THE POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION of MILITIAS and IMPACT on GOVERNANCE Iraq Governance and Performance Accountability (IGPA/Takamul) Project

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THE POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION of MILITIAS and IMPACT on GOVERNANCE Iraq Governance and Performance Accountability (IGPA/Takamul) Project CONFLICT SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY THE POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION OF MILITIAS AND IMPACT ON GOVERNANCE Iraq Governance and Performance Accountability (IGPA/Takamul) Project November 2019 This publication was produced by the Iraq Governance and Performance Accountability Project under Contract No. AID-267-H-17-00001 at the request of the United States Agency for International Development. This document is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the author or authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the U.S. Government. Program Title: Iraq Governance and Performance Accountability (IGPA/Takamul) Project Sponsoring USAID Office: USAID Iraq Contract Number: AID-267-H-17-00001 Contractor: DAI Global LLC Date of Publication: November 15, 2019 Author: IGPA/Takamul Team Photo Caption: PMFs/Hashed parade marking the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Baghdad, Iraq May 31, 2019 Source: Reuters/Thaier al-Sudani: https://en.tempo.co/photo/72802/iraqi-shiite- brigades-parade-on-al-quds-day#foto-6 IGPA/TAKAMUL CONFLICT SENSIVITY ANALYSIS AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY i CONTENTS DEFINITION AND ABBREVIATION 3 INTRODUCTION 6 PART 1: METHODOLOGY 7 Scope and Objectives 7 PART 2: FOUNDATIONAL ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK 8 DO-NO-HARM (DNH) PRINCIPLE .............................................................................................................. 8 ANBAR .................................................................................................................................................................. 9 Tribal Makeup and Location in Anbar 15 Mapping Out Current Political Context 18 BASRAH .............................................................................................................................................................. 22 Basrah Tribalism and Militias 24 Mapping Out Current Political Context 26 THE CRUX OF THE MILITIAS CONFLICT IN IRAQ ............................................................................ 28 Conflict Identification 31 FRAGILE STATE ................................................................................................................................................ 31 STATE BUILDING ............................................................................................................................................ 33 LEGITIMACY ..................................................................................................................................................... 34 SOVEREIGNTY ................................................................................................................................................. 36 RENTIER STATE ............................................................................................................................................... 37 POLITICAL MARKETPLACE ......................................................................................................................... 38 PART 3: THE POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE MILITIAS IN ANBAR 39 MILITIAS TYPES AND ACTIVITIES: ............................................................................................................ 39 PMFs/Hashed Militias 39 Tribal/Hashed Militias 41 DRIVERS OF CONFLICT: MILITIAS AND SERVICE DELIVERY ......................................................... 42 PART 4: THE POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE MILITIAS IN BASRAH 47 MILITIAS TYPES AND ACTIVITIES: ............................................................................................................ 47 PMFs/Hashed Militias 48 Tribal/Hashed Militias 51 DRIVERS OF CONFLICT: MILITIAS AND SERVICE DELIVERY ......................................................... 53 PART 5: CONCLUSION AND ANALYSIS 56 PART 6: IGPA/TAKAMUL CONFLICT SENSITIVITY STRATEGY 60 IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY .................................................................................................................. 60 ANCHORING CSA IN ACTIVITY DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION........................................... 62 Step 1: Clear Identfication of IGPA/Takamul 62 Step 2: Sustained Activation of Context monitoring 63 Step 3: Contextual Understanding on Provincial Level 63 Step 4: Recognition Guide of the Militias-Personnel Operating in government Institutions 64 Step 5: Identifying Activity Impact on Conflict 67 Step 6: Strategy for Activity Implementation 67 IGPA/TAKAMUL CONFLICT SENSIVITY ANALYSIS AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY 1 TABLES Table 1: Anbar administrative units ................................................................................................................. 10 Table 2: Anbar commissioners and mayors ................................................................................................... 11 Table 3: Tribal location, military capabilities, and affiliations ..................................................................... 16 Table 4: Anbar representation at the COR ................................................................................................... 21 Table 5: Basrah mayors and commissioners .................................................................................................. 23 Table 6: Basrah adminstrative units ................................................................................................................. 24 Table 7: The political make-up of Basrah PC ................................................................................................ 27 Table 8: The statebuilding approaches utilized ............................................................................................. 33 Table 9: Makeup and location of the pro-Iranian militias in Anbar .......................................................... 41 Table 10: Main tribal Hashed forces: Areas of operation and affiliations ................................................. 42 Table 11: Service delivery projects approved the Anbar 2019 budget ..................................................... 45 Table 12: Basrah MPs in the COR and their political affiliations ................................................................ 47 Table 13: The most powerful militias and their political affiliations in Basrah ......................................... 50 Table 14: Basrah tribes, locations, political, and militia affiliation ............................................................... 51 Table 15: Examples of key questions to support the integration of conflict sensitivity into M&E systems ................................................................................................................................................... 62 Table 16: Militias names at the Iraqi Army ....................................................................................................... 64 IGPA/TAKAMUL CONFLICT SENSIVITY ANALYSIS AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY 2 DEFINITION AND ABBREVIATION Conflict: Perceived divergence of interests among parties.1 Structural Conflict: Economic and political structures which contribute to injustice and/or the continuation of poverty. Symbolic violence built into a culture does not kill or maim like direct violence or the violence built into the structure. However, it is used to legitimize either or both.2 Conflict Assessment: A conflict assessment is an analytical process undertaken to identify and understand the dynamics of violence and instability. Conflict Management: Refers to a set of activities explicitly aim to address the causes and consequences of conflict, but they are often implemented within a traditional development sector, such as within programs that address democracy and governance, environment, or economic growth. Many of these activities also lay the groundwork for significant longer-term results, and work to build the underlying institutions and systems of resilience that provide alternatives to violence. For example, conflict management efforts might include improving the governance of high- value natural resources that are linked to existing political or armed conflict; employment programs designed to reduce the number of available recruits for militias; or post-conflict reconstruction efforts to restore livelihoods. Such activities can also operate as a stand-alone program within a development portfolio.3 Conflict Mitigation: Refers to a set of activities seek to reduce the threat or impact of violent conflict, religious and political extremism, and widespread instability. Such activities promote peaceful resolution of differences, mitigate violence if it has already broken out, or establish a framework for peace and reconciliation in an ongoing conflict. Many, but not all, mitigation activities phase out shortly after the instability, or conflict, has abated and stability is reestablished. Projects that strengthen conflict early warning or response, formal and informal peace process undertakings, and various types of reconciliation programs serve as examples of conflict mitigation activity.4 Conflict Prevention: Refers to a set of activities attempt to resolve incompatibilities between groups in conflict before outbreaks of violence. From a long-term structural perspective, conflict prevention activities at- tempt to address the root causes of conflict by ameliorating the deleterious impact of poverty, gender inequalities, or grievances related to access to natural resources. There
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