-PMF strikes have spread across Anbar, Nineveh, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din, Baghdad and Babil. Iranian…
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Written by
Arivan
Iraq’s Government Deadlock Has Produced Two Cross-Sectarian Camps Fighting Over One Session
Iraq’s parliament has scheduled a session on 11 April to elect a president, after a late-March signature drive claiming more than 220 MPs forced the question into the open. If…
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Written by
Arivan
Deterrence, Division, and Decay: How Iran Politically Contains Iranian Kurdish Armed Groups
Iran’s strategy toward Iranian Kurdish armed groups is not built around concessions. It is built around political deterrence, selective differentiation, and the exploitation of organizational weakness. This political layer sat…
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Written by
Arivan
The Logic Behind Iraq’s Militia Strike Campaign
Since 28 February 2026, US and Israeli airstrikes have hit positions belonging to at least fifteen PMF-affiliated militias across seven Iraqi governorates, from the Syrian border to the Nineveh Plain.…
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Written by
Arivan
Airstrikes Target Iraq’s Disputed Territories and Sunni Heartland, Not the Shia-Dominated South
From Jurf al-Sakhar and Baghdad to al-Qaim, Mosul, Kirkuk, and Tuz Khurmatu, the strike campaign has widened sharply since late February. But even as it has expanded, it still concentrates…
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