Iran's military and political influence on Iraq: The Haider al-Abadi government (2014-2018)

This thesis examines Iran's military and political influence over Iraq, during the tenure of Haider Al-Abadi (2014-18), within the framework of its foreign policy shaped after the Islamic Revolution. It analyzes how and to what extent Iran utilized its military and political influence in Iraq during this period. Iran's influence policy aimed to fill the power vacuums in military and political spheres that emerged with the ISIS threat in 2014. Al-Abadi's rise to power with promises of reform and a vision to make Iraq more independent from external interventions posed a potential challenge to Iran's sphere of influence. However, these promises could not be fulfilled. On the contrary, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), established to combat ISIS and working concurrently with the IRGC, became a powerful tool that reinforced Iran's influence over Iraq. In this context, this thesis evaluates the effectiveness of the Iraqi Prime Minister in countering Iran's influence.