Combating corruption in Iraq: Western perspectives on the campaign and its connection to al-Zaidi’s visit to Washington

Combating corruption in Iraq: Western perspectives on the campaign and its connection to al-Zaidi’s visit to Washington

2026-07-02

Shafaq News – Special Translation
Questions continued to arise in Western readings of the “Dawn Charge” campaign being carried out by Iraq, but it was re-linked to the scheduled summit between Prime Minister Ali al-Zubaidi and US President Donald Trump, amid controversy over whether the anti-corruption campaign would also target the big “whales”.

The American news website ” Media Line ” described, in a report translated by Shafaq News Agency, the campaign of arrests targeting politicians and senior officials, raising questions about whether Baghdad is confronting entrenched corruption or is merely displaying its limited power ahead of al-Zaidi’s visit to Washington.

In its report titled “Al-Zaidi Bets on Anti-Corruption Campaign: Will Washington Like This Move?”, Media Line said the operation is the most visible anti-corruption effort in years and represents an “early test” for Al-Zaidi.

According to the American report, this process is a political opportunity, allowing the new government to present itself as an active, decisive government ready to confront the system of corruption that has drained state institutions for years.

However, the report added that these raids also raise the fundamental question of whether these arrests are the beginning of a real confrontation with the “deeper corruption networks” in Iraq, including those linked to armed factions and political interests connected to Iran, or merely a “controlled show” aimed at calming public discontent and responding to external pressures, while the real centers of power remain beyond accountability.

The report noted that the campaign has not yet concretely targeted “the most prominent leaders of the militias allied with Iran or the political leaders surrounding them,” at a time when some Iraqi observers consider this to be the crux of the matter.

The report quoted Middle East political analyst Talha Abdul-Razzaq as saying that judging this operation should not be based on the scale of the raids, but rather on identifying who the people were who were not affected by the campaign.

According to Abdul-Razzaq, in order for a real transformation to occur, al-Zaydi must start targeting the real “big fish” of corruption that have plagued Iraq for nearly a quarter of a century since the 2003 invasion. He believes that “this operation is designed to give the impression that Iraq is finally cleaning itself up, while the truth is that those who have been arrested are nothing but small-time corrupt officials and scapegoats who can be sacrificed.”

The report noted that political analyst Al-Fadl Ahmed offered a more cautious reading of the situation, arguing that the arrest campaign had given Al-Zaydi political momentum, adding that its true significance depended on subsequent events.

The report quoted Ahmed as saying that the campaign has so far targeted third-tier Sunni politicians and those close to former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, most of whom are linked to the network of the Deputy Minister of Oil, Adnan al-Jumaili. It is difficult to judge the true intentions at the moment, but it is clear that these arrests have added political momentum and cautious popular legitimacy to the new al-Zaidi government.

After Ahmed pointed out what he described as the “showy manner” in which the raids were carried out, reflecting a decisive intervention by the state despite many of the targeted figures not being among the most fortified or protected Iraqi figures, he spoke of a “deliberate attempt to create a show of force where tanks and counter-terrorism units were deployed to arrest figures who are mostly not protected by any militias.”

Abdul-Razzaq appears to agree with this point, as the report quotes him as saying that the use of the Counter-Terrorism Service “was part of the show, not evidence of institutional strength,” explaining that “the use of the Counter-Terrorism Service was, once again, for purely showy purposes, as the scene was designed to show that al-Zaidi himself had authority and leadership.”

In a parallel context, the report quoted Ahmed as saying that this campaign may be useful to the coordination framework “which seeks to deal with American pressure without cutting ties with the factions allied with Iran,” explaining that the coordination framework “may try to market this campaign to Washington, but more importantly, the campaign has not yet affected any interests or parties affiliated with Iran.”

For its part, the British website “ Amwaj ” said in a report translated by Shafaq News Agency that al-Zaidi’s supporters in the coordination framework must “manage internal dynamics to ensure that the campaign does not alienate key partners,” adding that “senior Shiite leaders are likely to remain untouched by arrests, in an effort to protect the ruling coalition from any destabilization.”

The website predicted that al-Zaidi would continue to emphasize the comprehensive and ongoing nature of his anti-corruption campaign, noting the importance of watching to see whether he would be able to maintain popular and political support in the face of potential backlash from the parties involved.

He pointed out that the government must show tangible results regarding the recovery of looted funds and the prosecution of those involved in prominent cases, in order to maintain momentum and avoid the impression that the move involves political opportunism.

The British report suggested that al-Zaidi, during his upcoming visit to the United States, would use his growing anti-corruption campaign to garner financial support and enhance his international credibility.

According to the report, political blocs affected by the arrest campaign, such as the “Al-Azm” coalition – led by Muthanna al-Samarrai, who was arrested on corruption charges – are expected to monitor the course of the often opaque judicial proceedings.

The report concluded that if the political momentum of al-Zaidi’s campaign falters, some officials accused in less controversial cases may seek pardons or plea bargains.

shafaq.com