Since the Iraqi President Barham Saleh entrusted Adil Abdul Mahdi, in the first October of last year to form a new government, to succeed former Prime Minister, Haider Abadi, aware that the rule of a country like Iraq suffers from acute crises and at different sharp levels , but his task isn’t easy but rather difficult, Adil Abdul Mahdi, “man of balances” before assuming this heavy responsibility from a national perspective to serve the state and the Iraqi people for the return of Iraqi social cohesion, which suffered a lot in the post-2003, and also for the return of Iraq to the Arab and regional and international map , Iraq is a crossroads for three nations ” Arab , the Persian and the Turkish nations” , and international concern . Its cohesion means cohesion of the three Middle East nations, and its dismantling means a redrawing of the geopolitics of the entire region. Its division is forbidden and its survival as unstable state is not possible, so a balanced state model is the best option for it and for the whole region. Iraq since the establishment of the Iraqi state in contemporary history has never been a marginal state, but a country that has an influential role in the Middle East environment. This is what Adil Abdul Mahdi seeks with all seriousness and sincerity, to restore Iraq’s role.
A few months before he was appointed to form the Iraqi government, Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi wrote an article in the newspaper Al-Adala (Justice), which he oversees and sheds light on his views on how to build the state, an article bearing an interesting title, “Thank you conditions are not available”. He pointed out the real danger to any economic and political reform in Iraq , and many may note the skill of the man in his awareness of these problems and ability to diagnose them in real terms, he began these points to diagnose the problem of rents of the Iraqi economy and what constitutes a barrier to the rest of the sectors of production , , He referred to the opposition of the political forces to the economic reform approach because they are used to the mentality of Rentier state as he described, and dealt with the issue of separation of powers and the establishment of constitutional institutions, the problem of administrative corruption, and support of military formations, and also referred to international relations based on logic , not based on dependency.
After Iraq, under the reign of former Iraqi prime minister Haidar al-Abadi, largely folded the page of the terrorist organization of ISIS , now in the era of Adil Abdul Mahdi, the current prime minister, faces a fierce battle no less important than the battles against the terrorist organization” ISIS” , the battle to liberate Iraq from corruption of all its forms . Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi has vowed to fight corruption this year and deal with corrupt as they are no less dangerous than the terrorist organization ISIS. Adil Abdul Mahdi said at the first meeting of the Supreme Council for Combating Corruption, “The aim of the Supreme Anti-Corruption Council is to empower it to take deterrent measures, unify the efforts of the regulators in the context of a new work capable of confronting any body or person whatever its position, and act as a state in the detection of corruption and the protection of society and citizens and public money alike.
Adil Abdul Mahdi said that “this action comes in implementation of what we pledged in our government approach, which was approved by the House of Representatives and is enforceable,” noting that «in front of that the Supreme Council to combat corruption must enjoy with sufficient administrative and legal powers to control the file of corruption and knowledge of its sources and places of imbalance in follow-up and implementation ».
He also stressed the need to “go with one track in order to achieve clear outcomes and prevent the huge damage that has been shaking the image of the state and society and the reputation of citizens in general, and must put an end to this decline, and to consider corruption as an enemy such as a terrorist ” ISIS” .
There is no doubt that the face of corruption by Adil Abdul Mahdi will be a very difficult confrontation, because this corruption is linked to the lobbies that control the joints of the Iraqi state, and associated with influential parties and militias, in addition to the obstacle of the “deep state” of a party and its allies, that some of them may work to Its failure and decline to respond to it, it is a complex confrontation with a deep state, rampant corruption and a fragile economy.
The evidence of the keenness of Adil Abdul Mahdi to face corruption, negligence and neglect in the performance of the duty of responsibility , his request from the House of Representatives to remove the governor of Nineveh province, Nofal al-Aakoub, against the backdrop of the river ferry disaster that sank last Thursday , killing dozens mostly women and children .
“In light of the apparent neglect and negligence in the performance of duty and responsibility, and the existence of evidence to prove the cause of the waste of public money and the exploitation of the post, we suggest that you remove the governor and his deputies,” Abdul Mahdi said in a letter to House Speaker Mohamed Halboussi.
The Iraqi parliament voted last Sunday to remove Nineveh governor Nawfal al-Aakoub and his two deputies, Abdul Qadir Sinjari and Hassan al-‘Alaf, on the backdrop of financial and administrative corruption and to refer them to the judiciary.
In view of the importance of the internal house arrangement in Iraq, Adil Abdul Mahdi apologized for his official visits to Arab countries before completing his government program, which he explained: “My honorable people know that I have promised not to leave the country before finishing the necessary requirements to implement the government program, we have already approved the program and completed the tasks that were required to be completed during the first months of the life of the government, I have postponed an important work trip to Egypt many times at the invitation of President Sisi, and more than two months and work is underway to make full arrangements for the completion of the visit on 23-24 of the current month , not only for holding a bilateral meeting with the Egyptian president, but also for holding a tripartite meeting in which the Jordanian monarch will participate. I am very embarrassed to leave the country in these circumstances, especially after the ferry incident in Mosul, and the state of mourning for three days. , but the nature of visit considering it as a working visit, the first objective is to serve Iraq and the Iraqis, and the importance of the upcoming meetings and the gains made for the country and the region, and the difficulty of postponing the visit again after the complicated and lengthy preparations, I can only go ahead with this visit and I will return to the country tomorrow. I will follow all the situations , whether in Nineveh or in the country by trust in God Almighty and with the help of my brothers and my great and honorable people.
Therefore, followers of the Iraqi issue believe that Adil Abdul Mahdi is able to face the challenges that await him from long political experience, and from good relations with most of the Iraqi political components, and from being a man of settlements, not a man of confrontations, which places him outside the local, regional and international polarization as well as he enjoys good ties with the most Sunni political forces, and Abdul-Mahdi has historical relations with the Kurdish politicians, which may contribute to improving the relationship between Baghdad and the Kurdistan region, which was marred by clear tension during the periods of Maliki and Abadi, Baghdad do not bear alone – certainly – responsibility, especially after the referendum crisis of the Independence of Kurdistan, and the subsequent repercussions, such as the spread of the Iraqi army in Kirkuk and the disputed areas (September – October 2017).
On the regional level, Adil Abdul Mahdi is a consensual person, as is the case at the internal level, and it is no coincidence that his name is again presented to the premiership. It was already put forward during the crisis of 2010, after the victory of the Iraqi List led by Allawi, but al-Maliki assumed the premiership despite of this , by supporting of Iran where it pressed for a broader coalition that enabled the latter to form a government, and in the context of fierce regional rivalries and conflicts in the region, it is not known that a specific regional party opposes him , he is not calculated on the Iranian line, and at the same time he does not follow policies oppose to Iranian trends and he is acceptable to USA though he isn’t a US candidate for the post of prime minister , in addition, Abdul Mahdi has strong links with international organizations, he created them when he took over financial and oil ministries , and in 2004 he managed Iraq’s file at the Paris Club to reschedule its debts , it means that he is the best option for the post of prime minister at this stage which is expected to see an escalation in the US-Iranian conflict, especially in Iraq.
Due to Adil Abdul-Mahdi’s keenness to bring Iraq back to its Arab environment, he met last Sunday in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah II in the first trilateral summit meeting between the leaders of the three countries since the end of the 1980s. This Arabic meeting is a way to strengthen diplomatic, economic, security and military relations between these countries.
In summary, today’s Iraq is in dire need of Adil Abdul Mahdi’s efforts to reorganize Iraq and restore it to its normal position, thus, Adil Abdul Mahdi will need experienced advisors in political affairs, international relations, culture, economy, finance and services to make the change necessary to eliminate Corruption, the provision of basic services, security and jobs, and restoring Iraq’s stability, it is the last chance for a stable and prosperous Iraq.
Iraqi Studies Unit
Rawabet Center for Research and Strategic Studies