The Evolution of Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha’abi (Popular Mobilization Forces)

Abstract

Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) arose at a time when the federal government in Baghdad faced imminent existential threats during the rise of the Islamic State (IS) in 2014. The Shi’ militias within the PMF have capitalized on the population’s fear of the IS, the meltdown of Iraq’s military apparatus, and Baghdad’s incompetence to counter the IS. This chapter surveys the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq and its relation to Iran. The survey comes to the conclusion that: (1) A number of pro-Iran Shi’ militias have been deep-seated in Iraq for decades; however, the rise of the IS provided the opportunity for prominent Shi’ commanders, figures, and militias to shape Iraq’s security and military apparatus in a way that is molding Iraq’s polity and interfering in its policy-making process; (2) Pro-Iran militias have consolidated the militias’ presence in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere and, by their attitude and behavior, have extended Iran’s influence in the Gulf Region and the broader Middle East; (3) The chapter also reviews a number of less powerful Shi’ militias that adhere to Iraqi based religious and political actors.