U.S. policy toward Iraq continues to rest on an assumption that no longer reflects reality: that Iraq functions as a coherent partner with centralized authority over its security institutions.

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What exists instead is a fragmented system in which formal state structures operate alongside powerful internal networks, including actors aligned with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Quds Force. These actors are not external to the Iraqi state. They are embedded within it, shaping decision-making, access, and operational outcomes from inside the system.

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This distinction is no longer academic. It is strategic.

Washington continues to engage Iraq through ministries, formal chains of command, and institutional frameworks designed for a unified state. But Iraq’s security architecture no longer operates that way. Authority is layered, overlapping, and often informal. Analysis from organizations such as the Center for Strategic and International Studies has repeatedly highlighted how Iraq’s security environment is defined........

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