There are clear risks that Iraq’s political transition could be caught in the crossfires between the US and Israel’s raging war with regional heavyweight Iran. This is the stark reality on the ground, as Washington on Wednesday ended the 12-year mission—Operation Inherent Resolve—to wipe out the jihadist Islamic State from Iraq. This scenario is not very unlike what followed the US 2011 withdrawal as an occupation force after George W. Bush and the UK’s Tony Blair waged a brutal, illegal, and ignominious war in 2003 to depose Sadam Hussein.

Militias Gain Confidence Amid Tensions

Tehran-backed Shiite Muslim militias—originally established to resist American occupation forces well over a decade ago—are already feeling emboldened under the emerging regional configuration. They........

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