American report monitors Turkish-Iranian competition in Iraq

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[size=52]American report monitors Turkish-Iranian competition in Iraq[/size]

[size=45]The American Stimson Institute wondered whether the recent security agreement concluded between Iraq and Turkey would lead to a reduction in Iranian influence in Iraq, considering that the agreement reflects Ankara's long-standing desire to get rid of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, and Baghdad's desire to obtain water and achieve economic development.
After the American report said that Iraq's neighbors, Turkey and Iran, have historically competed for influence in Iraq, it referred to the memorandum of understanding signed between Ankara and Baghdad in the Turkish capital, after the historic visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Iraq last April, as by classifying the Kurdistan Workers' Party as a banned organization, Turkey seeks to legitimize its cross-border military operations and strengthen its presence in Iraqi politics and security.
According to the report, Turkey, which opposes the aspirations of its large Kurdish minority, has been carrying out cross-border military incursions targeting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) since the 1980s, adding that the party’s designation as a “common threat” and a “banned organization” indicates an attempt to legitimize and raise the level of Ankara’s “war on terror.”
However, the report pointed out that this Turkish-Iraqi agreement did not pass without controversy, as the memorandum of understanding was criticized by the Iraqi militias loyal to Iran, noting at the same time that the new deal was partly motivated by the “strategic water agreement” concluded between Iraq and Turkey, as water has long been a source of dispute between the two countries, as Baghdad says that Turkish dams are causing its water levels to decline, while Ankara believes that Iraq must develop its old irrigation infrastructure in order to achieve better water efficiency.
In addition, the report noted that the security memorandum of understanding comes in conjunction with the massive $17 billion economic project between Turkey and Iraq that aims to create a vital corridor between Asia and Europe via Turkey called the “Development Road.”
The report saw that Turkey’s acquisition of a strong foothold for its industry in the Middle East would allow it to expand its market share and boost production and profits, which would help reduce inflation, increase job opportunities, and strengthen the economic foundations on which it is based.
Strategically, for Erdogan, the “Development Road” project could help Turkey and Baghdad undermine Kurdish autonomy aspirations to weaken the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
After noting that Turkish influence in Iraq under Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship was strong through multiple investments and large trade volumes, the report added that since the US intervention in 2003 and the overthrow of Saddam’s regime, Iran has sought to consolidate its presence in Iraqi politics, supporting more than ten political parties in addition to financing and training allied military factions.
While the report noted the rise of the Popular Mobilization Forces as an Iranian-allied force, the militias’ anger at the US military presence, and groups such as the Iraqi Hezbollah’s harsh criticism of the “Development Road” project, it noted that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had already announced that the Popular Mobilization Forces supported the new security memorandum of understanding and its description of the ban on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
The report continued: “Iran has historically benefited from a network of proxies, such as Shiite militias and other non-state actors, to exert its influence in Iraq,” adding at the same time that Turkish-Iraqi relations were largely driven by disagreements over Turkish military incursions, water rights, and the sale of oil from the Kurdistan Region, a move that Baghdad considers illegal, while the Iraqi government responded by suspending federal payments to employees in the region.
The report added that Turkey has overtaken Iran in recent years as a major source of commercial goods to Iraq, noting that Turkish companies have invested in numerous construction and infrastructure projects across Iraqi cities, including in the energy, water, and petrochemical sectors.
The report concluded by saying that Turkey also has extensive influence in northern Iraq, where it competes with Iran, as each supports different Kurdish political parties, while Sinjar, home to the Yazidi minority, has become a center of intrigue and conflict, and serves as a strategic battleground for a variety of states, armed factions, and spies.
The report added: While Turkey and Iran have emerged as the dominant powers in Sinjar, Turkey is also focusing on oil-rich Mosul, Kirkuk and Dohuk.[/size]
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