Iraq after ISIS

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said that the battle with the terrorist organization Islamic State has been decided by the military, which retook the vast lands under its authority. The Iraqis, army, people, security forces and volunteers who waged war against the Islamic State group made costly and ample sacrifices, without which a victory couldn’t have been achieved. This is especially impressive given that Iraq was in a state of collapse. It was once unable to combat the Islamic State group as the terrorist organization took cities like Mosul without any resistance.

It should be said that some battles still remain on the political, intellectual, societal and administrative fronts. Iraq is still a difficult place in which to live. A strong, unified and independent Iraq still struggles to find a role in the Arab region given the problems with Israeli security on the one hand, and regional expansion projects on the other.

It is well known that the Shiite cleric, Ali al-Sistani, died at the critical moment of his ascension. The military forces soon collapsed, and responsive volunteer forces soon stepped up to face this situation.

Without going into the problems involved in recruiting from the populace, it is important to say that the battle for which this coalition was created has ended. Therefore, with its purpose obsolete, its members should return to normal life and find new employment. This group should not remain an army but should be employed in other tasks.

There are great lessons to be learned from the Islamic State group’s arrogance in Iraq. This organization benefited from popular dissatisfaction within the cities against the central government and capitalized on the sense of marginalization and exclusion of the classes. These angry and discontented sentiments still need to be addressed and eradicated.

The system of sectarian quotas engineered by the Americans was accepted by the influential political elites because it gave them spoils that were undreamed of. However, it led to the destruction of Iraq and spread corruption throughout the state, supported by the discourse of the greedy. Unless these quotas end, Iraq will not become a democratic civil state.