May 14, 2021
The Economist magazine of London says Iraqis are becoming increasingly “fed up” with Iran and its political, economic and military meddling in Iraq.
In its March 27 issue, The Economist said, “Public sentiment in Iraq has turned. The masses who cheered Iran as a liberator increasingly see it as an occupying power. Iraqi politicians are trying to loosen its grip.”
It acknowledged that Iranian-backed militias still hold sway in much of Iraq, but said the militias recognize their eroding public support and “have lowered their profile. They hang fewer placards celebrating their ayatollahs and generals, and appear less often in the streets.”
The magazine, perhaps the most respected news commentary magazine in the English language, says the militias miss the guidance of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleymani and Abu Mahdi Muhandis, the Iraqi head of an umbrella group of pro-Iranian militias, who were both killed in the same US air strike in January 2020.
“With no clear chain of command, the militias are splintering,” The Economist said.
“Iraq’s Shia prime minister, Mustafa al-Kazemi, is not playing ball. Unlike most of his predecessors, Mr. Kazemi is not from a party that is close to Iran. Since taking office in May [2020] he has enforced American sanctions, preventing Iran from repatriating the billions of dollars it earns from exports to Iraq….
“The prime minister has also annoyed the militias by restoring state control at some border crossings and removing their men from security posts. At his behest, NATO is sending 3,500 new troops.”
Militiamen have assassinated some of the prime minister’s confidants and chased other advisers into exile abroad. Kata’ib Hezbollah, with major links to Iran, surrounded his residence in June with pickup trucks full of armed men after he moved to arrest some of its members suspected of killing protesters.
Since then, the prime minister has shied away from confronting the militias directly. His cabinet includes ministers from pro-Iranian factions, who are trying to increase the number of militiamen already in the tens of thousands on the government payroll, The Economist said.
The magazine concludes: “Mr. Kazemi’s advisers believe that most Iraqis support his efforts to curtail Iran’s influence. But in recent elections, they say, the disillusioned masses stayed at home while voters supporting pro-Iranian parties turned out.
“Another election is scheduled for October. If Mr. Kazemi’s men were to do a better job of rallying voters—and if the UN sent monitors to try to ensure a fair poll (a move it is considering)—the political landscape might change in a way that would make his job easier. In the meantime, he has called for a national dialogue that might even include groups under American sanctions. Talking, he seems to have concluded, is better than picking fights he may lose.”