20 years after US invasion, Iraqis still in quest for peace

BAGHDAD (AA) – Twenty years after the US invasion of Iraq, the country is still trying to get back on its feet.

On March 20, 2003, an international coalition led by the US launched a military operation to overthrow Saddam Hussein’s regime on the pretext of dismantling Iraq’s ‘weapons of mass destruction’, which were never found and proved to be a false premise. Despite toppling the regime on April 9 of that year, the American military occupation continued for two decades.

In 2004, Paul Bremer, the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority (post-invasion US-led interim government), instituted a quota system.

The system is ostensibly designed to ensure fair representation in a multiethnic society, with the position of president reserved for a Kurd, prime minister reserved for a Shia Muslim, and Parliament Speaker reserved for a Sunni Muslim.

However, multiple Iraqi citizens say that the Americans did not introduce democracy — as had been claimed — but instead established a hybrid political system that has led to chaos, confusion and further division.

Change for worse

“After the fall of Saddam, the Iraqis hoped that changing his authoritarian regime would lead to a new state, based on democracy and fair distribution of wealth,” an Iraqi academic said on condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisal.

The reality after two decades is that the political process is marked by “corruption, sectarian quotas, and resource-sharing among influential powers,” the academic said.

“Most Iraqis live with deteriorating services, uncontrolled weapons, and organized crime gangs,” the academic said.

Usually, consensus takes place between the winning blocs in the parliamentary elections, to distribute ministries and high positions among themselves, according to what is called “quotas”, which has led to unqualified people in high positions who work for the benefit of their parties at the expense of public interests.

Poverty affects 25% of Iraq’s total population of more than 42 million people, according to the statistics of the Iraqi Ministry of Planning in early 2023.

‘Insecurity’

Journalist Wissam Al-Mulla said: “The most significant repercussions of the American invasion of Iraq are the state of shock experienced by the Iraqi streets, because of the situation in the country.”

The journalist went on to say: “Although we have gained some freedom, it came at the cost of social security, and the country witnessed several instances of security chaos and internal conflicts in different periods.”

“After 20 years, we aspire to overthrow the ruling political class and bring about change that leads to a genuinely democratic system similar to those in the civilized countries worldwide,” he added.

Poverty affects more than a third of Iraq’s population of more than 40 million people.

The basic rights partially achieved in Iraq, such as freedom of opinion and expression, are among the fundamental rights stipulated by the United Nations and international covenants, as outlined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In October 2019, major popular protests known as the “October Revolution” took place in the capital, Baghdad, and other provinces in central and southern Iraq. Every year, demonstrators continue to demand their rights.

The protesters called for an end to corruption, improvement of living conditions and public services, job opportunities, an end to the quota system between Shia, Sunnis, and Kurds, and a halt to the dependence of political forces on external powers, particularly Iran and the US.