What inspired you to become a politician after being a well-known and respected poet and academic?

The notions of justice and freedom have led me in my life, and in my poetry and writing I have advocated democracy on all occasions. I am convinced that people can successfully create the ideas and philosophies that politicians and members of society use for the benefit of all.

Unfortunately, this has not yet happened. Even with a change in the political situation, Iraqis are still facing their future as victims. They may have received political rights, but not civic or social ones.

Renew Iraq prides itself on democracy. What is the first thing you would do if you were elected to office?

Call on Iraqis to participate fully in the decision-making process through civic culture. This would help people to realize what roles they can play, what they can do and what they want. In this way, Renew Iraq would bridge the gap between individuals and the state. We call for and actively pursue an Iraq that guarantees a good life. When I sometimes say that we need to return to the Iraq of the 1960s, some people find that language hard to come to terms with. But Iraq then was better for its citizens than it is now.

I read on many of your pages that you were exiled from Iraq and ended up living in the UK when Saddam Hussein was in power. How well do you think you are connected to the current situation?

When I fled the country in 1980, I did not stop following the events inside Iraq. I was aware of the effects the political situation, the social and economic changes and the damages made to the culture. I wrote hundreds of articles, especially in the 1990s, about the situation in Iraq. In February 2003, I wrote in Al-Hayat about my expectations after the toppling of Saddam. I want to understand these historical developments in recent times by looking at political and social thought and actively seeking answers. Because of that, I would say I am deeply connected with the current situation.

How do you intend to control the country’s security with foreign troops still present?

The US plan for Iraq was supposed to implement a democratic political system after the dictatorship. Unfortunately, this intention became entangled with Bush’s plan to make Iraq the arena for a war on terrorism. What was perceived to be a mistake was the Bush administration’s part of a designed plan. We must guarantee security in Iraq in order to start to rebuild the institutions that will allow us to become a democratic country. Iraq’s neighbors have supported the alliance between the aims of Al-Qaeda and the Baathists in order to stall the establishment of a strong and democratic Iraq. This situation has created a complex set of dangers that makes the US think it needs to maintain a presence.

How are you going to resolve the issues between all the different religious sects in the country?

We can resolve this just as it was resolved in the past: No political power to religious sects. Democracy is the best condition. The political camps in Iraq are continuously utilizing sectarian differences for their own political objectives. For example, some parties group the Sunni Muslims with the Baath party outright. In addition, some countries in the region are deliberately exacerbating the sectarian divisions in order to pull Iraq away from peace.

Being a family man who is obviously passionate about the movement, is your family just as supportive? How much are they involved?

My family has done much to support the movement. My wife, Nada, has pressed me to remain optimistic at all times even when she is in London and I am in Iraq. She has spent three decades in exile and she wishes very strongly to see her country back on its feet. My eldest son Yamam is working on many projects on the ground in Iraq. My youngest son Hanin is also playing his part and wishes to make Iraq his home and rebuild it once he finishes his degree. I think it is the first time in the Arab world that a poet and writer from an intellectual class is a candidate in a national election. I only hope that I can fulfill my family’s hope, which is the hope of millions of Iraqis.