Abdulwahhab Badrakhan: Iraq protests expose the crisis in the regime’s integrity
A third wave of
protests in Iraq, following those in 2015 and 2018, continues to shake the
three pillars of the regime - the constitution, electoral law and an
independent judiciary - although protesters’ basic demands are not political.
There is, nevertheless, a general conviction that they are impossible to achieve
without a profound change in the so-called political process.
This is evident in the
debate accompanying the demonstrations which has covered the need to review the
pillars on which the state’s actions are based, and activate the decisions of
the anti-corruption bodies. There is also a need to resolve the controversy
over the duality of the military and security establishment with the Popular
Mobilisation Forces, the umbrella of around 40 mainly Shia militias.
It is, therefore, a
regime related crisis. It would have been contained if the government,
political powers and the PMF’s Iranian backers had realised that the benefit
and spoils system they have created has led to huge expenditure from limited
budgets and neglect of the people, with all their sectarian and ethnic
affiliations. Livelihoods have been subjected to the interests of a small
minority.
Young Sunni Muslims
and Kurds have not taken part in the protests as they feel that the authorities
and political parties will simply exploit their participation for sectarian
purposes. Primarily, this would be to bring an end to the protest movement, which
is important to everyone on many levels...
https://www.juancole.com/2019/10/protests-regimes-integrity.html
