Allawi: Iraq is living in an undeclared civil war, and we must correct it before we lose it
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi warned that Iraq is experiencing an “undeclared civil war” between its components, while criticizing Washington for not providing protection for the democratic experiment in the country. He warned of the dangers of the “proliferation” of ISIS and terrorists through prisons unless they are reformed.
In an interview with the English newspaper “The National” with Allawi, who is considered the first prime minister after 2003, and the report described him as a “secular Shiite Arab” and a former vice president, he said that “prisons have turned into fertile ground for extremism,” adding that the conflict was in Previously, “between Sunnis and Shiites, and now it includes clans, regions, and governorates, and if the problem continues in this way, it will be a civil war throughout the country.”
It has been 20 years since he took office in Baghdad.
During the interview conducted with him at his home in London, 20 years after assuming office, Allawi said that prisons are “a breeding place for ISIS” and that the extremist group may be on the rise, adding that one of the solutions is to “cleanse the prisons” of “those accused for political reasons.” “And there must be amnesty.”
After Allawi pointed out the need for there to be a push towards national unity and reconciliation between the various ethnic and religious components, he expressed his disappointment with what Iraq has faced during the past two decades since the American invasion that led to the dismantling of Saddam Hussein’s regime, the security forces and the law enforcement authorities, as years of corruption and sectarianism have dominated politics since that time, and ethnic and sectarian parties have infiltrated ministries and government positions.
The report noted the years of violence and brutal war in 2006 and then the rise of ISIS in 2014. The report quoted Allawi as saying: While these periods of turmoil appear to have ended, the same strong and destructive tensions are rising again, behind the scenes.
According to Allawi, “There is now an undeclared civil war. I was against the occupation and the war, but the Americans wanted to divide the country into Sunnis and Shiites, and now we see Shiites versus Sunnis, Shiites against themselves, and Sunnis against each other,” noting that “the Sunnis cannot yet elect A man to head Parliament because of their differences.”
After the report referred to the 2005 constitution, Allawi was quoted as saying, “The mistake was that we did not apply equal citizenship to everyone, and we had a government run by quotas.”
The report quoted Allawi, who described him as a politician who led the country for 9 turbulent months, as saying that the United States and its allies did not protect democracy in Iraq, which led to an endless internal conflict that spread to the region.
While the report indicated that Allawi won the 2010 elections, he was unable to achieve a majority. It accuses Iran of obstructing his attempt to become prime minister, as Nouri al-Maliki came in his place. Allawi was quoted as saying: “Iran played a very negative role… and it has The Americans supported us from the beginning.”
The report quoted Allawi as saying, “Iran played a role when America overthrew Saddam. It cooperated with the Americans and they began to dictate matters with the course of events in Iraq, until 2010 when they came and said: Allawi cannot form a government.”
After the report pointed out that Allawi led a coalition government that it said was committed to a secular future for Iraq, it indicated that Allawi considered that the prevailing political conditions at the time of the elections and the voting mechanisms were not conducive to a fair voting system, adding that “if I had realized that this was the case “When the elections were held.” He continued, saying, “There should not have been any group or list that appeared as Shiite, Sunni, or Kurdish. This is something I should have done.”
The report indicated that Allawi recently informed senior politicians in Baghdad from the government of Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani of his concerns, but they responded by saying that they were unable to do anything about this situation.
Allawi said, “I said why? What is the problem? You have to do this. You have to call for early elections. We really need to correct ourselves before we lose all of Iraq.”
According to the report, Allawi holds the United States responsible for creating a division in the country between Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds and igniting sectarian tensions.
He was quoted as saying, “This type of problem occurred in Iraq at that time, and gradually multiplied over time to become the Iraq we know now.”
After the report pointed to the years of violence and brutal war in 2006 and then the rise of ISIS in 2014, the report quoted Allawi as saying: While these periods of turmoil appear to have ended, the same strong and destructive tensions are rising again, behind the scenes.
While the report mentioned the attack on KFC restaurants in Baghdad, the report quoted Allawi in a comment in which he said that these attacks raise questions about whether it is possible to maintain relative calm and stability in Iraq during the years following the defeat of ISIS. These attacks highlight the The militias escape.
Allawi continued, saying, “If this continues, we will witness a direct attack on the Americans stationed in Iraq, and this is a great possibility.”
The report quoted Allawi warning of the possibility of dividing Iraq if disagreements between political parties continued.
Allawi stressed, “We need the rule of law and national unity, and we need to apply the concept of citizenship. As you know, Iraqis are ready to drown in the sea rather than be citizens of a country that fails to provide adequate public services.”
Shafaq.com