According to a report published in the American magazine "Foreign Affairs", the new Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kazimi, is looking to subdue the armed factions of the state, reduce Iranian influence in his country and impose state sovereignty.
And Al-Kazemi - who assumed his duties on the 12th of this month - early disclosed this approach in a brief government statement that he handed over to Parliament, stressing that he intends to impose the prestige of the state.
For those who follow the Iraqi situation since the fall of former President Saddam Hussein, the significance of this statement is clear: that the damage to the prestige of the Iraqi state is due in particular to the activity of armed factions loyal to Iran, rather than being its reference to the chief of staff of the Iraqi army.
The report shows that these Iranian-backed militias - similar to the Hezbollah Brigades, the League of the Righteous and the Brigades of the Martyrs Brigade - move outside the influence of the Iraqi state, and they - with others - constitute the "Popular Mobilization", which is an official military body that is "theoretically" controlled by Baghdad, except Indeed, it plays a pivotal role in extending Iranian influence in Iraq and the region.
Previous attempts
There were previous government attempts to limit the influence of these factions, but to no avail. Former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi sought to establish state control over it and separate its military wings from politics, but it did not succeed.
After these attempts by al-Abadi, Iraqi politicians loyal to Iran backed Adel Abdul-Mahdi to head the government instead of al-Abadi.
After assuming power, Abdul-Mahdi raised the PMF budget by 20% in 2019, and allowed Iranian-backed factions to expand their regional presence along the Iraq-Syria border, and to move freely.
The report finds that Al-Kazemi, who has expressed his desire to put an end to this status quo, has more chances than his predecessors to limit the influence of Iran and its militias, given the recent developments in Iraq and the region.
Winds of Change
The report believes that Iraq was subjected to a major earthquake last October, in the wake of popular protests that even the security crackdown did not succeed in suppressing, and continued and was not stopped except by the spread of Corona virus, as the protesters were keen to vacate the squares and streets in order to preserve the health of all.
And he considered that it was remarkable that protests emerged in areas that are the popular incubator for most of the ruling Shiite parties for 17 years, and that are linked to distinguished relations with Iran.
The protests prompted Abdul-Mahdi to resign in early December, and for that first time since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003 a national trend against Iran was created at the heart of the Iraqi political scene, where the protesters demanded a sovereign state, and were supported by that of the Supreme Shiite authority in Iraq. Ali Sistani.
Paved road
The report considered that Al-Kazemi takes over his duties and has paved the way for him to put an end to Iranian influence in his country, and supported by that position of Sistani, who seeks to lift the legitimacy of the popular crowd, after he was the one who issued the fatwa “The Kafai Jihad” that led to the emergence of many armed factions, and thus Formation of the Popular Mobilization Committee to fight the organization of the state in 2014.
Last April, four factions loyal to Sistani announced their withdrawal from the crowd: the “Ansar al-Marjiyeh Brigade”, the “Abbas Combat Brigade”, the “Imam Ali Combat Division” and the “Major General Ali al-Akbar.
By giving these factions their approval to exit the PMF, Sistani is practically withdrawing his support for groups still condemning subordination to Iran, in a move that could undermine the legitimate legitimacy of Iranian-backed militias.
The report concludes that Iraqi President Barham Saleh can be a strong ally of Al-Kazemi in this endeavor, as he played a more vital role in the political scene than his predecessor Fuad Masum.
Also, Saleh played a key role in choosing Al-Kazemi, and he dared to upset the parties affiliated with Iran last March, when he refused to agree to their candidate for prime minister, and he said he preferred to resign over appointing someone whom the protesters rejected in the street.