Naval postgraduate school monterey, california thesis approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

15. NUMBER OF 
PAGES
125 
14. SUBJECT TERMS Iraq, Mahdi Militia, Kurdish Peshmerga, Sunni militias, U.S. military, 
British, Palestine, Jewish militias, Haganah 
16. PRICE CODE 
17. SECURITY 
CLASSIFICATION OF 
REPORT 
Unclassified 
18. SECURITY 
CLASSIFICATION OF THIS 
PAGE 
Unclassified 
19. SECURITY 
CLASSIFICATION OF 
ABSTRACT 
Unclassified 
20. LIMITATION OF 
ABSTRACT 
 
UU 
NSN 7540-01-280-5500 
S
tandard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89)
Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239-18

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Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited 
U.S. POST CONFLICT INTEGRATION POLICY OF MILITIAS IN IRAQ 
 
James J. Smith 
Captain, United States Army 
B.S., University of Central Florida, 1997 
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the 
requirements for the degree of 
MASTER OF ARTS IN SECURITY STUDIES 
(DEFENSE DECISION MAKING AND PLANNING) 
from the 
NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL 
March 2008 
Author: 
James J. Smith 
Approved by:
Letitia Lawson 
Thesis Advisor 
Abbas Kadhim 
Second Reader 
Harold Trinkunas 
Chairman, Department of National Security Affairs 

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ABSTRACT 
This thesis aims to examine what effect the United States policy towards militias 
in Iraq has on the security, stability and troop levels. Conventional wisdom regarding the 
imperative to eliminate militias in Iraq rests upon the correct observation that the state is 
locked in a struggle over the legitimate use of force, and therefore over power and 
authority, with the militias, but fails to appreciate that the militia may have more popular 
legitimacy than the state. Recognizing this calls for a reconsideration of policy responses 
to the militia phenomenon. This thesis will argue that while military defeat is tactically 
feasible, it is unlikely to lead to strategic success because the militias have established 
popular legitimacy and military attacks by an occupying power are only likely to increase 
it. For similar reasons, engagement of the militia is likely to be more efficacious. The 
thesis will use two case studies to investigate which policy might work best for Security, 
Stability, Transition and Reconstruction operations in Iraq. A comparison is adopted to 
evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of defeat and engagement as alternative military 
strategies employ by an occupying power vis-à-vis indigenous militia forces in the 
Middle East. The first case study is the United States occupation of Iraq from 2003 to 
2007. The second case study is the British occupation of Palestine from 1920 to 1948.
The thesis will conclude with an analysis of similarities between each case, potential 
policy prescription for the U.S., avenues for future research and some comments on the 
semantics of words. 

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