Mediterraneo Allargato

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Mediterraneo Allargato Mediterraneo allargato Maggio 2021 16 A cura dell'Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale (ISPI) AUTORI Al presente Focus, curato da Valeria Talbot, hanno contribuito: Eleonora Ardemagni (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore e ISPI) – CAPITOLO 1(YEMEN) E ARABIA SAUDITA Anna Maria Bagaini (Università di Nottingham) – CAPITOLO 1(TENSIONI TRA ISRAELE E GAZA), ISRAELE Federico Borsari (ISPI) – APPROFONDIMENTO Silvia Carenzi (Scuola Normale Superiore e Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna) – CAPITOLO 1 (SIRIA) Matteo Colombo (Clingendael e ISPI) – CAPITOLO 1 (SIRIA) Fabio Frettoli (Fondazione Agenfor International) – TUNISIA Paolo Maggiolini (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore e ISPI) – GIORDANIA Alessia Melcangi (Università La Sapienza e ISPI) – EGITTO Annalisa Perteghella (ISPI) – IRAN Federica Saini Fasanotti (Brookings Institution e ISPI) – LIBIA Francesco Salesio Schiavi (ISPI) – IRAQ Valeria Talbot (ISPI) – TURCHIA Mappe e infografiche di Matteo Colombo (Clingendael e ISPI) Focus Mediterraneo allargato n. 16 - maggio 2021 SOMMARIO Executive summary ........................................................................................................................................ 4 Executive summary (English version) ......................................................................................................... 5 1. Arco di crisi ........................................................................................................................................... 6 La Siria a dieci anni dalle rivolte. Le elezioni presidenziali, la crisi socio-economica e le dinamiche nelle varie regioni .............................................................................................................. 6 Yemen, sincronia diplomatica cercasi ........................................................................................................ 13 Tensioni tra Israele e Gaza .......................................................................................................................... 17 2. Analisi Focus Paese .................................................................................................................................. 20 Arabia Saudita ................................................................................................................................................ 20 Egitto .............................................................................................................................................................. 25 Giordania ....................................................................................................................................................... 31 Iran .............................................................................................................................................................. 41 Iraq .............................................................................................................................................................. 49 Israele .............................................................................................................................................................. 56 Libia .............................................................................................................................................................. 63 Tunisia ............................................................................................................................................................ 68 Turchia ........................................................................................................................................................... 74 3. Approfondimento .............................................................................................................................. 82 La politica estera della presidenza Biden in Medio Oriente e Nord Africa ......................................... 82 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Negli ultimi mesi nell’area del Mediterraneo allargato si sono registrati timidi segnali incoraggianti in campo diplomatico, nonostante al proprio interno la maggior parte degli stati stia fronteggiando le conseguenze di un anno di pandemia, con difficoltà economiche sfociate spesso in crisi sociali e politiche. A livello regionale, numerosi governi sono alle prese con una rimodulazione della propria strategia come conseguenza della nuova diplomazia americana a firma Biden; in Iran le trattative in corso a Vienna, che potrebbero portare a un re-engagement americano nell’accordo sul nucleare iraniano, e i segnali di apertura che arrivano da Riyadh, fanno da sfondo alla corsa per le elezioni presidenziali di giugno, dove l’attuale leadership moderata rischia di non venire riconfermata a causa della grave crisi economica che colpisce il paese. Dall’altra parte del Golfo, l’Arabia Saudita porta avanti una politica estera dai tratti più moderati rispetto al passato, nel tentativo di mantenere la tradizionale “relazione speciale” con Washington. All’insegna della moderazione e della de-escalation è stata anche la strategia della Turchia, dove il presidente Erdoğan intensifica gli sforzi per uscire dall’isolamento diplomatico cercando non solo canali di dialogo con Egitto, Arabia Saudita, Grecia, Cipro e Israele ma anche rinnovate relazioni bilaterali con Washington e Bruxelles. Questa intensa attività diplomatica turca arriva dopo mesi di forte crisi monetaria, le cui conseguenze inflazionistiche potrebbero scalfire il consenso nei confronti del partito di governo. Rimane forte la presenza turca in Libia, dove il neoeletto Governo di unità nazionale (Gnu), guidato da Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah, fatica ad imporsi nelle numerose sfide che si trova davanti. Il governo Dbeibah, che ha il compito di traghettare il paese verso le elezioni di dicembre, ha incassato importanti risultati politici anche se, sul fronte militare, sembra ancora lontano l’obiettivo di ritirare le milizie straniere presenti nel paese. Ad auspicare una stabilizzazione della situazione in Libia sono soprattutto i paesi vicini; la Tunisia da un lato, che si trova di fronte ad una crisi istituzionale che rischia di portare il paese all’ingovernabilità, e l’Egitto dall’altro, dove il presidente al-Sisi si è dimostrato un forte sostenitore di una soluzione politica per la Libia. Il governo del Cairo è alle prese con una crisi economica dettata principalmente dalla precaria sicurezza sociale della popolazione (frutto delle politiche di austerità degli ultimi mesi) e dalla fragilità delle infrastrutture egiziane, dimostrata soprattutto dall’incidente del Canale di Suez. Per quanto riguarda i teatri di guerra regionali, la situazione nello Yemen appare alquanto incerta, con gli incoraggianti sviluppi a livello di diplomazia internazionale che non trovano un riscontro sul terreno, dove gli huthi continuano la loro offensiva verso la strategica città di Marib. Il fronte siriano, invece, rimane cristallizzato dalle tre potenze esterne (Turchia, Russia e Iran) che esercitano la propria influenza sulle dinamiche del conflitto, mentre le elezioni presidenziali del 26 maggio metteranno in luce la capacità di mobilitazione della popolazione da parte del presidente Assad. Il futuro della Siria è uno dei dossier, insieme a quello iraniano, che preoccupa maggiormente Israele. A Tel Aviv le recenti elezioni parlamentari non hanno prodotto un risultato capace di garantire stabilità politica al paese, mentre il premier uscente Benjamin Netanyahu si trova ad affrontare l'escalation di tensioni a Gerusalemme culminata in un nuovo scontro con Hamas con decine di vittime da entrambe le parti. Nella vicina Giordania, invece, la famiglia reale ha dovuto far fronte al presunto tentativo di colpo di stato, sintomo di un crescente malcontento da parte dei giordani verso la leadership hashemita. 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (ENGLISH VERSION) Over the past few months, diplomacy in the Mediterranean has experienced a few modest, encouraging signs, despite most countries in the area are facing the consequences of the pandemic and its economic challenges, which have often spilled over onto social and political crises. At the regional level, a number of governments are adjusting their own strategy as a result of the Biden administration’s new brand of American diplomacy, exemplified by the negotiations with Iran in Vienna – which might ultimately lead to a US re-engagement as regards the Iran nuclear deal – and a newfound openness coming out of Riyadh. Both instances represent the backdrop of the upcoming presidential election in June, wherein the current moderate leadership is unlikely to be reconfirmed following the dire economic crisis that has befallen the country. On the other side of the Gulf, Saudi Arabia is advancing a more moderate kind of foreign policy in an attempt to maintain its traditional “special relationship” with Washington. Turkey’s strategy has also been in the name of cautiousness and de-escalation, with President Erdoğan intensifying his efforts to retreat from diplomatic isolation and looking for opportunities for dialogue with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Cyprus, and Israel as well as renewed bilateral relations with Washington and Brussels. Such intense diplomatic activities from the Turkish front come months after an acute currency crisis, whose inflationary consequences might make a small dent on support for the central government. Turkey’s presence in Libya is still solid, where the newly elected Government of National Accord headed by Abdul Hamid Mohammed
Recommended publications
  • Snabbprotokoll 2014/15:97, Torsdagen Den 7 Maj-Kl. 12.00
    Riksdagens protokoll 2014/15:97 Torsdagen den 7 maj Kl. 12.00–19.03 § 1 Anmälan om fördröjda svar på interpellationer Följande skrivelser hade kommit in: Interpellation 2014/15:534 Till riksdagen Interpellation 2014/15:534 Fler stora event i Sverige av Rikard Larsson (S) Interpellationen kommer att besvaras fredagen den 5 juni 2015. Skälet till dröjsmålet är tidigare inbokade resor och arrangemang. Stockholm den 6 maj 2015 Näringsdepartementet Mikael Damberg (S) Enligt uppdrag Fredrik Ahlén Expeditionschef Interpellation 2014/15:536 Till riksdagen Interpellation 2014/15:536 Konsekvenser för landsbygden av höjd skatt på bensin och diesel av Helena Bouveng (M) Interpellationen kommer att besvaras fredagen den 5 juni 2015. Skälet till dröjsmålet är tjänsteresor och sedan tidigare inbokade engagemang. Stockholm den 5 maj 2015 Finansdepartementet Magdalena Andersson (S) Enligt uppdrag Rikard Jermsten Expeditions- och rättschef 1 Prot. 2014/15:97 Interpellation 2014/15:537 7 maj ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ Till riksdagen Svar på Interpellation 2014/15:537 Regeringens ekonomiska politik interpellationer av Niklas Wykman (M) Interpellationen kommer inte att kunna besvaras inom den föreskrivna tiden. Skälet till dröjsmålet är tjänsteresor och sedan tidigare inbokade engagemang. Stockholm den 5 maj 2015 Finansdepartementet Magdalena Andersson (S) Enligt uppdrag Rikard Jermsten Expeditions- och rättschef Interpellation 2014/15:542 Till riksdagen Interpellation 2014/15:542 Traineejobb av Lotta Finstorp (M) Interpellationen kommer att besvaras den 22 maj. Skälet till dröjsmålet är inbokade resor och engagemang som inte kan ändras. Stockholm den 6 maj 2015 Arbetsmarknadsdepartementet Ylva Johansson (S) Enligt uppdrag Catharina Nordlander Tf. expeditions- och rättschef Interpellation 2014/15:545 Till riksdagen Interpellation 2014/15:545 Diskriminering av äldre på arbetsmarknaden av Lotta Finstorp (M) Interpellationen kommer att besvaras den 22 maj.
    [Show full text]
  • Won't You Be My Neighbor
    Won’t You Be My Neighbor: Syria, Iraq and the Changing Strategic Context in the Middle East S TEVEN SIMON Council on Foreign Relations March 2009 www.usip.org Date www.usip.org UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE – WORKING PAPER Won’t You Be My Neighbor UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE 1200 17th Street NW, Suite 200 Washington, DC 20036-3011 © 2009 by the United States Institute of Peace. The views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Institute of Peace, which does not advocate specific policy positions. This is a working draft. Comments, questions, and permission to cite should be directed to the author ([email protected]) or [email protected]. This is a working draft. Comments, questions, and permission to cite should be directed to the author ([email protected]) or [email protected]. UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE – WORKING PAPER Won’t You Be My Neighbor About this Report Iraq's neighbors are playing a major role—both positive and negative—in the stabilization and reconstruction of post-Saddam Iraq. In an effort to prevent conflict across Iraq's borders and in order to promote positive international and regional engagement, USIP has initiated high-level, non-official dialogue between foreign policy and national security figures from Iraq, its neighbors and the United States. The Institute’s "Iraq and its Neighbors" project has also convened a group of leading specialists on the geopolitics of the region to assess the interests and influence of the countries surrounding Iraq and to explain the impact of these transformed relationships on U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Individuals Vaccinated and Two Ballistic Missiles Towards the Cities of Najran and Khamis Mushait in the (First Dose) (Second Dose) Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
    TWITTER SPORTS @newsofbahrain WORLD 6 UAE ban on entry from India unchanged, federal aviation notice says INSTAGRAM 2 Seas win at /newsofbahrain 28 Silverstone LINKEDIN MONDAY newsofbahrain JUNE, 2021 Bahraini-British mot- 210 FILS orsport team complete WHATSAPP 3844 4692 ISSUE NO. 8881 triumphant return to competition FACEBOOK /nobmedia with first place overall in blue riband event of MAIL British GT Champion- [email protected] ship | P12 WEBSITE newsofbahrain.com Britney Spears enjoying a break in Hawaii after conservatorship testimony 9 CELEBS BUSINESS 5 Indian commerce minister: ‘Arrogant’ US ecommerce giants flout our laws Getting vaccinated, booster Register shots and vaccines for 12-17 now year olds protects everyone healthalert.gov.bh Bahrain strongly Bahrain congratulates Djibouti condemns Houthi Last update - 9:00 pm attacks against leader on Independence Day Saudi Arabia 27 June 2021 TDT | Manama ahrain has strongly con- Bdemned the terrorist Houthi militia’s launch of an explosive-laden drone Individuals vaccinated and two ballistic missiles towards the cities of Najran and Khamis Mushait in the (First dose) (Second dose) Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In a statement, the Min- HM the King HRH Prince Salman istry of Foreign Affairs de- scribed the attacks as a cow- TDT | Manama ardly aggression that targets mail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, civilians and civil institu- is Majesty King Hamad on his country’s Independence tions, and reflects the in- Hbin Isa Al Khalifa and His Day. sistence of the Houthi group Royal Highness Prince Sal- His Majesty and HRH Prince to obstruct efforts aimed at man bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Salman wished President establishing security and the Crown Prince and Prime Guelleh good health and hap- (Booster dose) stability in the region.
    [Show full text]
  • West Asia Watch Trends & Analysis
    Vol 2 Issue 1 January-February 2019 West Asia Watch Trends & Analysis West Asia Centre Editor: lEditorial Dr Meena Singh Roy lIndia's Outreach to North Africa: Advancing the India- Morocco Partnership Meena Singh Roy lThe Growing Iran-Syria Strategic Alliance Lakshmi Priya lIsrael's Knesset Election, 2019 Jatin Kumar Editorial Team: Dr Adil Rasheed lThe Hodeidah Ceasefire: Light at the End of Tunnel? Dr Prasanta Kumar Pradhan Nagapushpa Devendra Dr Md. Muddassir Quamar lGuest Column: An Algerian Spring? K. P. Fabian lWest Asia News Survey (Prepared by Centre Members) Copy Editor: Vivek Kaushik West Asia Centre Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses No. 1, Development Enclave, Rao Tula Ram Marg, Delhi Cantt, New Delhi – 110 010 Tel. (91-11)2671 7983, Fax: (91-11)2615 4191 Website: http://www.idsa.in EDITORIAL In the beginning of 2019, West Asia continued with grapple with its old conflicts and problems, both internal and external, while struggling to find some solutions to its serious security and economic challenges through bilateral, regional and international cooperation. Some major changes could be noticed in US policy towards the region. In the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s announcement of the US withdrawal from Syria, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman in January 2019. His West Asia tour was an attempt to assure the US’ regional partners that firstly, Washington is not giving up its fight against the Islamic State or easing pressure on Tehran. He noted that Iran is to be countered at all costs. Secondly, he reassured Gulf partners to solidify MESA and America’s sincere attempts to end the Qatar crisis.
    [Show full text]
  • The Parliamentary Dimension of Germany's Presidency of The
    The Parliamentary Dimension of Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the EU Concluding document Over the past six months, the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, acting on the basis of their Work Programme of 18 June 2020 and of the Declaration made by the Parliaments of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Portuguese Republic and the Republic of Slovenia on 29 June 2020 on the preparation and running of the parliamentary dimension of the Trio Presidency of the Council of the European Union, have held a total of 12 events and conferences as well as other meetings in special formats with a view to advancing discussions on the main political tasks of the European Union with the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Presidency of the Council and enhancing cooperation between the various political levels in the Union. For the first time in the existence of Council Presidencies and their parliamentary monitoring, the entire programme of events had to be conducted in video format, because the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible for direct personal encounters to take place among Members of Parliament and with others in positions of political responsibility. Thanks to the great interest shown in the events and the need for exchanges of views and information as well as discussion on the management of the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic and social implications as well as on numerous other formidable challenges facing the EU, all of the events have contributed to the efforts to create a stronger Europe after the crisis, to increase the Union’s capacity to act as well as fostering closer cooperation among the parliaments of Europe at this extraordinary time.
    [Show full text]
  • THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION IRAQ at a CROSSROADS with BARHAM SALIH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER of IRAQ Washington, D.C. Monday, October
    THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTION IRAQ AT A CROSSROADS WITH BARHAM SALIH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER OF IRAQ Washington, D.C. Monday, October 22, 2007 Introduction and Moderator: MARTIN INDYK Senior Fellow and Director, Saban Center for Middle East Policy The Brookings Institution Featured Speaker: BARHAM SALIH Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq * * * * * 2 P R O C E E D I N G S MR. INDYK: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to The Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. I'm Martin Indyk, the Director of the Saban Center, and it's my pleasure to introduce this dear friend, Dr. Barham Salih, to you again. I say again because, of course, Barham Salih is a well-known personality in Washington, having served here with distinction representing the patriotic Union of Kurdistan in the 1990s, and, of course, he's been a frequent visitor since he assumed his current position as Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq. He has a very distinguished record as a representative of the PUK, and the Kurdistan regional government. He has served as Deputy Prime Minister, first in the Iraqi interim government starting in 2004, and was then successfully elected to the transitional National Assembly during the January 2005 elections and joined the transitional government as Minister of Planning. He was elected again in the elections of December 2005 to the Council of Representatives, which is the Iraqi Permanent Parliament, and was then called upon to join the Iraqi government in May 2006 as Deputy Prime Minister. Throughout this period he has had special responsibility for economic affairs.
    [Show full text]
  • Iran, ISIS and U.S. Interests in an Unraveling Middle East
    CONGRESSIONAL PROGRAM Diplomacy and Extremism: Iran, ISIS and U.S. Interests in an Unraveling Middle East May 26 – 31, 2015 Vol. 30, No. 3 Dan Glickman Vice President, The Aspen Institute Executive Director, Congressional Program Washington, DC This project was made possible by grants from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the Democracy Fund, the Holthues Trust, the Ford Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Open Society Institute, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Copyright © 2015 by The Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute One Dupont Circle, nw Washington, DC 20036-1133 Published in the United States of America in 2015 by The Aspen Institute All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 0-89843-626-5 Pub #15/015 2038/CP/BK Table of Contents Rapporteur’s Summary ..................................................................1 Karim Sadjadpour Syria, Iraq, ISIS and the Region: Implications for the U.S. ......................................9 Ryan Crocker The Geopolitics of a Changing Energy Industry..............................................13 Amy Myers Jaffe What Should We Make of the JCPOA? ....................................................17 Ariel Levite America’s Middle East Challenge .........................................................23 Seyed Hossein Mousavian and Mehrdad Saberi Nuclear Deal, the Road to Peace between Iran and the West ....................................29 Seyed Hossein Mousavian Pluses and
    [Show full text]
  • The PYD's Precarious Rise in Syria
    Flight of Icarus? The PYD’s Precarious Rise in Syria Middle East Report N°151 | 8 May 2014 International Crisis Group Headquarters Avenue Louise 149 1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 502 90 38 Fax: +32 2 502 50 38 [email protected] Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... i I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 II. An Opportunity Grasped .................................................................................................. 4 A. The PKK Returns to Syria .......................................................................................... 4 B. An Unspoken Alliance? .............................................................................................. 7 C. Brothers and Rivals .................................................................................................... 10 III. From Fighters to Rulers ................................................................................................... 12 A. The Rojava Project ..................................................................................................... 12 B. In Need of Protection ................................................................................................. 16 IV. Messy Geopolitics ............................................................................................................. 18 A. Turkey and
    [Show full text]
  • The New European Commission: Is a Circular Org Chart the Same Thing As a Circular Firing Line? September 12, 2019
    The New European Commission: Is a Circular Org Chart the Same Thing as a Circular Firing Line? September 12, 2019 Summary • Ursula von der Leyen (VdL), Europe’s new Commission President, released her nominees for the next European Commission on September 10. • VdL has called this a “geopolitical” Commission. Efforts to boost Europe’s ability to compete against the U.S. and China, in technology, social media, and industry will be central to the agenda. American tech companies and industrial giants will come under greater scrutiny by a Commission with new powers to regulate the market and competition. • The organization of the new Commission introduces a circular organization chart, with grand titles and unclear lines of reporting. VdL has described it as “balanced” between large and small states, left and right parties, old and new members, and by gender. A balance works only if there is tension between the parts, and there is a risk that policy will be slowed while the pecking order is sorted. Below are a few rules of thumb for understanding power in this Commission. • The Parliament will review the nominations and vote the entire slate up or down by October 31. The new Commission is scheduled to take office on November 1, but delays for a month or more should not be surprising. Discussion VdL’s appointments make several priorities clear: • Climate. First Vice President Frans Timmermans will have responsibility for a “European Green Deal.” This is a far-reaching portfolio in a Commission committed to ambitious carbon reduction. It will touch on every aspect of economic policy and so represents a post of influence for the center left and possibly a point of contention with the liberals and conservatives holding posts for internal market and digital reform.
    [Show full text]
  • The Executive Survey General Information and Guidelines
    The Executive Survey General Information and Guidelines Dear Country Expert, In this section, we distinguish between the head of state (HOS) and the head of government (HOG). • The Head of State (HOS) is an individual or collective body that serves as the chief public representative of the country; his or her function could be purely ceremonial. • The Head of Government (HOG) is the chief officer(s) of the executive branch of government; the HOG may also be HOS, in which case the executive survey only pertains to the HOS. • The executive survey applies to the person who effectively holds these positions in practice. • The HOS/HOG pair will always include the effective ruler of the country, even if for a period this is the commander of foreign occupying forces. • The HOS and/or HOG must rule over a significant part of the country’s territory. • The HOS and/or HOG must be a resident of the country — governments in exile are not listed. • By implication, if you are considering a semi-sovereign territory, such as a colony or an annexed territory, the HOS and/or HOG will be a person located in the territory in question, not in the capital of the colonizing/annexing country. • Only HOSs and/or HOGs who stay in power for 100 consecutive days or more will be included in the surveys. • A country may go without a HOG but there will be no period listed with only a HOG and no HOS. • If a HOG also becomes HOS (interim or full), s/he is moved to the HOS list and removed from the HOG list for the duration of their tenure.
    [Show full text]
  • Iraq: Politics and Governance
    Iraq: Politics and Governance Kenneth Katzman Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs Carla E. Humud Analyst in Middle Eastern and African Affairs March 9, 2016 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RS21968 Iraq: Politics and Governance Summary Iraq’s sectarian and ethnic divisions—muted toward the end of the 2003-2011 U.S. military intervention in Iraq—are fueling a major challenge to Iraq’s stability and to U.S. policy in Iraq and the broader Middle East region. The resentment of Iraq’s Sunni Arabs toward the Shiite- dominated central government facilitated the capture in 2014 of nearly one-third of Iraqi territory by the Sunni Islamist extremist group called the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIL, ISIS, or the Arabic acronym Da'esh). Iraq’s Kurds are separately embroiled in political, territorial, and economic disputes with Baghdad, but those differences have been at least temporarily subordinated to the common struggle against the Islamic State. U.S. officials assert that the Iraqi government must work to gain the loyalty of more of Iraq’s Sunnis—and to resolve differences with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)—if an eventual defeat of the Islamic State is to result in long-term stability. Prospects for greater inter- communal unity appeared to increase in 2014 with the replacement of former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki with the current Prime Minister, Haydar al-Abbadi. Although both men are from the Shiite Islamist Da’wa Party, Abbadi has taken some steps to try to compromise with Sunnis and with the KRG. However, a significant point of contention with the KRG remains the KRG’s marketing of crude oil exports separately from Baghdad.
    [Show full text]
  • Iraq and U.S. Policy
    Updated April 9, 2020 Iraq and U.S. Policy COVID-19, Iran-U.S. Confrontation, relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and plummeting global Protests, and Iraq’s Future oil prices are further upending the status quo. Iraqi authorities have instituted curfews and travel restrictions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which Plans for Political Transition Uncertain poses serious public health, economic, and fiscal risks for Political differences among leading blocs have precluded the prompt replacement of Prime Minister Abd al Mahdi. the country. Public health measures to slow the spread of Protestors have demanded an independent candidate with a the disease have diminished participation in the protest movement that has swept central and southern Iraq since demonstrated record of honest leadership, with many rejecting President Salih’s nominees and alternatives October 2019. Security forces and militia members killed proposed by political blocs. Current Prime Minister- hundreds of protestors and wounded thousands in Baghdad and several southern Iraqi cities, fueling calls for the ouster designate Mustafa al Kadhimi has until May 9, 2020, to propose a cabinet list for approval by the Council of of the ruling elite. While crowds have dispersed, protestors’ Representatives (COR), Iraq’s unicameral legislature. demands for systemic change and an end to corruption and foreign interference remain unmet. Meanwhile, intense Figure 1. Iraq U.S.-Iranian confrontation has reinvigorated some Iraqis’ efforts to drive U.S. and other foreign forces out of Iraq. Following escalating Iran-linked threats to U.S. and Iraqi personnel in 2019, a January 2020 U.S. air strike in Iraq killed Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force Commander General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces leader Abu Mahdi al Muhandis.
    [Show full text]