Originally published on the CGS blog on June 10, 2009.
On June 10th, 2009, the U.S. Institute of Peace hosted Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, Dr. Rafe’ Al-‘Eissawi, in a discussion on Iraq’s future following the
phased withdrawal of U.S. troops by the end of 2011.
It was apparent that Iraq had many challenges to face as a rebuilding country. Dr. Al-‘Eissawi acknowledged that Iraq had a long way to go in many areas, including bolstering women’s rights, constitutional reform, and integrating various factions politically and militarily. Security concerns were paramount, and he expressed that Iraq had the ability to defend itself from internal threats. However, his only comment on defending his country from international foes was that, post-reform, Iraq would not pose a threat in the international community. That said, he explained the need to take advantage of the new momentum of the recent, reasonably successful provincial elections by shifting the focus from the military to the political arena. He welcomed U.S. support in Iraq’s rebuilding process, but stressed that the relationship between the two countries should now focus on strategy rather than security. He lamented that sectarian fractures continue to impede the political process and assimilation projects, but plans to reshape the system so that it is based on strong, democratic institutions rather than on individual power and nepotism. He also understood the challenges of funding the reconstruction in light of falling oil prices, but stated that a new national investment map was being framed to address this. Dr. Al-‘Eissawi was pleased with the fall of the dictatorship, military focus and tight central control that defined the Iraqi regime for decades and expressed every hope of making the most of this new opportunity to build a unified nation based on national consensus, rather than the provincial interests of narrow groups.
-Nora Conklin and Komal Hiranandani
