Dopo quasi due mesi di interrogazioni parlamentari e dopo quattro di incessabili proteste che hanno destabilizzato Baghdad e i territori meridionali del Paese, l’Iraq ha finalmente un nuovo primo ministro in grado di prendere in mano le redini della situazione. Il suo nome è Mohammed Allawi: rappresentante della popolazione sciita e veterano della politica irachena post destituzione di Saddam Hussein, nella sua carriera ha ricoperto due volte l’incarico di ministro alle comunicazioni. Tuttavia, nessuna delle due volte l’incarico è durato sino alla scadenza del mandato a causa delle sue dimissioni, dovute ai contrasti con il resto del gabinetto e causate dalle nomine dei collaboratori, scelti a suo dire per conoscenza e non per le loro reali capacità. La nomina della sua figura è stato un chiaro segnale lanciato dal presidente del Paese, Barham Saleh, nei confronti della popolazione dell’Iraq.

Lotta alla corruzione ed elezioni anticipate

Come affermato nella conferenza stampa televisiva e riportato dalla testata giornalistica The Guardian, il perno al quale ruota il suo incarico è identificato nella stabilizzazione dell’attuale situazione del Paese che, con il suo iterarsi, sta danneggiando anche l’economia stessa dell’Iraq. Per fare questo, secondo Allawi, è necessario combattere la corruzione che tedia il Paese da oltre 15 anni, cercare il dialogo con la popolazione manifestante per far rientrare la crisi e soprattutto mettere il Paese nelle condizioni di andare al voto nel più breve tempo possibile. Il suo compito, dunque, è quello di traghettatore verso la prossima consultazione elettorale che potrà definire una figura più vicina alle volontà della popolazione irachena.

Il distacco tra i rappresentanti politici e la popolazione è infatti aumentato notevolmente negli ultimi anni, con il 2019 che, sotto il governo di Adel Abel Mahdi, ha segnato il culmine dei malumori della popolazione. La nomina della figura di Allawi, dato anche il suo passato non sempre allineato neppure con i suoi compagni di partito, è stata un tentativo di apertura nei confronti della popolazione: ipotesi che è stata comunque respinta a gran voce dai partecipanti alle proteste, che non vedono in lui una figura di svolta.

Dopo quattro mesi di proteste, Allawi si ritrova un’Iraq profondamente diverso rispetto a quello scorso anno, con il rischio che la situazione continui a peggiorare ulteriormente. In assenza di misure drastiche e repentine per far rientrare la proteste, la quasi totalità dell’apparato pubblico dei territori confinanti con l’Iran e l’economia della regione rischiano la totale distruzione, con l’orizzonte di lunghi anni di lavoro per riportare la situazione allo stadio iniziale.

Le richieste del popolo iracheno

Dopo la destituzione di Saddam e la crisi legata alla nascita dello Stato islamico nel Nord del Paese, il popolo iracheno ha vissuto perennemente sotto la presenza di forze militari straniere, interpretata a tutti gli effetti come un’occupazione militare. L’appoggio governativo alle mosse militari estere nei confini dell’Iraq hanno spinto il popolo a vedere il governo centrale come complice degli interessi stranieri, allontanando il ceto politico dalla popolazione del Paese. In questo scenario, le recenti escalation di tensioni tra Stati Uniti d’America e Iran hanno peggiorato ulteriormente i rapporti tra il governo centrale e la fazione sciita, rendendo la spaccatura ormai inconciliabile.

Le richieste del popolo sono tanto semplici quanto chiare: gli Usa devono andarsene dalla regione ed insieme a loro tutto l’attuale ceto politico dirigente, invischiato con gli interessi di Washington in Medio Oriente. Una qualsiasi soluzione intermedia, allo stato attuale, non può essere interpretata come un’apertura verso le richieste dei manifestanti, aumentando le possibilità che anche il governo di Allawi alla fine non possa che avere vita molto breve.

L'articolo L’Iraq ha un nuovo governo. Ma continuano le proteste proviene da InsideOver.

Thousand of Iraqis attacked and disrupted the US embassy in Baghdad Dec. 31 in protest against a US airstrike that reportedly killed 25 members of the Iranian-backed Shiite militia Kataib Hezbollah. The US government is now sending additional soldiers. Protesters marched through checkpoints that regulate access to the highly secured Green Zone in the city, shouted “America is the Great Satan,” burned US flags and hoisted the yellow flags of Hezbollah in front of the walls of the embassy.

US Embassy Staff Are Reportedly Safe

US Ambassador to Iraq Matthew Tueller and his staff have been brought to safety under Iraqi government protection. Only a few security forces at the embassy were left behind as dozens of supporters of the Iraqi-Shiite militia stormed the area.

Iraqi security forces had tried unsuccessfully to stop the demonstrators. When water bottles were thrown and surveillance cameras destroyed, the teams withdrew. In the city center of Baghdad, which is home to numerous ministries and embassies, further demonstrators gathered and tried to march towards the US embassy. Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi urged people to withdraw immediately. Any aggression against foreign representations will be severely punished, he said.

As early as Sunday night Dec. 29, protests against the USA took place in the predominantly Shiite cities of Basra and Najaf. Just as in Baghdad, demonstrators set fire to US flags and shouted anti-American slurs. Similar scenes were reported from Kirkuk in the north.

US Sec Def Esper: Necessary Measures Will Be Taken

In response to the anti-US actions rocking the country, the US military sent additional troops to secure diplomatic representation in the country. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper announced that measures would be taken to ensure the safety of US citizens, diplomats, and military personnel. He made no statement about how many soldiers and what equipment would be sent as reinforcements, although 100 US Marines and two Apache helicopters were deployed to the embassy area in Baghdad Tuesday night.

US Secretary of State Pompeo made calls to the Iraqi leadership vowing that the US government would “protect and defend” its citizens in Iraq. Both Iraqi Prime Minister Mahdi and President Barham Salih have reportedly assured Pompeo that Iraq takes its responsibility seriously to ensure the security of US troops and facilities.

President Trump’s Reaction

Meanwhile, President Trump blamed Iran for the riots in a tweet saying the Iranians would be “held fully responsible.” The alleged triggers of the current riots are the US airstrikes the previous week when the Kataib Hezbollah militia in Iraq and Syria was bombed. Twenty-five casualties and fifty injured individuals were reported by the group. The militia backed by Iran has announced it will retaliate for the attacks.

The Pentagon said the US airstrikes were a response to a rocket attack on a military facility near Kirkuk in northern Iraq, in which an employee of a company commissioned by the US Department of Defense was killed on Friday. Washington considers the Hezbollah brigades to be responsible for the attack.

The Tense Situation In Iraq Just Got Even Tenser

The embassy in Baghdad is the largest US embassy worldwide and was officially opened in January 2009. In May, the State Department temporarily withdrew some of its embassy staff and consulate staff in Erbil in northern Iraq due to security concerns. Soon after, in September, the Baghdad embassy was also hit by two rockets in an apparent terrorist attack.

The embassy attacks and protests occur amid a tense situation between the US and Iran but also demonstrate that sixteen years after the US liberated Iraq from the dictatorial reign of Saddam Hussein, resentments and hate towards the US remain strong in the region. At the same time, fraternization with terrorist groups like Hezbollah remains a part of Iraq’s modern political landscape.

L'articolo US Embassy In Baghdad Under Siege proviene da InsideOver.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi has just announced his resignation amid raging protests across Iraqi cities and deadly clashes between security forces and protesters who burned down the Iranian consulate yesterday and insisted on the removal of the current Iraqi government and the prosecution of its corrupt political elite. Hundreds of protesters have been killed over the past few weeks, and thousands have been injured as a result of the heavy-handed response to massive popular unrest that has disrupted life and brought the country to a virtual halt. Tens of thousands of Iraqis have taken to the streets in protest of poor living standards, political high-level and large-scale corruption and the plundering of the national wealth of one of the richest Arab countries. Turmoil in the country has claimed the lives of 45 new victims in Iraq’s mainly-Shiite southern provinces over the past 24 hours only, in one of the bloodiest days so far since protests broke out eight weeks ago. The scene in Iraq is fast becoming a replica, albeit more costly in terms of human life, of the ongoing unrest in Lebanon – now in its fifth-week running – where the prime minister and his cabinet had little choice but to resign under mounting popular pressure.

Has al Sadr tipped balance, forced PM’s resignation?

Adel Abdel Mahdi’s statement of his intention to submit his resignation to the Iraq parliament following the bloody clashes and a call by the influential Shiite cleric Muqtada Al Sadr for a change. Sadr, who visited Saudi Arabia two years ago at an official invitation by Saudi Crown Prince MBS, and forged controversial ties with Riyadh, has millions of supporters in Iraq and has long been believed to be a power broker that could tip the balance in protesters’ favour any time he wanted. The situation in Iraq has entered what many observers consider its most dangerous phase since the downing by the Americans of Saddam Hussein’s regime 16 years ago. Although Iraq has undergone previous anti-government upheavals over the past decade, this uprising is by far the most effective and potentially dangerous revolt that could throw the country into more chaos and unrest.

Many anti-Saudi and pro-Iranian Iraqis have expressed deep concern and profound suspicion over Sadr’s agenda and his real motives for change, especially in light of some controversial statements he made following his landmark visit to Saudi Arabia in August 2017 and meeting with Saudi strongest man, Mohammad Bin Salman. The visit was seen then as an apparent Saudi ploy against Iran’s strong influence in Iraq, and an attempt to split the ranks of Iraq’s Shiite community and spiritual leadership. Al Sadr comes from a prime Shiite family, and his father was among many top clerics who were detained and later executed or assassinated by Saddam Hussein’s regime. Muqtada took over his responsibilities after his father, the Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir Al Sadr and brothers were assassinated, and fast became one of Iraq’s most influential religious and popular figures despite competition with other prominent Shiite leaders including Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim who was exiled to Iran.

Messages of burning the Iranian consulate in Najaf?

The storming by angry Iraqi protesters Thursday night and setting ablaze of the Iranian consulate in the Holy Shiite city of al Najaf was no ordinary incident. Although no Iranian diplomats were injured in the attack, the mere targeting of Tehran’s symbolic presence there, sent a very strong message in various directions, and took violent riots to a completely new level. The Iraqi government was quick to condemn the attack, Iran was understandably outraged and protesters considered the incident a major victory against Iran’s strong influence in their country. The Iranian Consulate General in Najaf is a very busy diplomatic mission, with a pivotal role regarding the holiest Shiite sites there as well as the annual pilgrimage of millions of Shiites from all over the world to the Holy city of Najaf. Some sacred Shiite shrines in the city also came under arson attacks Thursday.

The riots in Najaf and elsewhere in Iraq quickly morphed into some of the bloodiest clashes in Iraq’s revolt so far and culminated in Sadr’s call for change and the Prime Minister’s resignation. Protesters are not happy with just a simple resignation; they demand the prosecution of Mahdi and other politician they had long accused of corruption, and now with blood on their hands, protesters insist. The fast-moving political sands in Iraq made much more precarious by conflicting agendas and affiliations in a country torn by consecutive wars, invasion and upheavals, are set to throw Iraq deeper into the unknown. What will happen after the cabinet resignation, and whether this is enough to stop the sweeping uprising or not, remain some of the many open questions regarding a country- once a cradle for human civilization at large – whose more history has been marred with wars, oppression, violence and bloodshed.

L'articolo Iraqi Prime Minister Resigns as Protests Rage Out of Control proviene da InsideOver.

Six days of unrest have left over 100 people dead and thousands injured, as protests and violence have raged with the ongoing Iraqi conflict. On Sunday, 12 anti-government demonstrators were killed in the capital, Baghdad, with seemingly no end in sight.

Interior Ministry Spokesman, Major General Saad Maan, said on state TV that 104 people – which included 8 security force members – had died and over 6,100 were wounded during the past week of fighting. He claimed that “malicious hands” were behind targeting both protesters and security members, yet witnesses at the scene said that they saw security forces shooting at the groups of protestors.

The protests, which started last Tuesday in Baghdad, initially began peacefully but were further ignited by social media with demands for the authorities to address political corruption and the worrying decline of Iraq’s previously oil-rich economy. With thousands congregating, the gatherings soon became violent, with reports that security personnel released teargas and live rounds of ammunition into the crowds.

Yet, in a dramatic turn of events, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, for the first time admitted on Monday that the authorities had used excessive force in their measures to placate the masses. According to the WSJ, in an attempt to prevent revenge killings against the military, the Iraqi government has recognised those killed in the protests as martyrs – a legal designation that gives their families compensation. The government is also assisting those injured, and in some instances, flying them to other countries for medical care. It is also hoped that this new move might avert attention from the continuing fight against any remnants of Islamic State since the group’s collapse in Iraq in 2017.

The paper further claimed that on Monday, leaders announced that they would stop the use of deadly force against protesters and promised new social assistance in an effort to quell the mobs and violence. Iraqi authorities stated that there would be a 4.5 trillion ($3.7 billion) program to help families and unemployed people, which comes as a response to the public’s demands for better welfare and job opportunities. Yet, economists have argued that such pledges could simply exacerbate the social issues, which began because of erratic high spending, low non-oil economic growth, and government corruption.

Last year, the government had promised to find a solution to these issues, yet little has since been done. After coming to power in 2018, Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, has continued to create a divide between the elite and ordinary classes and by some accounts, appeared to be even more driven by political class when compared to previous leaders.

The Iraqi people are not just demanding the removal of a government that has continuously not served their best interest, but insisting for a change to a political system that has existed since Saddam Hussein’s rule ended in 2003. It has been one that paved the way for leaders to abuse public funds for their own personal wealth and merits, instead of siphoning it into the general public, who desperately need it.

Meanwhile, across the border in Iran, the riots were closely monitored and regarded as a plot to further complicate the strained relationship between the two countries. Since the war between both nations from 1980 to 1988, Iran’s clout in Iraq has increased after Saddam Hussein was ousted in 2003.

“Enemies seek to sow discord but they’ve failed & their conspiracy won’t be effective,” wrote Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on his office’s Twitter account. “Iran and Iraq are two nations whose hearts & souls are tied together…This bond will grow stronger day by day.”

By Monday evening, the streets of Baghdad were a little more subdued with a smattering of protestors who remained – burning tyres and demanding that those responsible for the weekend’s killings be handed over. There is uncertainty about what lies ahead for the troubled oil-rich country, with some being hopeful about the government’s latest promises. Outside the capital, Iraqis have agreed to postpone further protests until Oct. 20 – a religious holiday held in memory of the death of Hussein who was revered by Shia Muslims.

L'articolo Iraqi Unrest Continues As Over 100 Dead and Thousands Wounded proviene da InsideOver.

Cairo- Speculation is rife on whether Egypt will step in to provide Jordan with its full natural gas needs, after the Jordanian parliament called for revoking a 2016 natural gas import deal with Israel.

A majority of parliament members led a motion in the Jordanian parliament on March 26 to force the national electricity company to nullify the deal which is expected to come into effect early next year. The motion causes embarrassment to King Abdullah II of Jordan whose government believes that importing gas from nearby sources will save a lot of money. Nevertheless, Jordanian lawmakers say principles are far more important than money.

“Our government has decided to buy the gas from a country that occupies the land of other peoples,” said Jordanian lawmaker Tareq Khouri. “We would be paying billions of dollars to a country that steals the natural resources of another people, namely the Palestinian people.”

The motion inside the Jordanian came only a few hours after King Abdullah wrapped up a visit to the Egyptian capital Cairo where he met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi. Talks between the three focused on economic cooperation, with Iraq preparing for reconstruction, after the liberation of its northwestern provinces from the control of by the Islamic State (IS) group.

Iraq is allocating tens of billions of dollars for reconstruction – partly from donations from the international community – to make up for the destruction wrought on its northwestern provinces during IS occupation and also during the liberation war. Egypt and Jordan also want to be part of the reconstruction process.

The Middle East region braces, meanwhile, for the post-Israeli election period. Benjamin Netanyahu, who will likely form the new government in Israel, has vowed to annex most of the West Bank to Israel. This will kill the two-state solution and put an end to Palestinian statehood dreams. Political observers in the region also expect US President Donald Trump to unveil his blueprint for settling the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the coming few days. Trump’s advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner travelled to the region several times in the past months to garner support for the blueprint, known as the “Deal of the Century”.

According to media reports, King Abdullah asked the US administration not to count on him in passing the expected deal. This leaves Jordan out of future arrangements in the region. Revoking the natural gas import deal with Israel will likely isolate it even more.

Most likely in an attempt to kill the motion, the Jordanian government referred the whole vote to the constitutional court for a final verdict. Jordan consumes 330 million cubic feet of gas every day, around 15% of which comes from Egypt through a pipeline between the two countries, whilst the rest comes from international markets.

In September 2016, Jordan signed a deal with a US-Israeli consortium for the supply of 45 billion cubic feet of gas over 15 years. The deal is worth $10 billion. Israeli gas should start flowing into Jordan early next year if the deal remains intact.
Jordan said in November last year that it hoped to raise imports from Egypt to 50% of its needs.

Egypt started exporting gas to Jordan in September last year, almost eight years after exports to the Hashemite kingdom stopped because of attacks on the pipeline carrying the Egyptian gas to both Jordan and Israel in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula.  The resumption of exports to Jordan is only part of the overall plan for the return of Egyptian gas to international markets, with the populous Arab state achieving self-sufficiency and production surpluses.

Egypt, which consumes 6.2 billion cubic feet of gas every day, now produces 6.8 billion cubic feet every day. Production is expected to rise in the coming months with production from new discoveries coming online.

“Egyptian gas will be less costly to Jordan than what it buys from other countries,” Jordanian economist Khaled al-Zubaidi said. “Egypt used to provide Jordan with 250 million cubic feet of gas every day before the export suspension in 2011.”

L'articolo Jordanian MPs Vote Against Gas Imports from Israel proviene da InsideOver.