All language subtitles for VICE.S06E06

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This week on Vice:

Iran's growing power in Iraq after ISIS.

Where do the drugs come from originally?

- This is you?
- Yeah.

You were loaded.

We're inside Najaf's Iranian market,

and everyone from the trash collectors

to the vendor sellers
seems to be Iranian.

And then, the world's vineyards

in the age of climate change.

We're in Northern California,

right in the middle of wine country.

We're probably 200
feet from these flames,

and they're just... oh
my God... flaring up.

They're saying that right
now, it's time for change.

In the 1980s, Iran and Iraq fought

one of the longest wars
of the 20th century.

More than a million
people lost their lives,

and tens of thousands
of Iranian troops died

because of Saddam Hussein's
attacks with chemical weapons.

After decades of
bitterness and distrust,

it was Iran that rushed to help Iraq

defeat a threat to both countries,

the Islamic State.

ISIS is now pretty much gone from Iraq,

but Iran isn't.

And with national
elections now coming up,

its influence is only growing.

It's about two o'clock in the morning,

and we're out with
the Basra police force.

These guys have just
received some intelligence,

so they have a couple of targets
that they're hoping to take down.

In the last year, drug arrests

have skyrocketed in
Iraq's border towns...

Wow. That's a lot of
people packed in there.

... and there's one country
the dealers were pointing to

as their source.

Where did the drugs
come from originally?

What were you dealing?

Were you making a lot of money?

- This is you?
- Yeah.

You were loaded. Look at that.

When did it become so prevalent?

Why now do you think they're
sending a lot of them?

The 900-mile border
between Iraq and Iran

has become increasingly porous,

as it's mostly fallen under the
control of Iran-backed Shia militias.

But the influence of these
militias goes beyond the drug trade.

Since fighting ISIS, they've increased

their military strength
across the country,

and they're even getting
involved in national politics.

To find out more about this power shift,

we spoke to Mowaffak Al-Rubaie,

a distinguished politician

who ardently supported the US invasion

but has since witnessed Iran's
growing dominance in his country.

So, do you think the US has allowed

this vacuum which Iran has stepped into?

They pulled out
irresponsibly, recklessly.

When ISIS stormed the three provinces,

in June 2014, we ask for help

from the United States of America.

We told them that we can see and monitor

terrorists coming from Syria,
crossing the borders to Iraq.

Please help us with some air strike.

President Obama said no.

It took the United States
of America three months

to start bombing the terrorists in Iraq.

Three months, while
it took Iran 24 hours.

Truckloads of arms and people
to help us, defending Baghdad.

- You had no option but to turn to Iran.
- Absolutely.

Iraq's pivot towards America's
long-time adversary, Iran,

comes after the US has lost

more than 4,500 lives fighting in Iraq

and spent more than two trillion dollars

since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

So this is the noose that was
used to hang Saddam Hussein?

Yeah, this is the noose.

So, you watched him being hanged?

Oh yes. I pulled the trigger, actually.

- You pulled the trigger?
- Yeah, I pulled the trigger.

Did you ever imagine back then

that this would be the
country that he'd left behind?

He promised to leave behind him ruins,

- and that's what he did.
- Who's to blame for that?

The countries surrounding
Iraq worked really hard

for this democratic experiment to fail.

Ever since Saddam's fall,
Iran has tried to control Iraq,

but it's only now that it's actually
beginning to achieve that goal.

By securing Iraqi territory,

Iran will have a land corridor

connecting Tehran with allied forces

across Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon.

But Iran isn't just using
military might to achieve that aim.

It's also leveraging
cultural and economic ties.

We're inside what's known
as Najaf's Iranian market,

and everyone from the trash collectors

to the vendor sellers
seems to be Iranian.

Where are most of your
clients coming from?

Have you noticed it's
got busier recently?

So, the Iraqis have the Iranians to
thank for a lot of money coming in.

Imports of goods from
Iran have more than doubled

in the last 10 years,

and the spending power
of Iranian visitors

is strengthening Iran's foothold.

Right now, we're walking towards

one of the holiest Shiite
sights in the world,

which is what millions of Iranians
travel here for every single year.

Where have you all come from?

Everyone from Iran?

Iran? Iran?

Why do you think the number
of Iranians coming here

has exploded over the last few years?

Iran's 17 million Shia
Muslims share a religious bond

with more than 20 million Shia in Iraq,

who make up more than
half the population here.

When ISIS overwhelmed the Iraqi army

and swept through the mainly Sunni
northwest of the country in 2014,

Iraq's top Shia cleric issued a fatwa,

making it a religious duty
to defend the homeland.

This call to arms was
immediately answered

by tens of thousands of new recruits.

Equipped and advised by Iran,

those volunteers joined
with existing militias.

By decree from the Iraqi government,

they then became the Popular
Mobilization Forces, or PMF.

We're with the Badr Brigade,

which is largest of the
Popular Mobilization Forces.

There's about 40,000 members in total.

They took this whole
neighborhood back from ISIS

just a couple of months ago,

and civilians haven't
yet returned to it.

Formed in the 1980s to serve
Iranian interests in Iraq,

the Badr Brigade killed
many American soldiers

during the Iraqi insurgency,

but in the fight against ISIS,

the militia became an unlikely US ally.

So, ISIS were occupying
all of these houses

just a couple of months ago?

Hassan Ahmed Al-Samre is
in command of this unit

as they round up
remaining ISIS fighters.

Is that gunfire?

What's going on?

So, you're still looking
for ISIS members around here?

Do you think some of
them are still here?

So, this is where you
caught an ISIS guy yesterday?

- Yeah.
- Wow.

This is one of the IED's
they've been collecting,

and now they're gonna show
us how they explode it.

Be safe!

Fuck. Run, run, run, run, run.

Why's it the PMU's responsibility,

rather than the Iraqi's army's,

to clear out these houses

of IED's and to find the
last ISIS fighters here?

With the victory over ISIS,

the Popular Mobilization
Forces have been embraced

by many Iraqis as national heroes.

Some militias have recently
set up political arms

to field candidates in the
upcoming parliamentary election,

and Iran is using its influence on
local media to boost their cause.

The Asia Network is one of
several news outlets in Iraq

that's allegedly funded by
sources with ties to Iran.

It reaches over a million
people across multiple platforms.

Local celebrities Tamara Jamal

and Nahi Mahdi host a comic radio show

that also serves to promote

their views on current politics.

What's it like living here in Baghdad?

And how are you guys
feeling about the elections?

And who are the fighters
who saved Iraq from ISIS?

So, are you advocating for those guys

to be the ones in power in parliament?

You too?

Everyone at this TV station,

this radio station is
in agreement about that?

One group with political aspirations

is Shia militia Harakat
Hezbollah Al-Nujaba.

Citing the group's >close ties with
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps,

Congress has proposed designating
Al-Nujaba a terrorist organization.

We met Hashim Al-Moussawi,

the militia's official spokesman,

at the group's headquarters in Baghdad.

Who are these guys up here?

And what do they represent
to you, these two?

Now that ISIS is all but over,

what's the mission of
Al-Nujaba now in Iraq?

Can you understand the fear
that is coming from the West

when it comes to... they
look at your organization,

and they see the close
relationship that you have

with Iran and with the
Revolutionary Guards

and potentially Iran can use you guys

to spread their influence across Iraq?

The possible election
of former militia leaders

sympathetic to Iranian interests

will allow Tehran to
consolidate its powers

within the Iraqi government.

To hear what threat that might pose

to the stability of Iraq
and the wider region,

we met with Iraqi Vice
President Ayad Allawi.

Is Iran having much
impact on these elections?

How prominent is Iran here?

Do you think that Iraq
is at risk of becoming

a platform for a proxy battle
between the US and Iran?

With Iran now poised >to
tighten its grip over Iraq,

it's influence extends
across the region,

from Iranian troops fighting in Syria

to its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon,

and its allies Hamas and Gaza,

the opposition movement in Bahrain,

and the Houthis in Yemen.

Iran has not been treating

that part of the world

or the world itself appropriately.

A lot of bad things
are happening in Iran.

The White House has now
signaled that over 5,000 troops

could be staying in Iraq indefinitely.

What would happen if the US
takes on Iran on Iraqi turf?

Oh my God.

It's going to be hell.

Do you think there's a
chance that could happen?

By the way, Trump administration
is escalating with Iran.

The Iranians will not
stand and do nothing.

My country will pay heavily.

Which means that it's a
very difficult situation

that you guys are in.

We are between the devil
and the deep blue sea.

It's well-known that climate change

will have devastating
impacts on our planet,

from melting glaciers and rising seas,

to extreme drought and storms.

Because of extreme heat in California,

last year saw the most destructive
wildfire season on record,

triggering huge mudslides
and claiming 44 lives.

But it's the wine industry that's
becoming a canary in the coal mine,

showing what warming temperatures
could mean for the way we live.

We're in Northern California,

right in the middle of wine country.

We're probably 200
feet from these flames,

and they're just... oh my God...

flaring up right through this valley.

And in many areas, there's
still zero percent containment.

Winds just came out of the north

at howling speeds.

When you have that
combination of high winds

in very dry fuel,

it just becomes explosive.

To what extent do you
attribute these wildfires,

and how quickly they're
spreading, to climate change?

It's not unusual for us to
see these kinds of events,

but it seems to be getting
worse and more frequent.

Fires are different now than
they were 20, 30 years ago.

You simply can't look at
statistics like that and ignore it.

This is the new normal.

Last year's massive fires
in Northern California

killed 44 people, leveled
thousands of homes,

and burned through more
than 200,000 acres of land.

The infernos struck at the heart
of California's wine industry,

a major enterprise here.

Dozens of wineries in Napa and
Sonoma counties were devastated.

It was about 10:45, and
my wife was staying here,

and she saw, on the hillside, flames.

Basically, this whole hillside on fire.

The vineyard team grabbed some hoses

and did what they could...

- Wow.
- ... but it was just not enough.

We've had fires in the area
before, but not like this.

I've got people who've been
with me for 20, 30 years,

and they're as devastated,
obviously, as I am,

and, you know, this was their life.

But worsening wildfires
are just one concern

for California's
premium wine production.

As climate change escalates
over the next 30 years,

California is expected to see

a 70% decline in area currently
suitable for viticulture.

Wine, of course, is probably
the most expensive crop

in the entire world,

and it's a crop that is very,
very sensitive to climate.

NASA scientist Dr. Ben Cook studies

the impact of climate
change on agriculture.

He says that these
environmental consequences

have global repercussions today.

So, with regards to wine regions,

where is the change in
climate most evident?

Pretty much every single
wine-growing region in the world...

we are seeing some
impact of climate change.

You know, in the old-world regions,

like France, you know, Italy, Spain,

they've been growing grapes

and making wine for hundreds of years,

and it's really important,
because this provides us

a really long-term perspective.

If things are changing

and it's still where things have
been for the last several centuries,

maybe, you know, things are okay.

But what we're seeing
in a lot of these areas

is that we're starting to move outside

what we call the envelope
of natural variability.

We're starting to move
into a kind of new world

relative to the last several centuries.

And I think it also kind of highlights

how extreme some of
these climate changes are.

Wine is very important
to a lot of people,

but we could survive without wine.

I mean, I don't know
that I agree with that.

You know, survival is not...

physical survival, just.

It's also cultural survival.

France. You know, so much of
their kind of cultural identity

is wrapped up in kind
of their view of wine.

To see how vintners
today are reconciling

with the change in climate,

we went to France's most prominent
and profitable wine region.

Bordeaux pumps out more than
700 million bottles each year.

Its prestige stems largely

from its optimal environment
and temperate climate,

and the region's history,
culture, and economy depend on it.

Cheers.

Bernard Farges is the vice president

of the trade group that
represents all Bordeaux winemakers.

- You like it?
- Nice.

How has the change in climate
affected the wine industry here?

What are your concerns for the
economics of wine in coming years?

As a region, how much production
did Bordeaux lose this past season?

Many of the vineyards in Bordeaux

have been producing
wine for generations,

and families have depended on
the crop for hundreds of years.

Wow.

Juliette B�cot oversees

50 acres of mainly Merlot grapes

at her family's Chateau
Beau-S�jour B�cot.

How many bottles of wine
do you have down here?

At the beginning of August,

the roots came at this level.

- Like two feet down?
- Yes, yes, yes.

- Wow.
- Because the weather was very dry and hot.

But it's not just extreme heat

threatening France's vital export.

Last spring, the region was
gutted by freezing temperatures.

Wine growers scrambled
to protect their crops,

but for many, there was
little that could be done

to salvage the harvest.

What percentage of your
yield did you lose this year?

As the climate shifts, the future

of all agriculture is in question.

When it comes to Bordeaux,
certain varieties of grape

are all but doomed.

The industry here is
sort of in crisis mode.

Varieties that we see on wine
bottles in every grocery store...

Merlot being a good example...

may not exist in 30 years,
at least in Bordeaux.

And so, scientists are
growing different varieties

to see what will work
in warming temperates.

Kees van Leeuwen, a
scientist and winemaker,

is taking grape varieties
from all over the world

into the lab to see what might survive

Bordeaux's oncoming climate changes.

With climate change,
ripening is happening

more and more early in the season.

And Merlot, with harvest
happening more and more early,

maybe in 20 or 30 years time,

will not be longer well-adapted
to the Bordeaux climate,

so we have to find new varieties
which can replace Merlot.

We take grape samples every week,

have them analyzed to see
the composition of the grapes,

and we model the ripening of the grapes

to see how they react to temperature.

And we look for varieties
which are later ripening

but still very good quality
and with the typicity

which is very similar to what
we have in Bordeaux wines today.

This is touriga nacional, a very
famous grape from the Douro region.

In terms of aromatic complexity,

it comes very close to Bordeaux wines,

so we have a lot of
hope on this variety.

Prunelard was a very old
variety which was no longer used,

because it used to have difficulties
in reaching full ripeness,

but now, with changing climate,
it might become interesting.

- It's the perfect climate-change grape.
- So, yeah.

If we don't adapt, then
Bordeaux is really in danger.

Like many distressed enterprises,

the wine industry is looking to
technology for these solutions.

Back in California,
geneticist Dr. Dario Cantu

is tackling this crisis
at the molecular level.

He's extracting DNA from grape vines,

choosing ideal traits, and then breeding

genetically superior
strains of popular wines,

like Cabernet Sauvignon.

The ultimate goal of what we do,

which we call molecular viticulture,

is to be able to control...

at very fine scale

what happens in the
berries during, um...

during the process of ripening

and before we harvest them.

I believe that genetics is the key

for the future of viticulture.

By improving genotypes,

we'll be able to grow
better-adaptive varieties.

What elements are you
trying to preserve,

say, for the most popular varieties

like Cabernet sauvignon or Pinot noir?

So, what my research is
trying actually to obtain

is an understanding of the genetic basis

of Cabernet sauvignon, Pinot
noir, and other varieties,

so that we can mix
them with other traits

like drought tolerance, pest resistance,

so that those characteristic
of Cabernet sauvignon

are preserved when they're grown
in conditions that are not optimal.

As more industries feel the
impact of a warming climate,

how we address this problem today

could influence the
future of all agriculture.

Obviously, your focus
right now is on wine,

but is there sort of a
bigger-picture application

to this in agriculture?

There are other industries

as large as the wine grape industry

that will face the same issues.

Think about chocolate.
Think about coffee.

So, what we learn in
terms of that ability

and improvement for grapes
can be applied to other crops.

Being climate-change
responsive is to be able to have

the best genetic material
for every region in the world.

We need to cultivate the
best adaptive varieties

to a certain climate, and that's clear.

The sooner we realize
that there is a problem,

the sooner we will have a
solution, and there are solutions.

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- www.addic7ed.com -