Protectors of the state? The Popular Mobilisation Forces during the 2022 post-election crisis

Foltyn, Simona (2023) Protectors of the state? The Popular Mobilisation Forces during the 2022 post-election crisis. LSE Middle East Centre paper series (65). Middle East Centre, LSE, London, UK.

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Abstract

The Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) is a grouping of Shiʿa-led paramilitaries in Iraq, formed in 2014 with Iranian support to fight the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The PMF officially reports to Iraq’s prime minister and has undergone a gradual process of institutionalisation which has been subject to much debate and criticism. Although officially a state force, the PMF is frequently criticised for acting outside the chain of command to protect its ideological and political interests. This paper examines the PMF’s role during the 2022 post-election crisis, with an aim to shed light on its level of institutionalisation six years after its foundation. The paper focuses on armed clashes that took place inside Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone on 29–30 August 2022 between the PMF and rival forces led by Shiʿa cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

Item Type:	Monograph (Working Paper)
Official URL:	http://www.lse.ac.uk/middleEastCentre/home.aspx
Additional Information:	© 2023 The Author
Divisions:	Middle East Centre
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform J Political Science > JQ Political institutions Asia, Africa, Australia, Pacific
Date Deposited:	31 Mar 2023 12:45
Last Modified:	14 Sep 2024 04:24
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/118572

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