12/17/2021 02:00
- number of readings 105
- Section : file and analysis
Baghdad / Obelisk: With the end of the combat missions of the American forces and the international coalition forces in Iraq approaching, on December 13, and amid fears that ISIS will exploit the situation and expand in different regions in the country, the former civil ruler of Iraq, Paul Bremer, stressed the need for the United States to remain in Iraq and the region. Middle east.
Bremer, in an interview with “Al-Hurra Iraq” channel, said that what he described as “the shameful withdrawal from Afghanistan is not the American model for the region,” pointing out that America has three interests in the region, the first of which is fighting ISIS, because the organization is still present in Iraq, the region and Afghanistan.
Second, America has an interest in balancing Iran’s quest to control the region and increase its influence, according to Bremer. Third, it is important for the United States that democracy continues to succeed in Iraq, because the region rarely witnesses such a democracy.
Regarding the recent legislative elections in Iraq, Bremer explained that the Iraqis chose their rulers and everyone is witnessing the peaceful transfer of power for the sixth time, although the turnout was disappointing, and he attributed the weak participation to the problem of corruption, which he said has been a rampant problem in Iraq for decades, even during the Saddam regime Hussein and before that.
The former American civil ruler believes that the United States has a great interest in helping the Iraqis continue their democratic path in government, expressing optimism about the democratic process in Iraq and the movements taking place in the region, with the exception of Iran.
Bremer added that the Iraqi politicians, with whom he worked in 2003, like all politicians in the world, have their own ways, methods and opinions regarding the future of the country and saving it, and they tried during the past eighteen years, and that the problems were resolved through elections,
He pointed out that many officials in Iraq had lived abroad, and therefore did not fully know what the Iraqis’ position and the situation in the country was. There was a difference of opinion among the Iraqi politicians with whom he worked at the time.
On the reality of freedoms, Bremer said that the Iraqi people enjoy much more freedom today than they did in the era of Saddam Hussein or before his regime. He pointed out that the level of freedom now, including freedom of expression through the media, is unique in this part of the world and Iraqis must preserve these freedoms.
As for religious minorities, Bremer believes that they should also benefit from freedom of expression in a legal way so that the government understands their problems and issues.
He recalled the former governor-general during which he worked in Iraq, saying that he and the then US ambassador, Ryan Crocker, and three thousand others who were working together within the coalition authority, tried to say that in a free democratic country, freedom of worship is essential, especially given the history of Mesopotamia and the region in general.
He stressed that Washington encouraged, and encourages, the Iraqi government to respect the rights of minorities, and that minorities should also be more organized in order to be influential. He also indicated that he understands the concerns of minorities and their fears of the stage after the end of the combat missions of the American forces.
Regarding the position of the US administration today on Iraq, the civil administrator made it clear that he believes that the administration of President Joe Biden is taking a serious position and is concerned about Iranian influence and influence, not only in Iraq but also in Syria and Lebanon.
The US administration appointed Bremer as president and civilian ruler of Iraq in 2003, and Bremer has issued dozens of decisions and laws that sparked controversy, some of which are still in force in Iraq.
The civil governor, Bremer, told the Iraqi program that he erred in implementing the de-Baathification law, a decision that was very popular among all the decisions he made, adding that he erred when he left the application to some Iraqi officials instead of giving it to the judiciary and judges in Iraq for not politicizing the decision.
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