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The Next Pressure Front: Iraqi Militias, Critical Infrastructure and the Struggle for State Authority

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 Iran-aligned militias could use Iraq’s airports and critical infrastructure as leverage, testing Baghdad’s sovereignty after the US withdrawal. Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj  Iraq is entering a potentially dangerous phase in which the struggle between the state and Iran-aligned armed groups is moving beyond the question of weapons and military bases toward the country's critical infrastructure and transportation networks. The Iraqi government's decision to suspend flights operated by Iranian airlines has created a new point of confrontation between Baghdad and powerful factions that oppose restrictions on Iraq's relationship with Tehran. At the same time, assessments that Iran-backed militias could target electricity infrastructure, oil-export routes and Baghdad International Airport point toward a broader strategy of coercion: rather than directly challenging the Iraqi government militarily, armed groups could seek to impose economic and political costs that make state policy increa...
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Iran's rapid military reconstruction raises new questions about U.S. and Israeli strike effectiveness

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  By Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj | Kurdish Policy Analysis Satellite imagery suggests Tehran is rapidly restoring missile bases, military infrastructure, and industrial facilities, raising new questions about the long-term effectiveness of U.S. and Israeli strikes. Iran's Rapid Military Reconstruction Raises New Questions About U.S. and Israeli Strike Effectiveness Satellite imagery suggests Iran is rapidly rebuilding missile bases, ports, and military infrastructure, challenging claims that U.S. and Israeli strikes achieved lasting strategic damage. Despite repeated assertions by Washington and Tel Aviv that recent military operations had severely degraded Iran's military infrastructure, new satellite imagery and assessments from Western intelligence officials indicate that Tehran is rebuilding critical facilities far faster than many analysts anticipated. The reconstruction effort has surprised military planners in both the United States and Israel, fueling concerns that airpower al...
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Uganda Army Chief Boasts One Brigade Could Take Tehran in Two Weeks

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       “Uganda vs Iran: The Boldest ‘Trust Me Bro’ in Military History” Uganda's top general, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of President Museveni, threw down a bold challenge amid the Israel-Iran showdown. He claimed a single brigade from the Uganda People's Defence Forces could seize Iran's capital in no more than two weeks, dismissing the need for a full division. The outspoken commander has been vocal in backing Israel, warning that any serious talk of destroying the Jewish state would pull Uganda into the fight on its side. He urged an end to the conflict but made clear where his loyalties lie if things escalate. Reality check: Uganda ranks 107th out of 145 countries in global military power assessments. Its forces are better suited for regional operations than projecting across continents against a battle-hardened Iran with missiles, drones, and entrenched defenses. Social media erupted in mockery, with memes and skepticism pouring in. One comment wrote "From Kampala...
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From Erbil to the World: What Rudaw’s Guinness Record Says About Kurdish Soft Power

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Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj A Kurdish media organization has just produced a digital result that deserves to be understood as more than a communications milestone. On September 14, 2026, Rudaw Media Network announced that its digital platform had entered Guinness World Records after a Rudaw fact-checking video generated 284,007,601 views on Facebook within a 24-hour period. According to Rudaw, the video , published on July 24, 2026, became the most-viewed Facebook video within a 24-hour window globally and subsequently ranked among Facebook's most-watched videos overall. Rudaw has described the achievement as a milestone for Kurdish digital media and as evidence that professional journalism produced in the Kurdistan Region can reach audiences far beyond its immediate geographical constituency. The significance of the achievement, however, is not adequately captured by the number 284 million. In geopolitical terms, the more important question is what happens when an institution based in E...
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The Gulf’s strategic chokepoint crisis | Kurdish Policy Analysis

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  Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Iran face a widening struggle over pipelines, Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, reshaping Gulf geopolitics and energy security. The Middle East is entering a more dangerous phase of the Iran–Gulf confrontation in which the central strategic issue is no longer simply the exchange of missiles and drones, but the control of the region’s energy and maritime arteries . In the space of days, Saudi Arabia has faced attacks launched from Iraqi territory against its East-West oil pipeline, Qatar has publicly backed Riyadh’s restraint, Iran and the Gulf states are preparing another diplomatic effort in Oman, and Iran-aligned Houthi forces have seized strategically important territory around the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Taken together, these developments reveal an emerging regional contest over whether energy can continue to move through the Gulf and Red Sea despite the wider war. The most consequential development for Iraq and the Gulf is the reported drone a...
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Iraq’s Minorities Are Not Just a Humanitarian Issue — They Are a Test of the State

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Dr. Pshtiwan Faraj Iraq’s minority question is often presented primarily as a humanitarian concern: communities displaced by war, religious sites destroyed, families unable to return home and survivors requiring assistance. That framing is understandable, but it is incomplete. Iraq’s experience since 2003 demonstrates that the survival of minority communities is inseparable from the country’s unresolved problems of governance, political representation, territorial competition and fragmented security. The central problem is therefore not simply that Iraq’s minorities have suffered repeated waves of violence. It is that the Iraqi state has repeatedly struggled to create political and security arrangements capable of protecting communities whose territories sit at the intersection of competing national, sectarian and geopolitical interests. The consequences are particularly visible in Nineveh, Sinjar and the wider disputed territories, where Baghdad, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG...
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