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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.
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Sources close to PMU reveal role of Badr, AAH and pro-Iranian groups in suppressing Iraqi protests
Excerpts from the testimony of ‘Mohammed,’ an individual close to the PMU October 27, 2019 Can you describe what is happening and the...
MECRA
Oct 29, 20194 min read
The US Syria withdrawal Oct 6-23: Documents, maps and confusion
By SETH J. FRANTZMAN On October 6, 2019 US President Donald Trump announced the US would withdraw from part of Syria, paving the way for...
MECRA
Oct 24, 20198 min read
PHOTO ESSAY: The refugees fleeing Turkey's offensive in Syria
A photo essay shows refugees who arrived after fleeing fighting and the Turkish offensive in Syria. They arrived to refugee camps in...
MECRA
Oct 19, 20191 min read
Reactions of Iraqi political leaders to protests
Four days of protests in Iraq, in which dozens had been killed by October 4 and thousands injured, have brought only limited reactions...
MECRA
Oct 4, 20194 min read
On the frontlines of the protests in Baghdad: "Friday we will see armed struggle"
What follows is an interview with a demonstrator who took part in the demonstrations in Baghdad on October 2 and 3. He spoke quickly and...
MECRA
Oct 3, 20196 min read
Egyptian Armed Forces Communications Agreement with the U.S. and Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge
Egypt and the US signed an important new encrypted communications agreement that has ramifications for defense policy and Egypt
MECRA
Oct 2, 20198 min read
"We are all al-Saadi": The controversy around Iraq's PM and the removal of CTS commander
A hashtag spreading on social media in support of CTS commander Lt. Gen. Abdul Wahab al-Saadi (عبد الوهاب الساعدي) is calling into...
MECRA
Sep 28, 20194 min read
Recent reports about the PMU's role in Iraq
Recent weeks have brought into the spotlight the role of the Hashd al-Sha'abi or Popular Mobilization Units in Iraq. This comes amid...
MECRA
Sep 10, 20194 min read
Media timeline II of PMU and alleged airstrikes, tensions
In July and August tensions rose with the Hashd al-Shaabi (PMU) in Iraq due to internal politics, such as controversies in Nineveh...
MECRA
Sep 10, 20194 min read
Analysis: The SDF's Deir Ezzor challenge
By WLADIMIR VAN WILGENBURG Text and photos by Wladimir Van Wilgenburg ISIS lost its final stronghold in Baghuz in the province of Deir...
MECRA
Aug 24, 20198 min read
Scorched Black Lands: Preliminary Review of Recent Developments in Southwestern Syria, August 2019
By STEPHANE COHEN By the end of July 2018, the rebel forces in southern Syria collapsed under the regime’s attacks and surrendered....
MECRA
Aug 24, 201911 min read
Timeline: Tracking reports of mysterious explosions and "airstrikes" in Iraq directed at PMU bases
Recent reports of explosions at bases of the Hashd al-Shaabi or Popular Mobilization Units in Iraq have led to claims that a foreign...
MECRA
Aug 21, 20197 min read
Tensions Follow Iraqi Government Decision to Withdraw the Hashd Al-Shaabi from the Nineveh Plain
MECRA's Iraq reporter recently carried out a reporting trip into the Nineveh (Ninawa) area, speaking to officials and commanders and...
MECRA
Aug 20, 201911 min read
An Iraqi-Kurdish MP discusses the importance of good relations with Baghdad
By LAURA KELLY Sarkawt Shamsulddin left the ’New Generation’ party to start the ‘Future Parliamentary Group,’ a rare voice in calling for...
MECRA
Aug 7, 20195 min read
In Northeast Syria, a mix of relief and concerns
By ADAM LUCENTE Raqqa, Syria — Two-lane roads through the vast Syrian desert connect Raqqa to government-held Aleppo, the Syrian...
MECRA
Aug 6, 20197 min read
Timeline leading up to, and after, Iranian-UK tanker incident July 10
An incident on July 10 involving five Iranian IRGC fast boasts, the UK oil tanker British Heritage and the HMS Montrose is stoking...
MECRA
Jul 11, 20192 min read
List of reported Houthi drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia (May-June 2019)
In May and June 2019, amid escalating tensions between the US and Iran, there was an uptick in drone and cruise missile attacks on Saudi...
MECRA
Jul 2, 20192 min read
Hizballah’s Deep State: the creeping annexation of Lebanese State Institutions and political life
By JONATHAN SPYER The concept of a ‘deep state’ is customarily used to describe a structure existing within and separate from the formal...
MECRA
Jun 29, 201916 min read
Protesters target Bahrain embassy in Baghdad
Protesters targeted the Bahrain embassy (السفارة البحرينية) in Baghdad on Thursday night in the wake of the US-backed conference in...
MECRA
Jun 27, 20192 min read
Iran proposes joint military exercises with Iraq and possible air defense cooperation
In the wake of Iran shooting down a US drone over the Gulf of Oman an Iranian military delegation visited Iraq on June 23-24 and met with...
MECRA
Jun 24, 20194 min read
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