MECRA
Mapping the US retaliation for the Camp Taji attack March 11-13
March 11 7:35pm (Baghdad time): Rockets strike Camp Taji, Iraq. 8:26pm (Baghdad time) Iraqi security forces release images of the truck...
top of page
MECRA RESEARCH BLOG
The MECRA research blog is composed of short articles and may include outside contributions. The views expressed in these blogs and articles are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis editorial stance.
Search
MECRA
- Mar 12, 2020
- 13 min
US-Iran and Iran-Israel tensions daily updates March 12 and beyond
Coronavirus threatens the Middle East
MECRA
- Mar 11, 2020
- 5 min
An attack on US-led Coalition at Camp Taji, March 11, 2020: Escalation and questions of deterrence
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN A rocket attack on Camp Taji Iraq on march 11 has killed Americans and has led to tensions in Iraq. CENTCOM says...
MECRA
- Mar 10, 2020
- 5 min
Shamkhani's Iraq visit: Shoring up Tehran's role
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Iran's Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani (علی شمخانی) made a high...
MECRA
- Mar 6, 2020
- 16 min
US-Iran and Israel-Iran tensions timeline 2020 January to March
This timeline is the second part of a timeline that goes back to 2017, see the first part here. It seeks to include details about rising...
MECRA
- Mar 4, 2020
- 9 min
On the eve of another Prime Minister, Iraqis discuss their experience in protests
Interviews What follows are three interviews conducted in the streets of southern Iraq during the period leading up to the failure of...
MECRA
- Feb 21, 2020
- 3 min
Who is Abu Fadak, Abdul-Aziz al-Muhammadawi, the man who will replace Muhandis?
On February 21 reports indicated that Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was killed in a US airstrike on January 3, would finally be replaced in...
MECRA
- Feb 16, 2020
- 6 min
Escalation: Nujaba's Kaabi and the February 16 rocket attack on US forces in Iraq
A rocket attack directed at a Coalition base near the US embassy on the night of February 15-16 raises concerns about recent threats to...
MECRA
- Feb 10, 2020
- 4 min
Iraq's protesters: "No one cares about us but we continue our revolution"
Iraq’s protests: “No one cares about us, but we will not stop our revolution” What follows is an interview with a protester in Iraq...
MECRA
- Feb 7, 2020
- 12 min
From Badr to Sadr: Iraq's crucial moment January 27 to February 7
From Badr to Sadr: Iraqi protests January 27 to February 7 By MECRA STAFF The period of review from January 27 to February 7 may be a...
MECRA
- Feb 1, 2020
- 5 min
Who is Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, Iraq's possible next Prime Minister
Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi may be Iraq's next Prime Minister. His selection by President Barham Salih comes just over two months since Prime...
MECRA
- Jan 24, 2020
- 3 min
January 24: Photos and commentary from Iraq's "Million person protest"
Photos by KAREEM BOTANE Photos by KAREEM BOTANE text by MECRA Protesters gathered in Baghdad on January 24 for what Muqtada al-Sadr and...
MECRA
- Jan 24, 2020
- 3 min
Iraq's iconic four-months of protests continue: Week 17 interviews with participants
Exclusive interview with the coordinator of logistics for the demonstrations: Discussion about the militia interventions at Tahrir square...
MECRA
- Jan 6, 2020
- 8 min
An interview with a senior officer of a special unit of Hashd al Shaabi (PMU)
This interview was conducted on January 3 in Baghdad, Iraq in the wake of the US srike that killed Qasim Solaimani and Abu Mahdi...
MECRA
- Jan 5, 2020
- 5 min
Analysis: Implications of the Soleimani killing
By ALEX GRINBERG The liquidation of the Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani is an achievement for the US, yet it is not a game changer....
MECRA
- Dec 28, 2019
- 7 min
What is known about rocket attack that killed a US contractor and wounded several US forces in Iraq
On Friday a salvo of rockets struck the K-1military base northwest of Kirkuk. It is the most significant of more than a dozen similar...
MECRA
- Dec 27, 2019
- 3 min
An interview with a member of the pro-Iran Khorasani militia, captured by protestors in Baghdad
The following interview was conducted with a member of the Khorasani militia, a pro-Iranian militia in Iraq, which forms part of the...
MECRA
- Dec 11, 2019
- 5 min
A defector from the Badr Organization in Iraq details its operations and his story
Through an interview we obtained exclusive information about the Badr Organization from an insider who played a role in one of its...
MECRA
- Dec 7, 2019
- 7 min
Who is Qais al-Khazali, the Iraqi militia leader sanctioned by the US on December 6?
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN Qais al-Khazali (قيس الخزعلي) was targeted by US sanctions on December 6, 2019. "The U.S. Department of the...
MECRA
- Dec 4, 2019
- 8 min
Keeping ISIS defeated in Syria and Iraq, an interview with Coalition spokesman Caggins
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN On November 17 I spoke to Col. Myles B. Caggins III, spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, the 81-member...
bottom of page