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Further Reading

FOREIGN RELATIONS

For over 3 decades, Iraq's standing in the international community was steadily eroded by the disastrous foreign policy of the former regime. The tyranny Saddam Hussein inflicted upon the Iraqi people extended to Iraq's international relations through catastrophic wars, a blatant disregard for international law, support for international terrorism and the proliferation of WMD. In the Middle East, Saddam Hussein agitated violence, intimidated Iraq's neighbours, fomented regional instability and continued to pose a dangerous threat to the rest of the world.

With the fall of Saddam Hussein and the Ba'ath regime, Iraq has taken steps toward re-engagement on the international stage. Iraq currently has diplomatic representation in 54 countries around the world, including three permanent Missions to the United Nations in New York, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, and the Arab League in Cairo. Forty-three nations have diplomatic representation in Iraq.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is actively pursuing normalisation of diplomatic relations with the international community on the basis of cooperation and respect for mutual interests and international law. Our challenge is to promote and protect Iraq's interests through active participation in multilateral forums and initiatives, in all fields of political, economic, social and cultural exchange. The new Iraq is committed to abiding by international rules and the universal principles of human rights, democracy and good governance and we reject the illegal proliferation of WMD.

The priority is to stabilise the country and secure its borders as the government confronts international terrorism, intent on destabilising the democratic process and destroying progress towards peace and prosperity. The stability of Iraq has wider implications for regional security and failure to defeat this menace would have disastrous consequences reaching far beyond Iraq's borders. Iraq seeks to engage its neighbors in stemming the tide of terrorism through close cooperation on border security and is working alongside coalition partners to protect external frontiers and maintain stability inside the country. Iraq is making progress by building military, security and police capabilities, with the welcome assistance of a number of countries that are providing training programs, to empower Iraqis to take charge of their own security.

Iraq was one of the founding members of the Arab League in 1945. In September 2003, a delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by Minister Zebari, regained Iraq's seat at the 120th Session of the Arab League in Cairo. Iraq is fully committed to upholding and defending the charter of the Arab League and playing a vital role in all its agencies and institutions. We place great emphasis on strengthening multi-lateral relations in the Arab and Islamic domains and we actively promote friendly and beneficial relations between the Arab world and the international community.

The vital role of the United Nations in Iraq has always been welcomed by the Iraqi people, in particular its commitment to humanitarian programs which provided a lifeline to millions of Iraqis throughout the prolonged Iraq crisis under the former regime. The United Nations has issued three Security Council Resolutions on the future of Iraq since May 2003 (UNSCRs1483, 1500 and 1511), which provide a wide mandate for UN involvement in political, economic and administrative fields. The UN has an effective role to play in Iraq in humanitarian affairs, capacity building and democratic reform among other areas.

The goal of United States policy is the emergence of an Iraq that is sovereign, stable, and self-reliant. U.S. policy promotes a just, representative, and accountable Iraqi government. The Security Agreement and the Strategic Framework Agreement provide the basis for the development of U.S.-Iraq relations. When announcing the timeline for withdrawing American combat forces from Iraq, President Obama emphasized that the long-term solution to Iraq's problems must be political and that decisions about the country's future must be made by the Iraqis themselves. On August 31, 2010, the United States completed withdrawal of combat brigades in accordance with President Obama's timeline. The remaining U.S. forces (approximately 50,000 troops) will advise and assist in training and equipping Iraqi security forces, and will withdraw by the end of 2011 in accordance with the terms of the Security Agreement.

Senior Iraqi officials continue to focus on expanding their international engagement, but express wariness of undue outside influence in Iraq. On March 3, 2010, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointed an ambassador to Kuwait, its first since the 1990 Iraqi invasion. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has begun to assign its 58 newly trained ambassadors, but the process has proceeded at a slow pace due to the current transitional nature of the GoI. Observes expected the assignment of newly trained Iraqi ambassadors to increase after the seating of the new government.

The Iraqi government increased its efforts to garner regional and international support against the common threat of terrorism. The Expanded Neighbors Process continued to provide a forum to address political and security challenges. Continued participation provides an environment for Iraq to develop as a regional partner. In October 2009, the Iraqi government sent representatives to Egypt to participate in the sixth Neighbors Process working group on border security, in which the group sought ways to enhance and integrate border security systems in preparation for Iraq's 2010 parliamentary elections. Iraq also became a more active voice at the UN, advocating for international support as a means to combat terrorism in Iraq.

Iran’s multi-pronged strategy in Iraq consisted of political outreach, soft-power initiatives, and lethal support for surrogate groups. Iran continues to exert great influence in Iraq, although many senior Iraqi officials are privately pushing back against Iranian pressure and have limited Iran’s direct manipulation of Iraqi politics. Iran views influencing the seating of the new Iraqi government as critical in its efforts to balance U.S. influence in Iraq.

Concerned by Iraqiyya’s secular-Sunni plurality victory in the election, Iran wasted no time in hosting a meeting of leaders from both Shi’a-led coalitions and the Kurds in the days following the announcement of election results in late March 2010. Throughout the continuing period of seating the government, Iran focused its levers of influence, including economic, financial, religious, and potentially lethal aid to Iraqi insurgents, to shape Iraqi politics toward its own interests. Leveraging its strong economic and religious ties to the Iraqi Shi’a population, Iran has intervened to moderate disputes between Iraq and Syria.

Although Iraq’s public declaration of Syrian complicity in the August 2009 Baghdad bombings have complicated relations between Syria and Iraq and led to both nations recalling their ambassadors, there has been a slight improvement in relations as Iraq’s Sunni and Shi’a political elites have travelled to Damascus to discuss government formation. Although reduced public rhetoric and fewer negative media stories have helped reduce tensions, official relations between the two countries remain stalled, and were unlikely to improve significantly until the new Iraqi government is seated in late 2010.

The Iraq-Kuwait bilateral relationship continues to be overshadowed by Chapter VII concerns, but there are signs of progress towards normalized relations. The most striking example is the naming of an Iraqi Ambassador to Kuwait after a 20-year hiatus. This post had been vacant since 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait. According to Kuwaiti Under Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Khalid Al- Jarallah, the Kuwaiti government was pleased by the appointment of Mohammed Hussein, a man favorably known in Kuwait and sympathetic to their concerns. Pending official approval, the Ambassador will assume his post after the formation of the new Iraqi government. Under Secretary Al-Jarallah indicated that this appointment contributed to the Kuwaiti government’s belief that a positive trend was underway in Iraq that bodes favorably for the future of bilateral relations, and contributes to Kuwaiti optimism about the prospects of moving forward on contentious bilateral issues. He expressed appreciation for U.S. willingness to work with Kuwait in promoting more productive and neighborly relations with Iraq.

Although the Kuwaitis have indicated some willingness to reduce significantly the amount of compensation Iraq is paying under UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 687, they have insisted in return that the GoI reaffirm UNSCR 833 in its entirety, entailing acceptance of the land borders and maritime boundary between the two countries. Despite this, the Iraqi and Kuwaiti sides have continued to make significant progress cooperating on Kuwaiti missing persons and property. Chapter VII issues with Kuwait are likely to be resolved in the future, but remain a point of friction between the two countries. Like other politically sensitive issues, no movement is expected on this until after the new Iraqi government was seated.

Although relations between the GoI and Saudi Arabia remain strained, there are signs that the newly formed government will have more success in bringing Saudi Arabia to the table. After the elections on March 7, 2010, many of Iraq’s political leaders, including Jalal Talabani, Marsoud Barzani, Ammar al-Hakim, and Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi paid visits to Riyadh to discuss future cooperation between the two countries. Saudi Arabia has not yet reciprocated by naming an ambassador to Iraq, but may do so after the new Iraqi government is seated.

Relations between Turkey and Iraq are positive, though some contentious issues remain. Iraq has asked Turkey to increase the flow of water to Iraq along the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Conversely, Turkey maintains that the amount of water reaching Iraq from Turkey exceeds amounts Turkey is obligated to provide. Nonetheless, Turkish PM Erdogan agreed in October 2009 to consider increasing the water flow. On October 15, 2009, Turkey and Iraq signed 48 memoranda of understanding (MOU) covering areas of cooperation that included trade, interior affairs, and counter-terrorism (CT). Later, in October 2009, the Turkish Foreign Minister officially inaugurated the Turkish consulates general in Mosul and Basrah.

Also at the forefront of Turkish-Iraqi issues are the improved relations between Turkey and the KRG. Recently, KRG leadership denounced the violent actions of the anti-Turkish terrorist group – the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), also called Kongra Gel (KGK) – and encouraged them to disarm. Additionally, Turkey, Iraq, and USF-I have agreed to a trilateral action plan, which provides a framework to address the PKK/KGK. Turkey has increased its diplomatic outreach to the KRG, exemplified by the Turkish Foreign Minister’s late October 2009 visit, the mid-March 2010 establishment of a consulate in Irbil, and the hosting of KRG President Barzani in June 2010. Ankara and Irbil have also emphasized their shared economic interests in trade, tying the two closer together.