The ongoing protests in Iraq indicate that young people are fed up with the current political situation, the dominance of religious political parties, widespread corruption and government deficits, and that they want a real change in the way natural resources, electoral laws and parties are disposed.

Iraq has suffered from chaos, instability and corruption since the US-led invasion in 2003, according to researchers Abdul Wahab al-Kassab and Imad Harb.

According to a recent report by the Iraqi parliament, the total embezzled from the public treasury since 2004 amounted to $ 250 billion, figures that put Iraq at the bottom of the global ranking in the Corruption Perception Index report issued by Transparency International.

All these indicators meant that the protests against Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi's government were certain and imminent. Over the past month, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have come out and defied the security forces, raising their voices to demand a new governance system capable of addressing the problems of the Iraqi economy and society.

The writers point out that these protests are not only a reaction to the current situation, but are the product of years of poor governance, sectarian quota policies, embezzlement of funds, nepotism and the general collapse of the governance system.

The writers point out that Iraq has witnessed similar protests in recent years, where witnessed the liberation square in Baghdad calls for reform of the Constitution to become representative of the Iraqi reality, and the resignation of the government, and the formation of a government to rescue the pursuit of corrupt officials, and is preparing for parliamentary elections, in order to produce a legislative institution is not dependent For specific interests.

Protesters also pressed for the dissolution of the Independent Electoral Commission and the creation of a new commission to revise the electoral law. They also demanded a new political parties law that would ban parties from forming on a sectarian basis.

Iraq witnessed protests calling for constitutional reform and block sectarian quotas (Getty Images)

National awareness
The writers point out that the political climate over the past years has been poisoned by sectarian calculations. Therefore, what is happening today in Baghdad and in the Shiite provinces in the south, is considered a revolution against these parties and militias, and against the Iranian presence in the country, as the protesters are calling for a return to politics. Nationalism that transcends sectarianism and division.

The writers note that these protests were accompanied by political and social expressions, reflecting a change in the attitude of Iraqis towards the status quo, such as changing the speech of Shiite religious leaders, such as Ayatollah Sistani, who criticized the political class, and expressed his support for reforms in the political system. .

In addition, Iraq has seen a decline in participation in the parliamentary elections, where the percentage of voters dropped from 80% in 2006 to 45% in 2018, and a large number of former deputies lost their seats.

Iraq is also experiencing a decline in the expression of sectarian identity, and a clear rise of national sentiment, expressed by street protesters, not only in this period but in recent years.

The authors point out that these changes in Iraqi society led to the emergence of youth movements without any clear leadership, decided to abandon their loyalty to the clergy and the political class in general, and this kind of youth movement contributed to the continuation and strengthening of the protests, despite the increasing government repression.

The authors point out that these factors have led to the development of the protesters' ambitions from economic and social demands to politics, as they no longer accept nothing less than the resignation of the prime minister and the establishment of a political system that is not subject to any regional influence.

Crowds in Baghdad's Tahrir Square represent a cross-sectarian mix (Anatolia)

Potential expectations
The writers say that the point reached by the Iraqi protests today was difficult to predict a short time ago, as the Iraqi youth collectively took to the streets in order to protest the political and economic conditions that can no longer be unbearable.

What is clear today that could encourage the protesters is that the crowds in Baghdad's Tahrir Square represent a cross-sectarian mix of young people demanding to rise above the corruption-based political system.

These young protesters now have an Iraqi national identity and a truly national agenda. Given the vigilance of these protesters today, the failure of the official response and attempts to intimidate them, the events in Iraq today represent a golden opportunity in this vital region and will most likely have a clear impact on Iraq's future in the years ahead.

The writers are likely to lead these protests - domestically - to the rise of Iraqi national identity to transcend all local and sectarian identities, and will be accompanied by a decline in the role of religious institutions, especially Shiite authorities. In addition, the predominantly Kurdish region, which has so far been hesitant, will join the rest of Iraq in rejecting the dominance of specific elites over the country's wealth and its recovery from rampant corruption and repression.

The authors expect that the protests in Iraq today may emerge from the womb of new young leaders offer a wise and logical approach to the management of the country, and this leadership will insist on the drafting of a new constitution approved in a referendum, as it will seek to reject parties of a religious and sectarian nature, and provide guarantees For citizens to enjoy equal rights and responsibilities.