Veteran war correspondent Elijah Magnier returns to the show to discuss his latest article, “Iran is Losing Influence in Iraq: Is Qassem Soleimani the Right Person?” Magnier breaks down the degree to which Iraq and Iran see eye to eye about policy, the political climate in the lead up to elections in Iraq, and explains how it came to be that the Iraqis rejected the aid of their long-term ally Soleimani. Magnier then returns to the Sunni insurgency in Iraq over a decade ago and describes the intricate web of support for the Sunni insurgents, including from their historical Shia enemies. From there Magnier turns to Muqtada al-Sadr and details his rise to power and fame in the fight against the United States. Finally Magnier discusses the recent Turkish offensive in Syrian Kurdistan and explains why he thinks the Turkish are in a very precarious position.

Elijah Magnier is the chief international correspondent at Al Rai and a political and terrorism/counterterrorism analyst. Find all his work at elijahjm.wordpress.com and follow him on Twitter @ejmalrai.

Discussed on the show:

• Qasem Soleimani
• Islamic Dawa Party
• Haider al-Abadi
• Nouri al-Maliki
• Popular Mobilization Units (PMU)
• Muqtada al-Sadr
• Ali al-Sistani
• “How much will $15 billion IMF loan really cost Iraq?” (Al-Monitor)
• Afrin, Syria
• Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash, The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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