(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - After a period of calm, Iraq has been witness to a new phase of terrorist operations since Monday. The networks of terror, fear and intimidation have again targeted strategic locations in Iraq, including Karbala, Najaf and Baqubah. The recent chain explosions show that terrorists are still present in Iraq and behind-the-scenes players still use violence and murder for achieving their political objectives. The new wave of insecurity has spread in Iraq at a time when Nouri Al-Maliki’s government is preparing to take control of security affairs from American forces. This is while Americans continue to send diplomatic delegations to extend their military presence in Iraq. The neighboring Arab governments, which are US allies, have expressed concerns about the country’s changing political equations. Now that the return of terrorism in Iraq has claimed 300 victims, questions are being raised about Iraq’s security as well as the presence of US forces in the country. The Persian daily ‘Iran’ has interviewed a former Iraqi minister, Madhi Mandalawi, to shed more light on various dimensions of the ongoing developments in Iraq. Excerpts: IRAN: At a time when most observers believed that the Salafist extremists and terrorists in Iraq had been isolated, recent terrorist incidents proved otherwise. Your comments. MANDALAWI: The network of terror and fear in Iraq is still functioning because the related internal and external parameters are prevailing. All the three political currents that support terrorist operations, namely Al-Qaeda, the remnants of former Baathist regime and some regional countries, are pursuing their interests in Iraq by creating chaos and unrests in the country. However, problems continue to afflict the political and economic systems of Iraq which, in turn, have paved the way for chaos and armed clashes. In other words, these problems provide an opportunity for the armed opposition to continue to recruit unemployed youth for its purposes. What structural problems spur the activities of terrorists? Firstly, financial and political corruption in the administrative modus operandi and sections of executive organizations has led to public dissatisfaction with the status quo. Corruption in many cases has adversely affected the performance of Al-Maliki’s government to the extent that he was obliged to sack a number of officers and security officials for a structural reshuffle. The next problem is unemployment that affect the youth, especially university graduates. There are also economic woes that the opposition forces exploit to justify their cause. For example, although the government has spent $30 billion for supplying electricity since 2003, most Iraqi citizens have access to electricity only for 4 hours a day. In the Kurdistan region, the electricity problem has been resolved to a great extent. There are two other factors responsible for the resumption of activities by terror networks. These factors are tribal prejudices and departure of US forces from the country. Most observers maintain that one of the parameters responsible for the stability of Iraqi political system and the continuation of democratization after the ouster of Saddam Hussein is the coalition and cooperation of Kurds and Shiites. Does this unity still prevail? Kurds and Shiites were sidelined for years and deprived of basic rights such as participation in state affairs. On the Iraqi political scene, Kurds need Shiites and Shiites need Kurds. Therefore, their unity is strategic for the realization of their historical goals. However, it must be remembered that the two sides face problems that should be overcome. These problems include policymaking for oil and gas sectors, rebuilding destroyed areas during Saddam’s rule and the issue of Peshmergas. One of the important issues for Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) as well as the central government in Iraq is bolstering cooperation with Iran. How is the current level of ties with Iran? Iran and Iraq have cultural, religious and socioeconomic commonalities and potentials of the two sides for bolstering ties are still untapped. The Iraqi market is currently filled with Iranian products. But, some governments benefit from the Iraqi economic scene more than it can be conceived and perceived. For example, the volume of Turkey’s trade exchanges with Iraq exceeds $12 billion. Hence, the expectations of Iraqi officials and people are higher than what has already happened. Of course, Iraqis are aware of obstacles to strategic two-way cooperation and they know that some powers do not want the two countries to get closer./129
