For two decades after the 2003 brazen and unprovoked invasion by the US, Iraq has been experiencing chaos, instability and significant problems, primarily due to the destruction of their state by the Americans. Although the number of internal armed conflicts has decreased in recent years, the country still faces many complex problems that need addressing for any stability and security to be achieved in the country. This has been the result, and Iraqi media constantly writes about it, of the US aggression and the hubristic policy towards Iraq that various American administrations have pursued since 2003.
One of the difficult problems facing Baghdad is the security of the country, since some groups of Iraqis are still able to use a sectarian agenda as a means to divide the nation and, ultimately, gain power. It is worth noting that Iraq is a multi-ethnic and multi-denominational society, which includes Shiite Arabs, Sunni Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, Christians, Assyrians, Yezidis and Armenians. In such a dynamically developing society, it is extremely important for the political establishment to promote a system of government that rejects any project or plan based on a sectarian agenda or the philosophy of “dividing and conquering.” But it was precisely this policy that Washington actively promoted after its unabashed invasion, using its significant connections in Iraqi society.
That is why it is important for the Iraqi government to promote programs aimed at expanding interdenominational dialogue to help reduce tensions and the potential for a number of internal conflicts. The more the government tries to create such programs, the more peace and stability it is likely to bring. Indeed, this is a difficult task, but in order to re-create a stable civil society and then form an effective government administration which was broken by the United States, this work should be performed every day and everywhere on the Iraqi territory.
There are several countries in the region from which Baghdad can learn lessons and replicate their projects at its domestic level. One such example is Saudi Arabia, where over the past few years Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud has paid considerable attention to interdenominational dialogue, playing a key role in advancing his mission. Under his leadership, the Kingdom has persistently and actively conducted explanatory work with other religious groups and denominations. The positive result of this is internal stability and increasing success in the foreign arena, where Saudi Arabia is coming to the forefront in the entire Middle East.
For example, in 2020, Saudi Arabia presided over an interdenominational forum with the participation of Muslim clerics, Jewish rabbis, Christian priests and other religious leaders. And in 2022, a multi-confessional “Forum for Promoting the Common Values among the Followers of Religions” was held in Riyadh. The forum was the first of its kind and was attended by about 100 religious leaders, including more than 15 rabbis.
Another example in the region is the UAE, which opened the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi in March this year to unite the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The Emirati government, though, is under strong pressure from a number of other Arab countries for rapprochement with Israel. But the fact remains, and at the same time, the Emirati leadership does not change its position on a fair solution to the problem of the Arab people of Palestine and provides all possible assistance and support to the Palestinians.
At the same time, Iraq must resist extremist ideologies that seek to sow division and tension in the country and recruit young people into their networks. The Iraqi government can promote and create more organizations to monitor the activities of extremists on the Internet, including through social media platforms. It is also extremely important for Iraq to create institutions that will promote an alternative, moderate ideology, while educating people and raising awareness about extremist ideologies.
Iraq, again, may follow in the footsteps of some Gulf countries. For example, the Saudi model has proved successful in the fight against extremist ideologies. To this end, the Kingdom has established several organizations, including the Ideological Warfare Center, the Digital Extremism Observatory, the King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue and the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology. The Iraqi government can challenge the statements of extremist groups by advancing similar initiatives and adopting appropriate legislation.
It should be noted that the Iraqi government has recently taken several important steps in this direction. One of the steps was the action plan signed by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Iraq and the UN, aimed at preventing the recruitment and use of children by extremist groups and armed forces. However, this runs into the inflammatory activities of the Pentagon, which, under the pretext of fighting against ISIS (banned in the Russian Federation), in every way hinders this important activity of the Iraqi government. There have even been articles in the US media that the actions of the Iraqi government against extremism allegedly violate democratic human rights. The demagogic lamentations from Washington are off the charts, yet the Biden administration had better struggle with extremists in its own country.
As the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Ahmed Jassim Al-Asadi noted, “The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, as representatives of the Government of Iraq, along with the National Committee for the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism, would like to express its commitment to implement the plan to serve children exposed to recruitment in armed conflict, in order to ensure Iraq’s compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as with the protocols signed by the Iraqi government. While we continue to work on implementing the national child protection policy as part of the government program, we are also supporting the Child Protection Law, pending Parliament ratification.” It couldn’t be said better, and as for American journalists they should first learn to find Iraq on the map and visit it before writing about the situation there. Then maybe they will have more common sense and information when covering Iraqi affairs.
It is also important to note that stability and security depend significantly on a healthy and stable economy. Iraq, the second largest oil producer in OPEC after Saudi Arabia, unfortunately depends heavily on oil exports for its income. Oil exports account for almost 95 percent of the country’s federal budget revenues. Such dependence on oil puts the country at great risk when oil prices plummet, as was the case in 2020. According to the International Monetary Fund, “Iraq’s economy remains in the grip of a self-perpetuating cycle of fragility. The absence of meaningful reforms, in turn, has held back economic development and reinforced dependence on oil — a critical vulnerability in a world that is fighting climate change.”
Iraq is also heavily dependent on imported gas, especially from Iran, to meet the needs of its population. For example, Baghdad in May agreed to repay a $1.6 billion debt to the Iranian government to ensure stable gas supplies during the summer. Iraq itself holds about 111 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves, which makes it 12th in the world. However, years of conflict and US aggression prevented the Arab country from investing in its gas industry. Baghdad should give priority to attracting foreign investment to process gas from its reserves.
That is why it is vital for the Iraqi government to diversify its economy. This can be achieved by strengthening the private sector, investing in infrastructure and other industries, investing in renewable energy sources and developing tourism. In a nutshell, Iraq faces a number of problems, but they can be partially solved by diversifying the country’s economy, promoting an inclusive governance system and furthering cooperation with the Gulf countries. Most importantly, Iraq must stop focusing in its policy on the United States, which pursues only its own selfish interests at the expense of the fundamental interests of the Iraqis.
Viktor Mikhin, corresponding member of RANS, exclusively for the online journal “New Eastern Outlook.”
