FT Discovers 'Shia Militias' When It's About 'Iran's Axis'
The Financial Times identifies 'Shia militias' reportedly gaining electoral ground as part of 'Iran’s axis.' This framing conveniently glosses over the fundamental reality that the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, which the FT largely supported or normalized through its coverage, destabilized the region, creating the power vacuum that allowed many of these groups to emerge or strengthen. The same
'militias' were fighting ISIS—a direct consequence of that destabilization—with little fanfare from the same outlets. One might observe the media's strategic amnesia: external actors like the US can dismantle sovereign states like Iraq, but any resulting local power shift is immediately painted as an 'Iranian grip.' It's almost as if 'stability' only matters when it's Western-controlled, and local
agency, especially if sympathetic to Tehran, is inherently a 'tightening grip'—never a legitimate political evolution post-invasion.