Iraqi politicians have come together to choose a new prime minister — Mohammed Allawi. If Allawi lives up to his reputation, his premiership will be an injection of much needed hope for the Middle Eastern nation.
Iraq continues to rumble on under mass protests. Its citizens have been caught between competing United States and Iranian power politics.
But Allawi’s first priority, and that which has earned him kingmaker cleric Muqtada al Sadr’s support, is his anti-corruption effort. Thanks to a culture of crony sectarianism fostered by former prime ministers Ibrahim al Jaafari and Nouri al Maliki, Iraqi politics have rotted for the past fifteen years. With ministries divvied up between various sectarian political blocs, productive economic policy and critical public services have been subjugated to corruption. Former Prime Minister Haider al Abadi attempted to address these issues, but he was stymied by Iran. Outgoing Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi has proven himself too weak to act.
This is a tragedy that serves no one but the kleptocrats themselves and Iran. Tehran recognizes that its influence over Iraqi politics depends on Baghdad’s dependence on bribery and coercion and the avoidance of good government.
But Allawi has built his political career as an ardent opponent of corruption. A two-time former minister in Maliki’s administration, Allawi resigned both times in protest at endemic corruption. Since then, he has spent his time pursuing his business interests and blogging. A big focus of Allawi’s blog has been his offer of proposals to reduce government corruption, attract foreign investment, and strengthen the economy.
One standout post comes from Allawi’s visit to Virginia last December. Speaking to Iraqi expatriates, Allawi outlined his vision for Iraq. He began by noting how, since 2003, out of “every four dollars spent on electricity, only one dollar was spent on [actual] electricity and the other three dollars were either stolen or went to waste.” This is an important point in that protesters are furious over Iraq’s sustaining power and utility shortages. Allawi also documented the problems with corruption in the electoral commission, inspector generals office, and economic-related ministries.
On that latter point, Allawi explained how “many corrupt people have been appointed to investment agencies, so an investment transaction cannot take its course unless huge amounts of money are paid to the corrupt. One transaction takes between six months to a year and a half, so investment projects are disrupted, so it is natural for people to stop investing and establish industrial projects in the agricultural and service industries in a way that suits the ability of Iraq. So it is natural for unemployment to spread.”
To his credit, Allawi also recognizes Iraq’s dependence on oil exports in the context of systemic global oil price declines. Allawi addressed this issue in another blog post, calling for diversification of the economy. He wants to make Baghdad’s international airport into a global transit hub. This kind of thinking will interest foreign investors impressed by similar economic reforms underway in Saudi Arabia.
Allawi finished his speech with an homage to Ayatollah Ali al Sistani. It’s another hopeful point of note. That’s because Sistani is now quietly despised by Iran for his support of the current protest movement, and his centering of Iraqi Shiite school in national patriotism and multisectarianism, rather than under Khomeinism’s imperial sectarianism.
Yes, while they’re welcoming his premiership at the moment, Iran and its proxies will offer Allawi maximal opposition to any serious reform. He may fail and find himself forced out of office as a result. But if Allawi proves himself a man of his word, then he deserves international support as he seeks to stabilize his nation and secure a better future for its people.
