Romanticizing history is not acceptable anymore. Our people in Iraq have been particularly obsessed with their history, so much so they have forgotten about their future. Debates are centered around their ancestors, overlooking how to make their own history today. Those who do think about shaping their future are shaping history today, striving to make the best out of the present. This is something I have always seen in my meetings and discussions with our brothers, the leaders of the Gulf states, who prioritize shaping the future of their countries and peoples because they believe that history is written by the people of today, the people of yesterday will not lead us to a tomorrow that meets our ambitions and aspirations.
It may seem paradoxical, but it is the natural result of rethinking our approach to governance. We see this clearly in the developments currently unfolding in the region: summits, visits, meetings, decisions, and most recently, the visit of US President Donald Trump. Every step leads in the same direction: the future.
In Iraq, meanwhile, the public discourse remains captive to the past, not as a series of events, but as an extension of the mindset shaping our approach to the sustainable development our people need, enhancing services, and ideologies that undermine our ability to think freely, make overtures to others, and contribute to building our future with them.
What saddens me today is that Iraq’s brothers- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the State of Qatar- speak of investments and partnerships that are changing the face of the region and accelerating global progress, especially in technology. Meanwhile, only a few hundred kilometers away, we are still debating how to reach a point at which the state can deliver the bare minimum. We are still discussing the scope of state sovereignty, or democracy, and how to implement it, and we go into a rage when we hear opinions different from our own, to say nothing about cross-border projects that will soon become history.
I am sincerely calling on all of us to catch up with the times and set new priorities before it’s too late. Progress is no longer measured in decades but in years or even months. The Iraq authorities must take serious steps on the domestic front to allow for the development we need and to open up to our brothers and neighbors in pursuit of economic integration, through strategic partnerships and major projects undermined by a vision and planning, not nepotism, transactional exchanges, or prejudice.
Our region is rapidly stabilizing and setting new foundations. It is building economies that could become real alternative models for others. This raises the following question: where is Iraq? Are we destined to remain prisoners of the past? Or can we be part of the future? The natural answer is that we must join the effort to shape tomorrow.
Is there a roadmap for doing so? It could be summed up in the following broad bullet points:
1. All political forces, parties, and communities, without exception, must believe in the state.
2.Transnational ideologies and political projects must be abandoned in favor of a firm commitment to the principle of Iraq First.
3.We must pursue real democracy. Our consociational democracy cannot produce a responsible government and parliament, only paralyzed or unproductive governance.
4. Planning, planning, and more planning- after developing a holistic national vision that covers legal, political, economic, and social questions. This vision must take threats, opportunities, capacities, and resources into account. And if we (as Iraqis) fail, we must either delegate this task to or cooperate with, international experts.
5. Fighting deeply the entrenchment of corruption, not only within the state’s institutions, but everywhere, as it has taken many forms and reached extremely high.
6. Work, work, and more work...
These are the broad steps we must take to move forward. We have an opportunity, and as far as I know, our brothers are waiting for Iraq to take the initiative. They have extended their hand, but we need concrete actions to encourage them to move toward us. Otherwise, how could we expect them to engage with us at a time when our discourse is sectarian, extortionist, and tainted by barren ideologies? How can they take steps toward us when lawlessness and the proliferation of weapons, in all their forms, have become synonymous with Iraq and its identity? And how can we hope for a partnership with these growing economies while we remain wedded to a rentier economy that fuels unemployment, inflating the public sector at the expense of expanding and investing in the private sector and encouraging youths and skilled workers to enter the market?
The opportunity exists. However, it is limited, and it will be missed if we do not act quickly enough. Everyone should understand this clearly. We must learn to distinguish between those who genuinely seek to help Iraq and work for it and those who raise boisterous slogans as they conspire against it. As the saying goes, “Opportunities pass like clouds. Seize the good ones while you can.”
