Achilles’ Heel of Hashd al-Shabi: Ambitions and Weaknesses of Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq

Abstract

This article examines the Iraqi pro-Iran Shia militia group Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH), focusing on its growing assertiveness vis-à-vis its partner militias from the Hashd al-Shabi umbrella group. Through the lens of the ‘Networks of Rebellion’ theory by Paul Staniland, modified to the Iraqi Shia militias’ context by Renad Mansour, the article shows specificities of AAH’s ideological leaning vis-à-vis its partner militias. Among these are the combination of firm pro-Iran stance, typical for Hashd militias, combined with Iraqi nationalist roots, beginning with the seminars that AAH’s leader Qais al-Khazali attended under the patronage of the founder of the modern Sadrist movement. Influenced by its roots and current lack of lucrative high-ranking positions within Hashd, AAH keeps conflicting with other pro-Iran militias, the whole organization failing to display the coherence of its maternal Iranian Revolutionary Guards, regardless of their mutual resemblance. The article concludes with implications these intra-Hashd quarrels present for Western policy makers, especially given the currently weakened Iranian position in the region compared to its increasingly tighter grip on Iraq.