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On August 19, in Granada, the Spanish police detained the author Dogan Akhanli, a German citizen of Turkish origin, because the international police organization Interpol had issued a red notice for a worldwide search. The German government reacted swiftly and clarified to the Spanish government…

ISIL’s advance on Kirkuk created opportunities for Kurdish forces to tighten control over oil resources and Kirkuk city in this most coveted part of the Disputed Territories; however, a strong (for now officially accepted) PMF presence in the south, anchored with local Turkmen PMF forces, threatens…

Local, Sunni tribal forces have been key to recapturing and holding ISIL-held areas. However, different mobilization and control patterns in Ninewa and Salah ad-Din have created different forms of Sunni forces, and may determine how much these Sunni forces contribute to stability or tension in the…

Shi’a PMF and local tribal Sunni Arab hashd hold off ISIL on the frontline in Dour, but their strong presence, and periodic outbreaks of violence and looting challenge ISF’s ability to maintain rule of law in Salah ad-Din’s capital area.…

Autoritäre Regierungen nutzen die Roteckfahndung von Interpol für grenzenlose politische Verfolgung. Das Problem ist bekannt – die kurzfristige Festnahme des deutschen, türkischstämmigen Schriftstellers Dogan Akhanli im spanischen Granada ist leider nicht der erste Fall, nur das jüngste Beispiel für…

Although Iraq now appears awash in pro-government militias, the majority of the sub-state or non-state groups that exist today are a relatively recent phenomenon. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Saddam Hussein’s strong security apparatus dominated the security landscape. Except for a few notable…

Shi’a Arab PMF from the south have been the main forces present around this ISIL-held area, but if they retake this mixed Sunni-Shi’a Turkmen city, it may spark sectarian and regional conflict.…

Only fully liberated in July 2017, half of the city is severely damaged while weak rule of law allows ample opportunities for a range of armed actors to intervene in Iraq’s second largest city.…

Letzte Woche nominierte der russische Premier Medvedev Altbundeskanzler Gerhard Schröder für einen Posten als “unabhängiges Mitglied” im Aufsichtsrat von Rosneft, dem größten und staatlich kontrollierten russischen Ölkonzern. Es ist der bislang spektakulärste Fall des Anheuerns eines westlichen Ex-…

Last week’s nomination of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder to the board of Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil company, is the most spectacular example to date of a Western politician selling out to an authoritarian government. Though the move is unlikely to change Berlin’s stance toward Russia,…

This backgrounder is part of a larger study on the role and impact of Local, Hybrid or Sub-state Security Forces (LHSFs) in Iraq. The research surveyed the role played by different local or sub-state groups across three governorates, Ninewa, Salah ad-Din, and Kirkuk, and the impact for local…

Shi’a PMF and local tribal Sunni Arab hashd hold off ISIL on the frontline in Daur, but their strong presence, and periodic outbreaks of violence and looting challenge ISF’s ability to maintain rule of law in Salah ad-Din’s capital area.…

A focal point of Kurdish claims within Iraq’s Disputed Territories, Zummar is now under the firm control of Kurdish forces, with local Arab and Kurdish tribal forces providing additional security support to Kurdish forces; return of Arabs to Zummar has been fraught with controversy.…

Wehrmachtsdevotionalien, entwürdigende Ausbildungspraktiken, sexuelle Belästigung, Demütigungen und der Fall um Franco A – 2017 häufen sich die Vorwürfe gegenüber der Bundeswehr. Das Verteidigungsministerium zieht die personellen und organisatorischen Konsequenzen: Generale werden entlassen, der…

This literature review is part of a larger study on local, hybrid, and sub-state security forces in Iraq (LHSFs). Please see the main page for more further reports and research summaries about individual field research sites. Regional or community forces, militias, and other forms of local security…

Local Christian and Shabak forces vie to police this decimated ghost town and surrounding Christian areas, a part of the larger Baghdad versus Kurdish competition and demographic reshaping of the Ninewa Plains.…

A test of the Disputed Territories boundary line, this predominantly Sunni Arab area in Tal Afar district has flipped to Kurdish control after ISIL’s ouster, and local tribal forces have formed units under KDP Peshmerga.…

US-supported and -trained Sunni tribal PMF have played a larger role in this relatively stable Sunni area south of Mosul, but tribal revenge attacks, Shi’a PMF on the outskirts, and a recent ISIL takeover of a liberated town illustrate the uneven control and stability even in safe and politically…

Für ein Vierteljahrhundert nach dem Fall der Berliner Mauer sahen sich Deutschland und Europa als Hort der liberalen Demokratie, die auch global auf dem Siegeszug war. Autoritäre Regierungsmodelle würden sich bald auf dem Müllhaufen der Geschichte wiederfinden. Dabei sollte westliche…