Twenty years since the $3 trillion war.. A Japanese newspaper criticizes Tokyo's loss of its role in

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[size=52]Twenty years since the $3 trillion war.. A Japanese newspaper criticizes Tokyo's loss of its role in Iraq[/size]

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A Japanese soldier within the international coalition forces in Iraq 2003
2023-04-21
The Japanese newspaper "Mainichi" criticized the absence of Japan's role in Iraq in particular and the Middle East in general, noting that Tokyo was in the past seen as the country that should play a role in Iraq instead of The United States, as an alternative to China, whose influence and presence in Iraq is growing.[/size]
[size=45]And after the Japanese report issued in English indicated that 20 years have passed since the invasion of Iraq by the George Bush administration, he pointed out that the war led to the emergence of a “Pandora’s box” of evils and problems at home and abroad, which causes the continuation of crises in international politics until now, in addition to causing The war has spread the roots of global terrorism by ISIS and other terrorist groups, in addition to exacerbating the refugee problem.[/size]
[size=45]In addition, the report said that the “three trillion dollar war,” as economist Joseph Stiglitz called it, Nobel Prize winner in economics, had great repercussions on the American economy, while the death toll in the war rose to more than 4,400 American soldiers, He contributed to the United States' decision to stop being "the world's policeman."[/size]
[size=45]In addition, the report dealt with how the sectarian conflict in Iraq erupted through the wounds caused by the war, and the establishment of regimes in Baghdad that relied heavily on Iran through the parties supported by it. He also touched on the Sunni-Shia conflict related to the fact that the Sunnis were considered supporters of the former regime of Saddam Hussein, and that they were in conflict with the new regime led by the Shiites, a conflict that had its shadows over the entire Middle East, as the expansion of Iranian hegemony in Iraq raised fears in Saudi Arabia.[/size]
[size=45]While he pointed out that Iraq was a “bulwark” against the export of the Iranian revolution and that the Gulf monarchies began to feel a loss of confidence in Washington, which was behind the removal of this “bulwark” through its invasion of Iraq, he said that Saudi Arabia has increased its military spending significantly since 2004. As it can no longer rely on its allies, it has no choice but to strengthen national defense on its own.[/size]
[size=45]The report dealt with the escalation of Saudi-Iranian tension, the emergence of ISIS and its control over a third of Iraq and Syria, then sending the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in a “cleaning campaign” against terrorism and the formation of the popular crowd militias according to the fatwa of the Shiite reference in Iraq, where it achieved great success in confronting terrorism, and the rise of the forces of the crowd Associated with close relations with Tehran, to the heart of Iraqi politics.[/size]
[size=45]After the report drew attention to the outbreak of conflicts in Yemen and Syria, and the Iranian and Saudi interference in them, which turned them into “proxy wars” between Tehran and Riyadh, and it was like a “cold war in the Middle East” that raised fears of exacerbation into a “hot war,” he said that the United States The United States did not play an influential role in this cold regional war.[/size]
[size=45]On the other hand, the report said that China played a major role in improving relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, recalling the announcement by the two countries on March 10 of a joint statement mediated by China, stressing the restoration of diplomatic relations between them.[/size]
[size=45]The report added, "It is undeniable that China's growing influence in the Middle East in recent years." However, he considered that “mediation by anyone, not necessarily by Beijing, could lead to an improvement in relations between them,” noting that Iraq and the Sultanate of Oman had made efforts to mediate between Riyadh and Tehran before, just as Saudi Arabia and the UAE were In contact with Iran from behind the scenes.[/size]
[size=45]However, the Japanese report considered that “the biggest problem is that the mediator could not have been the United States,” adding that the weakening dependence of the Gulf states on the United States appeared more clearly in the positions of the Gulf states on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as Saudi Arabia maintained , the largest oil producer in the world, is in relations with Russia to some degree, by refusing to increase its oil production as the United States asked it to put pressure on Moscow.[/size]
[size=45]And the report considered that it should be recalled that when there was a need for a party other than the United States in the past, Japan was the preferred alternative.[/size]
[size=45]In this context, the report stated that during the Iran-Iraq war, Japan had managed to maintain friendly relations with both Iraq and Iran, while Iran was one of the top 5 recipients of exports of Japanese construction projects in the two years preceding the Iranian revolution in 1979, and Iraq Between 1977 and 1981.[/size]
[size=45]In addition, Japan was during the eighties, in competition with France and Germany, for the first place in the foreign trade partnership with Iraq. The report continued that Japan, unlike France, which mainly exports weapons, was active in construction projects in the civil sector, construction of hospitals, roads and housing, and there were about 5 thousand Japanese businessmen present in Iraq before the war, and they have sufficient knowledge of Iraqi society.[/size]
[size=45]On the other hand, the report stated that US companies were not involved in Iraq before the 2003 war, and diplomatic relations between Baghdad and Washington only lasted for 6 years in the late eighties, adding that every failure in the US-led economic reconstruction efforts in Iraq was caused by Lack of experience in Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]"Expectations for Japan in post-war Iraq lie here," the report said, adding that Japan is familiar with the rich pre-war Iraq supported by a large middle class regardless of sect or clan.[/size]
[size=45]And the report continued, "Japan was once seen as the country that should play a role in Iraq and the Middle East instead of the United States."[/size]
[size=45]The report concluded by saying that "this role is currently played by China, and that the United States is withdrawing from the Middle East," adding that "it is unlikely that Japan's role, which it lost over the past two decades, will be easily restored."[/size]
[size=45]Translation: Shafak News Agency[/size]
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