Can Iraq’s new PM-designate defend and restore country’s
sovereignty?
Looming challenges: There are
numerous looming challenges facing this new candidate. First he has to meet the
demands of the widespread protesters.
By
PSTHIWAN FARAJ
APRIL 18, 2020 21:09
ranian opponents-in-exile hold
pictures and "Lion and Sun" pre-Iranian Revolution national flags as
they stage a protest against the Tehran government and mark the 41st
anniversary of the Islamic revolution, in Paris, France, February 11, 2020.
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Iraq’s new Prime
Minister-designate Mustafa al-Kadhimi was the former head of Iraqi
intelligence. He was formerly a journalist in Iran and the UK writing against
the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein.
When Saddam fell he returned to
Iraq in 2003 and since 2016 he has been acting as Iraq's intelligence chief.
Read More Related Articles
·
Voices from the Arab press: Social media and credibility
·
Gal Gadot teaches Hebrew, spills love for Israel in '73
Questions'
·
Stunningly small. Masterfully designed. The all-new Dell XPS
13. Learn More. (Dell)
Recommended by
Looming challenges: There are
numerous looming challenges facing this new candidate. First he has to meet the
demands of the widespread protesters, and he must meet their demands at a
practical, not at a rhetorical, level.
Second, he has to address the
challenges of the militia forces in the country. Some of the militias are
pro-Iranian and they have no interest in strengthening Iraqi sovereignty. These
militias will certainly seek to hinder his efforts to form a new cabinet.
Third, he has to do something
about COVID-19 and the health sector service crisis.
Fourth, he must find a new
mechanism to tackle US-Iran tensions in Iraq, which has brought the country to
the brink of civil war.
Five, he must address the
economic crisis created by the decline of oil prices and a large public
payroll.
Latest articles from Jpost
Top articles1/5READ MORE
Iran shows off drones that can
reach Israel, threat increases
Six, he must address rampant
corruption and a lack of transparency, implement urgent reforms, improve public
services and rebuild the infrastructure of the country, heavily damaged by
decades of war, most recently with Islamic State.
Seven, he must also sort out
the security crisis nationwide.
Eight, he must also hold
accountable those who murdered and assassinated protesters.
Nine, he must convince the
elite and ruling people of Iraq to at least temporarily halt their partisan and
economic interests just to save the country from collapse.
Ten, he has to use his
diplomatic skills and experience in persuading all the political blocs to
support him, while not ignoring the dissenting voices and demonstrators.
Strength and
weaknesses
Kadhimi has the support of the
majority of political parties and political blocs in parliament. Also
mainstream media and open resources indicate that he can have the support of
Iran, Gulf states and the US. This is all thanks to his neutrality and honesty
in his previous position and not being accused of murder and bloodshed.
He does not have his own
political party. He is also against those militias who do not want Iraq to have
a national armed forces. His neutrality and non-partisan attitude since he has
held his prestigious position supports him. He has good knowledge, experience
and a wide network in the intelligence sector.
He will have the support of
Iran only on one condition: if he can persuade the Americans to ease the new
suffocating sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic.
He has less than a month to
form his cabinet, with the deadline May 8. The parliament, a majority of
political parties and the street prefer him because he is largely considered as
honest, transparent and having a strong personality. But this alone cannot
guarantee his success.
What is expected from him in
the short term?
Kadhim is expected to enforce an
extremist reform agenda, at least in the short term. Finding short-term
solutions for Iraq's contemporary issues, like the coronavirus, declining oil
prices, a crumbling economy and strengthening the private sector, must be found
immediately.
He has to pave the way for a
clear, fraud-free election by passing a new election law and addressing the
lack of integrity, while implementing reforms within Iraq's High Electoral
Commission. He must also return sovereignty and independence to the Iraqi
government, on a local, regional and international level.
Kadhimi will have to keep the
balance between the US and Iranian interest in Iraq, create a negotiating
delegation to find a sustainable strategy to strengthen diplomatic, security
and economic interests between Iraq and the US and find and assign qualified,
independent and skilled candidates to fill the ministerial positions. He must
be especially carefully selecting candidates for the Defense and Interior
ministries.
But without the full support of
demonstrators, political parties and regional and international support,
Kadhimi won't be able to form his cabinet. He will not be able to side either
with the US, nor with rival Iran, as this will be suicide for him.
We can only hope that he can
keep the balance and interest of both countries, creating a win-win situation
not only for those two powerful countries, who are the main actors in Iraq, but
also making Iraq a regional player, recovering from previous disasters too
numerous to count.
If he sides with the protesters
he will lose the support of the elite political parties; if he sides with them
he will lose the confidence and trust of demonstrators, creating a catch-22
scenario for him.
All he can do now at such a
surreal time in Iraq is focus on rebuilding the infrastructure, saving the
economy, strengthening the public and private partnership and improving public
services, especially for the southern parts of Iraq, areas with hundreds of
thousands of internally displaced people.
There is a hope that with a new
government some reforms might seem possible. People in Iraq hope that he can
rebuild US-Iraq strategic partnerships, but not at the expense of Iran. Because
Iran is such a powerful and influential neighbor to Iraq, the very existence of
the republic depends on Tehran’s interests.
There is a hope that his
previous work experience in intelligence might be advantageous for him to catch
three birds with one stone: save Iraq from multiple crises, appease Iran and
return the might of the US to the region.
All of this depends on his
choices in selecting the ministers for his cabinet. Let's hope for the best as
Iraq desperately needs a government that will put the interest of the country
before the interest of partisan politics.
Iraq has huge hydrocarbon and
human resources. It only lacks a sustainable management system. One can see
that if the new prime minister will be surrounded by wise, independent and
honest people in his cabinet, he will achieve relative success. That is all the
people need for the moment.
If Kadhimi can meet and fulfill
the criteria described in this article one can hope for the sovereignty of Iraq
restored again. Let's hope Kadhimi will translate his Twitter promise
into a promising reality for the Iraqi people:
“I am honored and
privileged to be tasked with forming Iraq’s next
government. I will work tirelessly
to present Iraqis with a program and cabinet that will work to serve
them, protect their rights and take Iraq towards a
prosperous future."
The writer is a former national
consultant with the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq. He has worked for several
think tanks, and as an independent adviser, he assists international
organizations in the Iraqi and Kurdistan Region
پیش بسوی قیام سراسری ، ما بر اندازیم# کانونهای شورشی در شهرهای ایران # #Iran
#سال_سرنگونی #ایران #کروناویروس #قیام_تا_پیروزی #coronavirus
اعتصاب واعتراض #شورش #زندانیان ، تظاهرات# سرنگونی #COVID2019 # اتحادوهمبستگی - مرگ_بر_دیکتاتور #مجاهدین خلق ایران
