The crisis-ridden Iraq is shaken by angry protests, with dozens dead and sometimes chaotic conditions. The displeasure over the condition of the Land does not break down. What exactly is behind it?
Protesters at the 4. October 2019
How started the protests and the demands of the protesters?
Completely surprisingly, the protests were not. In previous years, there had been a number of large waves of Protest, for example, in 2018, in southern Iraq’s Basra, the center of the Iraqi Oil industry. Trigger the disease to thousands of Iraqis after the consumption of verdrecktem drinking water was back then. This Time the protests seem to be rather spontaneously erupted. With fanned you, however, were apparently due to the dismissal of a popular General. Abdel-Wahab al-Saadi, currently the Deputy chief of the Iraqi anti-terrorism units, and a major figure in the fight against the “Islamic state” (IS), was transferred to another Post. His followers believe that he had been hate, because he stood up to the influence of Iran near the Shiite militias into the Iraqi army in the way. The likeness of the General was to be seen in the last few days on protest posters – a sign that the protests are also against the Iranian influence in Iraq.
Middle East Expert Daniel Gerlach
In the foreground of social discontent is, so far. Experts warn that before an Explosion of resentment, especially among the heavily affected by unemployment youth. Daniel Gerlach, editor-in-chief of the German middle East magazine “Zenith”, provides for the following causes: lack of power, lack of public services, high unemployment, poverty and corruption. “The Iraqis have the feeling that on the one hand, the state intervenes everywhere, developed and a lot of people are getting rich, but on the other hand, many ordinary people are completely under-privileged.” This show also right in the middle of Baghdad in the so-called “Green Zone”. There were certain areas of public life, which should not enter any Iraqis. “The frustrated people,” says Gerlach. Claims still dominate for an end to mismanagement and corruption, the protests. However, the growing violence could move the Agenda.
Why is an oil-rich country such as Iraq, poverty and power outages?
Iraq is one of the world’s largest oil producers. The economy of the country mainly depends on the Oil actually still a profitable business, shows as a glance in the neighboring Gulf States. Yet, as many Iraqis suffer from poverty, and in summer at temperatures up to 50 degrees regularly the power goes out, says expert Gerlach, especially with corruption. On the Anti-corruption Index by Transparency International, Iraq is occupied with rank 168 (out of a total of 180 countries) one of the worst places. “In Iraq we also see the phenomenon that the population is added as a petitioner and the state as a benefactor”, Gerlach. He sees the ethnically and religiously pluralistic Iraq as a deficit of democracy, which is suffering from the favouritism of various actors in the complex rule system. Leading representatives of the different political, denominational and regional groups would have access to the resources of the country and these often keep to themselves or their supporters to distribute. This money is missing elsewhere painful – for example, in health care or other public services.
What is the response of politicians and religious leaders in Iraq to the protests?
Security forces used tear gas and shots in the air against the demonstrators
Despite the ongoing violence, Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, trying to calm the tempers. In a televised speech on the night of Friday (4.10.) he said the protests were justified and the government to find a solution. However, there is “no magic formula” to solve all the problems. Previously, the government had taken tough measures to get the situation under control In Baghdad and the cities of Nasiriyah, Amara, and Laura, you imposed a curfew. Throughout the country, except in the Kurdish state in the North, it blocked the Internet, to prevent protesters organising through social networks. Nonetheless, in Baghdad and elsewhere, again on Friday to numerous violent Attacks, the number of killed and injured rose throughout the day more. A reason for the escalating violence in the middle East-expert Gerlach sees in the lack of training of the security forces: “Iraqi security forces are not trained for this, with mass demonstrations deal,” he says. You mostly fought the insurgents against terrorists or armed, equipped with rifles, heavy weapons, and assault.
The highest Shiite dignitaries of the country, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said also: He called on the politicians to “serious reforms” before it is too late, and condemned both the violent attacks on protesters as violent actions against security forces. Sharper the response of the impact was rich Shiite cleric and politician Muktatda al-Sadr: He called on his members to boycott the Parliament until the government program is national, which will be accepted by the people.
Also inter-denominational tensions and the neighboring Iran play a role?
The current protests take place so far in majority Shi’ite cities and regions of Iraq. Sunnis and Kurds play no recognizable role, as inter-confessional clashes. A lot tends to indicate a conflict within the Shi’ite majority population, in which there are both pro – and anti-Iranian tendencies. On protest posters quite a lot of anti-reading-Iranian slogans, but so far, the socially-motivated Protest against poverty, corruption and mismanagement prevail. Different views there are to the question of whether Iran is involved in the protests. Thus, there are media reports that the Iraqi security forces, the use of violence against demonstrators, the Iranian national language, Farsi, is spoken to have. The evidence is there so far, however. Until evidence to the contrary, also middle East expert Gerlach holds an Iranian involvement in the crackdown of protests in Iraq for “a credible Proposition”.