The removal of Iran from Iraq's internal affairs will benefit the Middle East

The removal of Iran from Iraq's internal affairs will benefit the Middle East
Seeing the opportunity to gain power within its historic rival, Iran made incredible headway in recent years gaining control within Iraq and its ruling institutions. 
Friday 13/03/2020


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Iran’s actions in Iraq have not stopped with bankrolling militants


For years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has developed and honed its strategy for exerting influence, both regionally and globally. From Lebanon to Yemen, to Argentina, the Ayatollahs in Tehran have cultivated the use of militant and political proxies to execute their will and wreak havoc on their adversaries.

Perhaps nowhere has this method been so thoroughly and pervasively applied than in Iran’s neighbour Iraq.

The one to gain most from the chaos that has become the norm in Iraq since the coalition invasion and the subsequent toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime nearly seventeen years ago has been without a doubt, Tehran. Seeing the opportunity to gain power within its historic rival, Iran made incredible headway in recent years gaining control within Iraq and its ruling institutions.
 
To do this, Iran has capitalized on Iraq’s long-time fundamental weakness: factional tensions.

The modern borders of Iraq contain dozens of religious and ethnic groups, broken down further into over one hundred traditional tribes. Making things even more complicated is the religious divide, most strongly expressed in the two major factions of Islam, the Sunni and Shiite.

The current Iranian regime has always sought to brand itself as the leader of the Shiite world. Playing this role has been a central factor in its Iraq strategy. The first step of Iran’s program of control was the support of Shiite militias in the country, support that came in the form of weapons, funding, logistical assistance, and training. These militias have been operating with Tehran’s assistance for over a decade, and the Ayatollah’s support over that period has amounted to no less than $16 billion according to US government sources.

Iran’s actions in Iraq have not stopped with bankrolling militants. For several years now, Iran has been redirecting its proxies from simply being fighting groups to operating as political influencers. During this period Iran has managed to infiltrate the Iraqi government by thrusting their militia members into high positions within Iraq’s parliament, mimicking their years-long program in Lebanon of inserting Hezbollah members into positions of political power.   
  
These tactics have been highly successful. So ensconced is Iran in Iraq’s affairs that Iranian officers have, for all practical purposes, free rein across key institutions of the state. Today, Iranian agents and officers are central to much of the country’s decision-making.

What should be done to eradicate Iranian influence?



The motives for Iran’s actions in Iraq are clear and simple: it is in Iran’s best interest to perpetuate ethnic and religious divides in the country. Ongoing schisms between factions prevent any cohesive political initiative focused on the betterment of Iraq as a whole. This has led to a situation in which Iraq, at every level of its society, from the military to the political, remains weak and therefore controllable.
 
The only solution to Iraq’s current predicament is the promotion of broad-based pro-sovereignty movements in the country.

The existence of non-factional political movements advocating for unity and independence has been a reality in Iraq for over a decade.

Under the umbrella of the Sovereignty Alliance for Iraq, groups like the Najafa Brothers, the National Wisdom Movement led by Ammar al-Hakim, and the National Independent Iraqi Front, a mixed Shia and Sunni organization, strive to replace Iran under the banner of sovereignty and anti-sectarianism.

The desire to achieve sovereignty has gained renewed international attention as of late due to the mass protests that have erupted across Iraq, which has been one of the most important events in the country’s history.

The pro-sovereignist groups all espouse a similar message, one evolving around the rejection of what many protest leaders have called the “political clientelism” rampant in their country. Equally loathed by the groups is the fact that so many of Iraq’s public officials are beholden to foreign powers, a reality that constitutes a “betrayal by the political elite.”

Only by supporting and strengthening these elements in the Iraqi political scene can stakeholders hope to see the country freed from Iranian clutches. 

How will this benefit the region?



Iraq achieving real freedom from Iranian influence will bring a slew of benefits in its wake, not just for Iraqis but for the region as a whole, and indeed the entire international community.

First is a security consideration. With Iran out of positions of power, the single biggest driver of sectarian violence will be removed from the country. Improvements to security will reach other countries as well. This is for the simple reason that Iran currently uses Iraq as an asset in perpetuating its operations throughout the region.

For instance, Iranian-sponsored militias use corridors from Iraq leading to Syria and Lebanon for moving men and guns to proxy forces. Dislodging Iran from Iraq means substantially weakening the Ayatollah’s proxies, from the Lebanon’s Hezbollah to the Yemen’s Huthi rebels. 

From a socio-economic perspective as well, there is nothing more essential for Iraq than ridding themselves of Iranian influence. With Iran gone, Iraqis will be able to focus their resources on building up their own society, from business to critical infrastructure.

A prosperous Iraq will not only be a great benefit for its own citizens but will also, with time, become an essential partner and asset to its neighbors and the world.

With enough support for pro-sovereign forces in the country, this vision of a new Iraq can and will become a reality.

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