Since the overthrow of the Ba’ath party regime in 2003, Iraq’s political landscape has been shaped by a volatile coalition of majority Shi’a elites and their shifting allies across the country’s ethnic and sectarian divides. These groups have positioned themselves tirelessly as the principal architects, guardians, and beneficiaries of the post-2003 state-building project. Through a series of calculated – and at times miscalculated – manoeuvres, these ideologically aligned forces have competed to capture lucrative state
resources while adhering to unwritten red lines designed to cement their institutional, political and economic gains. Notably, the establishment of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) after the 2014 Islamic State (IS) invasion exemplifies how these elites have adapted to cope with external threats while preserving the status quo. This book chapter demonstrates how the PMF has emerged as a crucial common denominator for Iraq’s ruling elites.