Searching for solutions in Iraq

These days, it’s difficult to come by meaningful solutions for Iraq’s instability. At one point, the U.S. and international community at large were decisively engaged in securing Iraq’s future, but conflagrating instability throughout the Middle East seems to have befuddled the very allies who are inextricably linked not only to Iraq’s past, but also to its future. The refugee crisis in particular has left Western governments particularly exposed, with everyone from J.K. Rowling to the Pope calling on Europe and the United States to do more. Like Syria, Iraq has seen a resurgence of large-scale displacement over the past year – and yet there’s reason to hope. Iraq is led by an elected government that we hope has the political will to rid our country of terrorism and finally bring peace to our land, but it will take a much greater effort to steer the country in the right direction.

The Iraqi people, regardless of tribe or religious sect, want peace. The Iraqi government wants peace. Surely, the United States and its democratic allies want peace. Yet despite a coalition of the willing, progress in Iraq has been anything but positive and the reason is simple: a nefarious neighbor with ill-gotten intent that feeds off spreading sectarianism and discord in Iraq.

{mosads}I am, of course, talking about Iran, a country that makes no apology for its territorial ambitions for Iraq and the region. Even in 2008, the U.S. military arrested an Iraqi general who, with duffle bags full of cash, admitted he was paid by Iran to derail the status-of-forces agreement between the U.S. and Iraq. Qasem Soleimani, the notorious Quds Force leader who “sent the copper-tipped IEDs into Iraq” and helped Shiite militias in Iraq kill American soldiers, is directly overseeing Iranian-led militias in Iraq, while contemporaneously propping up Bashar al-Assad. 

While the Iranians claim to be liberating ISIS from Iraq, make no mistake they are, like ISIS, using terror groups, ethnic cleansing, and sectarianism to spread radicalism and control the natural resources of Iraq and the Arabian Gulf.

The problem of ISIS in Iraq has brought to light a very disturbing double standard that undeniably will have terrible long-term consequences the country and the region.

The violence perpetuated by ISIS is immediately linked to Iraq’s Sunni populations, a vast majority of whom denounce ISIS but have nonetheless faced heavy criticism as a “threat” to national unity. And yet, Iranian-backed Shiite militias committing heinous crimes against the Iraqi people are all but ignored by the American media and by Washington policy makers. This is not sectarian strife; it is foreign-backed, domestic terrorism. On the ground, Iranian-backed militias are more powerful and authoritative than the Iraqi Army. It is a situation ironically similar to Lebanon, where Hezbollah is more powerful than the Lebanese army. The common denominator is Iran.

Terrorism is terrorism, regardless of whether the perpetrators call themselves Sunni or Shiite, and the U.S. should deal with it as such. The coalition forces in Iraq must not view Iran as partners in the fight against ISIS in Iraq. Using terrorists to fight terrorists has never worked and we would be foolish to believe it could work in Iraq today. Any cooperation between the coalition forces and Iran will exacerbate the internal problems of Iraq and in the region and, as the influx of foreign fighters increases, so will the exodus of the innocent caught in the middle.

Correcting Iraq requires real solutions that address the will of the Iraqi people. The U.S. and international community must support our country as we unite as nationalists to rid our country of internal and external actors that seek to disrupt our unity and feed off our instability. It is my distinct honor to be working with a majority of Sunni tribes, ready to sit at the table with the our Shiite countrymen to begin outlining and implementing comprehensive solutions that will ensure a safe and secure country for our children. It is our sincere hope that the U.S. and Europe will genuinely engage in this process, otherwise tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis will continue hemorrhaging out of Iraq and into Europe and anywhere that offers safe harbor from this conflict. 

Aldhari is president of Peace Ambassadors For Iraq and a senior Iraqi tribal leader.