By Denis Korkodinov – Interview with Adel Muhsen Al Maalke
On January 24, 2020, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi residents took part in the “Resistance March” in order to withdraw American troops from the country. The organizer of the event was Sheikh Muktad al-Sadr, who launched a wide anti-American campaign after the Kuds commander Qassem Soleimani and his comrades were killed. The idea of the clergyman was to force the US to withdraw its troops not only from Iraq, but also from the region as a whole through mass action. However, the situation is complicated by the fact that Washington is not determined to limit its military presence. For this reason, the “Resistance March” in Iraq may turn into a perpetual action.
Especially for World Geostrategic Insights, we talked about this with a member of the executive body of the Union of Journalists of Iraq, the president of the Iraqi electronic press network, Adel Muhsen Al Maalke.
1. On January 24, 2020, in Baghdad, in accordance with the appeal of the leader of the “Mahdi Army”, Sheikh Muktada al-Sadr, a multi-million dollar “Resistance March” aimed at the expulsion of American troops from Iraq took place. The decision was made as a result of an international conference held yesterday in the Iranian city of Quma, where Muktada al-Sadr, together with representatives of the Iraqi militia, announced a new stage in the struggle for the freedom of Iraq. In this regard, will Sheikh Muktad al-Sadr able to expel US forces from Iraq through the Resistance March? How do supporters of Muktada al-Sadr intend to neutralize the unrest that was triggered by the actions of the Iraqi “jokers” from January 19, 2020 to the present?
ADIL MUHSEN AL MAALKE: The “resistance march” was organized in Iraq, despite the pressure from the pro-American forces present in our country and abroad. Iraq will not abandon its goal of expelling US forces in any way. The Iraqi people have such a right on the basis of a decision of the parliament, which voted on the withdrawal of all foreign military forces from Iraq.
There is no doubt that the “Resistance March”, organized in accordance with the call of the venerable Sheikh Muktada al-Sadr, received a wide response throughout the region, since its participants represent the majority of the Iraqi people.
As for whether Iraq has the opportunity to drive Americans out of the region, the answer will be yes. The Iraqi people have vast experience in the armed struggle against the Islamic State. Therefore, we will give a decisive rebuff to the American troops, as a result of which they run the risk of heavy losses.
All those who impede the “Resistance March” are people who do not understand what is happening in the country. Most likely, they will not be able to suppress popular anger and defend the American military presence in the region.
2. On January 20, 2020, the deadline provided by the participants of the protest rallies to the government for fulfilling the requirements of reforming the political system expired in Iraq. And this was the beginning of a new stage in the Iraqi protest movement. In this regard, what changes have occurred in the protest movement in Iraq? Has it become more radical and uncontrollable? Have new protesters and leaders emerged? How will the protest movement in Iraq develop further?
ADIL MUHSEN AL MAALKE: The protesters took steps to escalate the conflict immediately after the expiration of the time allotted to the government to reform the political system of Iraq. In addition, the demonstrators were dissatisfied with the fact that the issue of early elections has still not been resolved. In addition to deteriorating quality of life and rising inflation in the country, the inertia of the Iraqi government has become a real disaster. This determines why the protest movement in Iraq again received an additional impetus.
Meanwhile, the concept of radicalism or total reform is a contrived concept in the real world due to the existence of numerous and authoritarian parties and their many ties with neighboring countries (Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey and some Gulf countries), which is a serious obstacle for reform. In addition, there has still been no clarity regarding the protesters against specific representatives of the Iraqi political system, since most protesters are afraid to blame them openly.
In turn, due to the lack of new leaders and a new agenda, the Iraqi protest movement is likely to decline. The resources of political protest are almost exhausted, and therefore, in the short term, everything should end, unless, of course, there are any new factors that cannot be foreseen at present.
3. On January 5, 2020, the Iraqi parliament voted to end military cooperation with the United States and expel American troops. However, the Federal Supreme Court has not yet made any decision regarding the withdrawal or stay of foreign forces from Iraq. At least, that’s what the press secretary of the court, Iyas al-Samuk, said. What does this mean? How important is the decision of the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court regarding the withdrawal of foreign military units from Iraq? Can the Iraqi parliament and government ignore the inaction of the Federal Supreme Court?
ADIL MUHSEN AL MAALKE: The decision of the Iraqi parliament on the withdrawal of foreign troops is binding on the current (resigned) government, which should take appropriate measures and develop mechanisms for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq. At the same time, the competence of the Federal Supreme Court does not include the adoption of decisions regarding issues of international cooperation, since this is the prerogative of the parliament and government. Based on this, the intervention of Iraqi federal judges in the discussion process on the withdrawal of foreign troops cannot be taken into account. For this reason, the words of the court spokesman, Iyas al-Samuk, should not be taken seriously.
4. According to Badr al-Ziyadi, a member of the Security and Defense Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, Baghdad intends to form a delegation from the legislative and executive authorities in the near future to visit Russia, China and Ukraine in order to conclude agreements on the supply of modern systems to protect Iraq’s airspace and complete the installation of modern thermal imaging cameras at the border. In this regard, are the protests in Iraq connected with the attempts of their organizers to prevent the conclusion of military agreements between Baghdad, on the one hand, and Moscow, Beijing and Kiev, on the other hand? How likely is it that Iraq, under pressure from protests, may refuse to develop relations with foreign partners in the military? The upcoming visit of the Iraqi delegation to Russia and China is understandable, since Moscow and Beijing are the leading regional players in the Middle East. But why did Baghdad choose Ukraine? What can Ukraine offer Iraq?
ADIL MUHSEN AL MALIKI: After the US refused to arm the Iraqi army and made it need the presence of foreign forces, including the US, to fight ISIS, it was necessary to make a decision to diversify the sources of weapons, and this annoyed the Americans in Iraq. However, the government of official Baghdad is steadily continuing cooperation with its international partners, and, above all, Russia and China. The interests of our countries are mutual, because Iraq needs modern security systems, while Moscow and Beijing need the energy resources that Baghdad has.
As for Ukraine, today it has large stockpiles of weapons supplied from the USA, Israel and left over from the former Soviet Union, but at the same time it has a significant shortage of gas and oil. Iraq is ready to help reduce this deficit in exchange for weapons.
Image Credit: AFP