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52-675: The organization was formed in Iran in 1982 as the military wing of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq . It was based in Iran for two decades during the rule of Saddam Hussein and led by Iranian officers. It consisted of several thousand Iraqi exiles, refugees, and Iraqi Army defectors who fought alongside Iranian troops in the Iran–Iraq War . The group was armed and directed by Iran. They briefly returned to Iraq in 1991 during

104-761: A 2005 report by journalist Doug Ireland, the Badr Organization has been involved in many incidents of attacking and killing gays in Iraq. According to the British television Channel 4, from 2005 through early 2006, SIIC's Badr Organization members working as commandos in the Ministry of the Interior (which Badr controls) "have been implicated in rounding up and killing thousands of ordinary Sunni civilians." Ideologically SIIC differs from Muqtada al-Sadr and its sometime ally Islamic Dawa Party , in favoring

156-660: A 2006 report by the Independent newspaper: 'Mr Pace said the Ministry of the Interior was "acting as a rogue element within the government". It is controlled by the main Shia party, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Sciri); the Interior Minister, Bayan Jabr, is a former leader of Sciri's Badr Brigade militia, which is one of the main groups accused of carrying out sectarian killings. Another

208-606: A civil-law foundation, SWP receives institutional funding at a rate determined by the Bundestag. This grant is approved annually on production of a budget by SWP, is paid from the Chancellery budget and covers all costs generated by SWP's core activity. SWP also conducts special research projects that receive third-party funding. In the financial year 2016, the SWP was federally funded to the tune of 12.3 million euros . This support

260-490: A contribution that is commensurate with its weight." The paper attracted much attention and is said to have exerted substantial influence on prominent members of the German government. Peace activists, however, were sharply critical. During the presentation of the new White Book by Federal Defence Minister von der Leyen , Volker Perthes emphasised that Germany was "a responsible middle power" and needed to "safeguard and transmit

312-585: A decentralized Iraq state with an autonomous Shia zone in the south. During the 2009 Iraqi governorate elections ISCI ran under the name al-Mehrab Martyr List , the ISCI did not perform as well as they hoped to, winning 6.6% of vote and 52 out of 440 seats. They did however come second in the election. In a BBC interview in London, Ghazi al-Yawar the Sunni Arab sheik, cited reports that Iran sent close to

364-451: A foundation. SWP was set up in 1962 in Munich . On 21 January 1965, the Bundestag unanimously decided that the German government would become a member of the foundation. In 2001 the headquarters of the foundation and its research institute moved from Ebenhausen near Munich to Berlin. Since then it has been housed in a listed building on Ludwigkirchplatz. To help it carry out its role as

416-579: A house that previously belonged to Ba'athist Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz . Its leader, Ayatollah al-Hakim, was killed in a car bomb attack in the Iraqi city of Najaf on August 29, 2003. The car bomb exploded as the ayatollah was leaving a religious shrine ( Imam Ali Mosque ) in the city, just after Friday prayers , killing more than 85. According to Kurdish Intelligence officials, Yassin Jarad, allegedly Abu Musab al-Zarqawi 's father-in-law, carried out

468-402: A million people to Iraq and covertly supplied Shia religious groups with money to help compete in the elections. But U.S. and Iraqi officials say that many of the migrants crossing the largely unmonitored border are Iraqi Shia families who fled Saddam Hussein's repression, particularly after the failed Shia uprising that followed the 1991 Gulf war. The Council was formerly known as SCIRI, but in

520-583: A new militia called the Knights of Hope  [ ar ] . Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution of Iraq was founded in Iran in 1982 during the Iran–Iraq War after the leading Islamist insurgent group, Islamic Dawa Party , was severely weakened by an Iraqi government crackdown following Dawa's unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Iraqi president Saddam Hussein . SCIRI was the umbrella body for two Iran-based Shia Islamist groups, Dawa and

572-647: A statement released May 11, 2007 SCIRI officials told Reuters the Islamist party would change its name to reflect what they called the changing situation in Iraq, removing the word "Revolution" because that was seen as a reference to overthrowing the Ba'athist government. "Our name will change to the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council. Other things will change as well," said the SCIRI official. Expressing

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624-689: Is "to exert the greatest possible influence on the central government in Baghdad and at the same time to build the strongest possible Shiite militias that are dependent on Iran". The foundation compared the role of the organization with that of Hezbollah in Lebanon . Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq The Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq ( ISCI or SIIC ; Arabic : المجلس الأعلى الإسلامي العراقي Al-Majlis Al-A'ala Al-Islami Al-'Iraqi ; previously known as

676-589: Is alleged to receive money and weapons from Iran, and is often accused of being a proxy for Iranian interests. The party leaders have toned down many of the party's public positions and committed it to democracy and peaceful cooperation. SCIRI's power base is in the Shia-majority southern Iraq. The council's armed wing, the Badr Organization , reportedly has had an estimated strength of between 4,000 and 10,000 men. Its Baghdad offices are based in

728-707: Is the Mehdi Army of the young cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who is part of the Shia coalition seeking to form a government after winning the mid-December election. Many of the 110,000 policemen and police commandos under the ministry's control are suspected of being former members of the Badr Brigade. Not only counter-insurgency units such as the Wolf Brigade, the Scorpions and the Tigers, but the commandos and even

780-471: Is widely regarded as one of the most pro-Iranian parties in Iraq. SIIC's support is strongest in Iraq's south especially Basra , where it has been said to have become "the de facto government." It joined the United Iraqi Alliance list for the general election on January 30, 2005 (see Iraqi legislative election, 2005 ), but filed separate lists in some governorate council elections held on

832-520: The 1991 Iraqi uprising to fight against Saddam Hussein, focusing on the Shia holy cities of Najaf and Karbala . They retreated into Iran after the uprising was crushed. In 1995, during the Kurdish Civil War , Iran deployed 5,000 Badr fighters to Iraqi Kurdistan. Returning to Iraq following the 2003 US-led invasion, the group changed its name from brigade to organization in response to the attempted voluntary disarming of Iraqi militias by

884-652: The 2003 invasion of Iraq . This historical intersection is significant because al-Dawa was widely viewed as a terrorist group during the Iran–Iraq War. In February 2007, journalists reported that Jamal Jaafar Muhammed, who was elected to the Iraqi parliament in 2005 as part of the SCIRI/Badr faction of the United Iraqi Alliance, was also sentenced to death in Kuwait for planning the al-Dawa bombings of

936-551: The 2010 Iraqi elections , where it lost support due to Nuri Al-Maliki 's political party rise. Previously, ISCI's militia wing was the Badr Brigade , which the party used during the Iraqi civil war of 2006–2007. After the civil war, the Badr Brigade turned into a political force on its own and left ISCI, although the two continue to be part of a coalition in Iraq's parliament. After the departure of Badr Brigade, ISCI created

988-588: The Coalition Provisional Authority . It is however widely believed the organization is still active as a militia within the security forces and it has been accused of running a secret prison and sectarian killings during the Iraqi Civil War . Because of their opposition to Saddam Hussein, the Badr Brigade was seen as a U.S. asset in the fight against Baathist partisans. After the fall of Baghdad , Badr forces reportedly joined

1040-655: The Islamic Action Organisation led by Mohammad Taqi al-Modarresi . Another of SCIRI's founders was Ayatollah Hadi al-Modarresi , the leader the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain . The Iranian Islamic revolutionary government arranged for the formation of SCIRI, which was based in exile in Tehran and under the leadership of Mohammad-Baqir al-Hakim. Hakim, living in exile in Iran, was

1092-488: The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq , SCIRI ) is a Shia Islamist political party in Iraq. It was established in Iran in 1982 by Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim and changed its name to the current Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq in 2007. Its political support comes from Iraq's Shia Muslim community. Prior to his assassination in August 2003, SCIRI was led by Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim ; afterwards it

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1144-628: The United Nations’ sustainability goals (SGDs), refugees and migrants, the dissolution of regional structures in the Middle East , and international crisis management (examples from the 2017–2018 research framework). Within the established guiding framework, SWP is free to carry out and structure projects and research as it sees fit. This safeguards SWP's unhindered ability to address long-term issues as well as current events in international politics. Examples include analyses and texts on

1196-551: The uprising in Syria might well lead to the overthrow of the president, as it had in Tunisia and Egypt. The results of the project were made public in Syria and internationally via the report "The Day After. Supporting a Democratic Transition in Syria". The project did not address ideas, plans or preparations for an overthrow or regime change. A number of Syrians subsequently founded an NGO called The Day After to publicise and discuss

1248-671: The Americas ; Eastern Europe , Eurasia ; Middle East and Africa ; Asia; and Global Issues. There are currently more than 140 staff working at SWP, not counting visiting academics or researchers on fellowships. Following a decision by the SWP Council in January 2001, the staff of the Cologne-based Federal Institute for Russian, Bundesinstitut für Ostwissenschaftliche und Internationale Studien (BIOst) and

1300-724: The Badr Organization mobilized and won a series of battles against ISIL, including the Liberation of Jurf Al Sakhr and the Lifting of the Siege of Amirli . In early February 2015, the group, operating from its base at Camp Ashraf , fought in Diyala Governorate against ISIL. Over 100 militia were killed in the fighting, including 25 in Al Mansouryah . Badr's leader, Hadi al-Amiri , said his militiamen were committed to

1352-578: The Badr Organization). The German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) recognized a rise in the Shiite Badr organization since 2014 under the leadership of its Secretary General Hadi al-Amiri. In 2017, SWP wrote that the Badr organization is one of "the most important actors in Iraqi politics". It has become the most important instrument of Iranian politics in Iraq. Its aim

1404-505: The EU need to show more willingness to act on international security issues, recommending inter alia that "Europe and Germany need to develop formats for NATO operations that make them less dependent on US support. This will require increased military deployment and stronger political leadership. Above all, Europe must take greater security precautions in its own neighbourhood: that is its own responsibility and no-one else’s. Germany will have to make

1456-473: The European and global order along with other states". See also: List of participants in the project "New Power – New Responsibility". Around 30 members of staff work in SWP's information infrastructure, which provides information services to both SWP academics and the Bundestag and federal ministries. SWP also leads the international relations and area studies information network (FIV), which manages one of

1508-538: The French and American embassies in that country in 1983. With the fall of Saddam Hussein after the invasion of Iraq, SCIRI quickly rose to prominence in Iraq, working closely with the other Shia parties. It gained popularity among Shia Iraqis by providing social services and humanitarian aid, following the pattern of Islamic organizations in other countries such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood . SCIRI

1560-479: The Interior Ministry under SCIRI's control. According to a 2006 report by the Independent newspaper: "Mr Pace said the Ministry of the Interior was 'acting as a rogue element within the government'. It was controlled by the main Shia party, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Sciri); the Interior Minister, Baqir Jabr al-Zubeidi , is a former leader of SCIRI's Badr Brigade militia, which

1612-594: The Wolf Brigade, the Scorpions, and the Tigers, but the commandos and even the highway patrol police were accused of acting as death squads during this period over a decade ago. The paramilitary commandos, dressed in garish camouflage uniforms and driving around in pick-up trucks, were dreaded in Sunni neighbourhoods. People arrested by them during this period were frequently found dead several days later with their bodies bearing obvious marks of torture." Following ISIL 's successful Anbar campaign and June 2014 offensive ,

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1664-560: The car bombing. In the Shia Islamist–dominated government in post-invasion Iraq, SCIRI controlled the Interior Ministry. The Iraqi Interior Minister, Bayan Jabr , was a former leader of SCIRI's Badr Brigade militia. In 2006 the United Nations human rights chief in Iraq, John Pace, said that every month hundreds of Iraqis were being tortured to death or executed by the Interior Ministry under SCIRI's control. According to

1716-525: The council's rejection of the "concept of a civil or sectarian war," the statement accused terrorists, extremists and supporters of Takfiri (accusing someone of unbelief) of causing bloodshed in Iraq. German Institute for International and Security Affairs The German Institute for International and Security Affairs ( German : Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik ; SWP) is a German think tank in international relations  and security studies . A semi-official organization with close links to

1768-481: The crisis in Ukraine ; the nuclear agreement with Iran ; projects on refugee flows and development cooperation ; and Israel and Its Regional and Global Conflicts: Domestic Developments, Security Issues and Foreign Affairs. The Council (Stiftungsrat) is SWP's highest supervisory and decision-making body. It has three "benches": Additionally, there are a president and two vice-presidents. The president and one of

1820-658: The department of contemporary research at the Munich-based Institute for Southeast European Studies (SOI) were integrated into SWP. All staff members of a research division hold university degrees, which tend be aligned with its subject. Among them are political scientists , lawyers , economists , natural scientists, sociologists , and physicists . Officers of the German military are also retained to share their expertise in security-related affairs. SWP publishes all submitted analyses and reports. As part of

1872-520: The election of members requires a two-thirds majority. The statutes thus deliberately compel the various representatives on the SWP Council to work together. The President of SWP Council is Nikolaus von Bomhard; his vice-presidents are Helge Braun and Angelika Niebler . The chair of the research advisory committee is Christopher Daase (Frankfurt University). SWP research is organised into eight divisions totalling about 60 researchers: EU/Europe; Centre for Applied Turkish Studies, International Security;

1924-461: The events addressed transatlantic differences of opinion on how to deal with Iran. At the January 2010 event, Perthes raised the question of whether the US was also considering non-belligerent or non-military means of preventing a potential nuclear "breakout" on the part of Iran. The question was based on the assumption that such programmes (cyber-attacks or other forms of sabotage which could render parts of

1976-672: The federal government, it advises the Bundestag (the German parliament ) and the federal government on foreign and security policy issues , and also advises decision-makers in international organisations relevant to Germany, above all the European Union , NATO and the United Nations . SWP is regarded as one of Europe's most influential think tanks in international relations. It is headquartered in Berlin and incorporated as

2028-404: The highway patrol police have been accused of acting as death squads. The paramilitary commandos, dressed in garish camouflage uniforms and driving around in pick-up trucks, are dreaded in Sunni neighbourhoods. People whom they have openly arrested have frequently been found dead several days later, with their bodies bearing obvious marks of torture.' SIIC is a Shia Islamist political party that

2080-435: The ideologies of Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini that Islamic Government must be controlled by the ulema (Islamic scholars). Al-Dawa, on the other hand, follows the position of Iraq's late Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr , and al-Dawa co-founder, that government should be controlled by the ummah (Muslim community as a whole). Despite this ideological disagreement, several of SCIRI's factions came from al-Dawa before

2132-533: The newly reconstituted army, police, and the Interior Ministry in significant numbers. The Interior Ministry was controlled by SCIRI, and many Badr members became part of the Interior Ministry-run Wolf Brigade . The Iraqi Interior Minister, Bayan Jabr , was a former leader of Badr Brigade militia. In 2006 the United Nations human rights chief in Iraq, John Pace, said that hundreds of Iraqis were being tortured to death or executed by

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2184-529: The nuclear programme inoperative without starting or provoking a war) already existed. Perthes had also voiced this assumption in an article published on Open Democracy in January 2010. It was proved correct by reports showing that the Stuxnet attack must have started at least half a year before the January 2010 conversation at the US Embassy. In a The Guardian interview about the January 2010 event at

2236-509: The project "The Day After" , the SWP together with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) gave Syrian intellectuals and representatives of various Syrian political movements the opportunity to discuss their ideas for the political, constitutional and economic development of Syria following a hypothetical replacement of Bashar al-Assad 's government. In 2011–2012, many governments and observers alike were convinced that

2288-507: The results among Syrians, and to contribute to the post-war order through projects in transitional justice mechanisms, document security and national heritage protection. A paper co-produced with the German Marshall Fund entitled "New Power, New Responsibility" (November 2012 – September 2013) called on Germany to assume more responsibility for dealing with "those who disrupt the international order". It argued that Germany and

2340-437: The safety of Sunnis , but deep mutual suspicions remained in the light of recent sectarian killings and the suspicion that some Sunni tribes were allied with IS. A leaked US diplomatic cable cited sources alleging that Hadi al-Amiri personally ordered attacks on Sunnis. The Badr Corps consists of infantry, armor, artillery, anti-aircraft, and commando units with an estimated strength of between 10,000 and 50,000 men (according to

2392-547: The same day (see for instance 2005 Nineveh governorate election ). In the January 2005 election it won six out of eight Shia-majority governorates and came in first in Baghdad with 40% of the vote. Following the election SIIC had many members hired by various government ministries, particularly the Interior Ministry, "ensuring a favorable position for" it. Its administration in Southern Iraq has been criticized as corrupt and as "theocracy mixed with thuggery" According to

2444-417: The son of Ayatollah Mohsen-Hakim and a member of one of the leading Shia clerical families in Iraq. "He declared the primary aim of the council to be the overthrow of the Ba'ath and the establishment of an Islamic government in Iraq. Iranian officials referred to Hakim as the leader of Iraq's future Islamic state ..." However, there are crucial ideological differences between SCIRI and al-Dawa. SCIRI supports

2496-603: The vice-presidents also have to be eminent figures from academia, business or public life; the other vice-presidency is reserved for the head of the Chancellery. While the Chancellery supervises the organization of SWP, the Federal Government does not control its Council. It can neither assume the Council's leadership nor dominate voting majorities: no single "bench" can reach a simple majority by itself. Moreover,

2548-558: The world's largest literature databases in the social sciences, World Affairs Online. This is made available to the (professional) public via various portals, catalogues and indexes, as well as SWP's own professional portal, IREON. In November 2010 and January 2011 leaked diplomatic cables by US Embassy staff in Berlin described two events in December 2009 and January 2010 in which SWP director Volker Perthes had participated. Inter alia,

2600-602: Was led by the Ayatollah's brother, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim . After Abdul Aziz al-Hakim's death in 2009 his son Ammar al-Hakim became the group's new leader. In light of its gains in the three 2005 elections and government appointments, the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council became one of Iraq's most powerful political parties and was the largest party in the Iraqi Council of Representatives until

2652-485: Was one of the main groups accused of carrying out sectarian killings. Another was the Mahdi Army of the young cleric Muqtada al-Sadr , who is now part of the Shia coalition seeking to form a government after winning the mid-December election. Many of the 110,000 policemen and police commandos under the ministry's control are suspected of being former members of the Badr Brigade. Not only counterinsurgency units such as

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2704-511: Was supplemented by 2.53 m from external sponsors. Every two years, the guiding framework is redrafted by SWP's research department and the institute's leadership, before being submitted to the SWP Council for confirmation and then being put to the vote. Overall, the guiding framework concentrates on general issues in the two-year time frame, with particular reference to the current and foreseeable state of affairs in international politics. It sets specific thematic challenges and topics, for instance

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