The influx of French officials to Baghdad, the latest of which was French President Emmanuel Macron, who arrived in the Iraqi capital today, raised questions about the motives for this and the messages that these successive visits convey.
Macron carries in his bag several joint files related to the Arab region at the security, political and economic levels, especially with regard to Lebanon, Iraq and the US-Iranian conflict, which reached its climax recently.
The visit of the French president, who arrived in Baghdad from Beirut, came days after the visit of the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, and they were preceded by Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Al-Janabi: An international consensus on soft change in the region (Al-Jazeera)
What is the title of the message?
The message that Macron brought to Lebanon and Iraq carries one title: strengthening the state's sovereignty, coinciding with the directions of a new Iraqi government that is viewed by the international community as the first national government formed in the country after 17 years of regime change in it.
This external and international view of the Iraqi political situation pushes these countries to reduce the intensity of the conflict and create a balance, away from external interventions through the approved traditional methods, says Professor of Political Science, Dr.
Muhannad Al-Janabi.
Al-Janabi praised the efforts of the Iraqi government to prevent the country from turning into an arena of international conflict by strengthening its internal role to defuse the crisis in the region between Tehran and Washington, and calling for the support of the national government in Iraq in its crises in order to be able to strengthen authority and law so as not to allow attacks and attacks on missions. International and diplomacy.
There is an international consensus among Western powers and countries - according to al-Janabi - on the soft change in the region, and this change is related to the regional dimension, the outlook of French foreign policy, the environment of the Middle East and the current situation in it, and this can be seen through the recent internal changes that took place in Iraq and Lebanon, and the main pillar of this Change is the two countries mentioned.
France is the international sponsor of Lebanon and the international repercussions in it affect Iraq according to the direct relationship between the two countries, with the presence of similar Iranian influence in them, and the common points between Tehran, Baghdad, Damascus and Beirut at the same time.
Iran views France as a somewhat reliable country as an international party because of its positions on the Iranian nuclear program and its opposition to the US escalation, sanctions on Tehran, arms embargoes and other similar files that paved the way for this European country to be a parallel party to the Western trends and Iranian and eastern pressures on the region.
Dr..
Iqbal Abdul Hussein: Similarities between the Iraqi and Lebanese files, especially at the security and economic level, in relation to Paris (Al-Jazeera)
Political timing
In his visit to Iraq, the French President focused on supporting his sovereignty at a time when Baghdad is going through a political, economic and security crisis with the intensification of the Iranian-American conflict, the outbreak of the Corona virus, and the increase in ISIS attacks.
Iraq can take advantage of the political and security weight of France as one of the countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and play prominent roles at various levels and levels, according to the decision of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, Dr.
Iqbal Abdul Hussein.
The Iraqi parliament points out that there are several overlapping and similar files between Iraq and Lebanon, in addition to an unannounced political timing between them after the Beirut port explosion. She believes that the mystery of the French interest in Iraq is due to the fact that the Iraqi file is similar to its Lebanese counterpart, especially at the security and economic level for Paris.
She believes that all countries of the world are trying to exploit and invest in Iraq's economy because it is an oil country, and any visit at the international level is not devoid of files related to politics, security and economy, at a time when the country is going through unstable conditions, especially at the political and security levels.
Macron's visit is in support of Al-Kazemi's efforts to restore the prestige and sovereignty of Iraq, according to analysts (Reuters)
Topped the scene
France is at the forefront of the scene in the European Union through its wide relations with the countries of the world and the Arab region, and from this perspective it can play a pivotal role in Iraq as well as in Lebanon in terms of security and politics, according to the security expert Jalal Hassan.
Commenting on the security weight of France in relation to Iraq, Hassan says to Al-Jazeera Net that Paris has an influence in eliminating the fugitive and the movements of some armed factions by supporting Al-Kazemi and the political parties, as well as supporting the prestige and sovereignty of the state.
France has gigantic air security capabilities that have contributed to neutralizing and reducing ISIS movements in areas that are difficult to reach by the Iraqi forces, especially in Makhmour areas north of the capital Baghdad, and it has launched military air operations against ISIS strongholds in several regions during the last period and contributed to reducing the Risks to Iraq.
The security expert called on Iraq to benefit from the multiple experiences of France and to seek their help, especially on the security and military side, through its experiences as a superpower, indicating that this requires the cooperation of Iraqi political leaders with Al-Kazemi to end the state of chaos in the country.