Iraq’s Recent Elections Bode Ill for Israel and America

Last month, Iraq held nationwide parliamentary elections, which will have important consequences for the entire Middle East. Iran operates an extensive and lethal network of militias in Iraq, which fought a vicious campaign against U.S. forces and Sunni Iraqis in the 2000s, and later brutally repressed dissent against Iranian influence and the undermining of democracy. Now known as the “Popular Mobilization Forces,” these paramilitaries have been increasingly integrated into the Iraqi state itself, and have their own political parties.