Mustafa Al-Kadhimi was last week sworn in as Iraq’s new prime minister, after the country’s parliament gave his government, minus a few ministers, its vote of confidence. That vote ended more than five months of political paralysis following the resignation of former Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, including the failure of two previous candidates to form governments acceptable to the various parliamentary blocs and the demands of popular protests.
It was quite an achievement for Al-Kadhimi, a former intelligence chief, just weeks after President Bahram Salih tasked him with forming a new Cabinet. His success came after the inability of Mohammed Allawi and Adnan Al-Zurfi to form governments.
Abdel Mahdi resigned last November in the midst of popular protests throughout the country. Demonstrators directed their anger at Iran and its affiliated militias, as well as corruption and economic mismanagement. Hundreds of protesters were killed and thousands injured, and protest leaders have complained that no one has yet been brought to justice for those attacks. The violence was widely blamed on militias affiliated with Iran.
In light of these events, Al-Kadhimi’s speech before parliament last week was clearly directed as much at the protesters as it was to the members. Presenting his Cabinet and government program, he hit all the right notes. He indicated that he had already discussed his program with lawmakers and incorporated their feedback. He said that the formation of his Cabinet came in “response to economic, security, health, and social challenges.” While determined to meet those challenges, as a transitional government, he kept his proposals modest and did not promise a massive program to avoid “any misunderstanding that I am trying to prolong the transitional period.”
The new prime minister’s main objective is to meet “popular demands” to prepare for early elections. For those elections to be free and fair, the government’s authority must be restored everywhere, according to the constitution, by enforcing the exclusive right of the state to bear arms and making sure that Iraqi territory is not used to settle accounts or attack others, he said.
Al-Kadhimi also said that Iraq is seeking “brotherly and cooperative relations” with its Arab brethren, as well as with neighbors and the international community.
In another reference to protesters’ demands, he said that his government would protect the rights of free expression and peaceful protest, and would “go after those implicated in shedding demonstrators’ blood.” He also vowed to fight corruption and adopt economic measures to deal with rising unemployment and the “scandalous shortage” in government services.
Al-Kadhimi promised to hold regular consultations through an inclusive political framework to give a voice to all political parties, trade unions, professional organizations, the women’s movement, demonstrators, and “those without representation in the government.”
His whole speech, in other words, can be read as addressed primarily to the demonstrators, knowing that, without their acquiescence, his plans could be derailed.
While there are still some issues to settle in the formation of the new Cabinet, it appears as if Al-Kadhimi will be given a chance by the protesters to sort out the challenges he cited and tackle the demands they have voiced. He has already disarmed both protesters and politicians alike by underling that his is a transitional government, whose main objective is to prepare for early elections.
Those are issues for Iraqis to debate and sort out. For the outside world, the formation of the new government makes it easier to re-engage with Iraq, which is essential. The country is facing worsening challenges. On the one hand, Daesh is resurging, with violent attacks reported with rising frequency. On the other, Iran-affiliated militias have kept up their attacks on US and global coalition forces based in Iraq.
Iran and its allies in Iraq have lately increased their efforts to keep the country unstable and ungovernable. While they are doing it under the guise of fighting the US and driving American forces from Iraq, the real reasons are probably different. First, the May 2018 parliamentary elections gave independents a stronger voice in Iraqi politics and reduced the influence of Iran’s proxies. Iran, through Qassem Soleimani, reportedly tried to micromanage coalition discussions after the elections, delaying for months the formation of a government in an attempt to keep its allies’ influence intact. Then the peaceful protests of 2019 were seen by Iran, perhaps correctly, as opposed to its presence and interference in Iraq’s internal affairs.
Al-Kadhimi has already disarmed both protesters and politicians alike by underling that his is a transitional government.
Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg
The new government will have to navigate these troubled waters. Iraq’s neighbors and the international community have so far responded positively to Al-Kadhimi’s appointment, his message in parliament, and his early actions as prime minister.
Iraq is also facing a severe economic crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak, low oil prices and a global recession. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) neighbors can help, as can the rest of Iraq’s friends. The GCC as a group and its individual member states have prioritized engagement with Iraq, signing multiple agreements and agreeing on ambitious plans of action in all areas. However, security and political instability have made it difficult to implement those plans.
Besides Iraqis themselves, the US, GCC and EU have the greatest stakes in keeping Iraq secure, stable and independent. They should move briskly to engage with the new Iraqi government in response to Al-Kadhimi’s positive messages.
- Abdel Aziz Aluwaisheg is the Gulf Cooperation Council’s assistant secretary-general for political affairs and negotiation, and a columnist for Arab News. The views expressed in this piece are personal and do not necessarily represent those of the GCC. Twitter: @abuhamad1
