Under the slogan “Trust, but be sure,” an American institute advises Trump to embrace his “Iraqi adversaries” instead of targeting them.
Under the slogan “Trust, but be sure,” an American institute advises Trump to embrace his “Iraqi adversaries” instead of targeting them.
2026-01-17 03:06
Shafaq News – Special Translation
According to the old Russian proverb “doveryai no proveryai” (trust, but be sure), which was used by former US President Ronald Reagan during his negotiations with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, US President Donald Trump, as a “dealmaker,” should approach and contain Iraqi political leaders who have shown hostility towards the United States over the past two decades and have begun to develop politically in their positions and realism, rather than excluding them or targeting them to eliminate them, according to the conclusion of the US “Middle East Forum” Institute.
To begin with, the American “Middle East Forum” stated in a report translated by Shafaq News Agency that the position of those who criticized the overthrow of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein by US President George Bush, which caused the United States to spend hundreds of billions of dollars, only to end up handing Iraq over to the Iranians, was a fabrication.
After noting that Iraqis are both independent and pragmatic, the report explained that many of them recognized the influence that both the United States and Iran have in their country, but they maintained their independence by leveraging both sides to create balance and room for maneuver.
The report suggested that this situation might frustrate a generation of American policymakers, but added that “Iraqis are realists.”
He went on to say that many American analysts have ignored the fact that politicians in democracies “evolve” based on circumstances.
The report asked, for example, if US Secretary of State Marco Rubio could change his positions repeatedly regarding Russia and Ukraine, why shouldn’t Americans expect Iraqi politicians to “change” as well?
For example, the report said that Ahmed Chalabi and Nouri al-Maliki ended their careers leaning towards Iran, but they were not always hostile to the United States.
The report also spoke of “opportunism,” noting, for example, that Mustafa al-Kadhimi was perhaps the most lenient prime minister the Iranian-backed militias had ever had, despite his “reputation” in Washington.
He added that Muqtada al-Sadr, who was once a curse on the American presence in Iraq, has reinvented himself to be a voice against the corruption of the ruling Shiite elites and the Iranian-backed militias.
As for Qais al-Khazali, the leader of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, a cleric, the report said that despite his “corruption,” he indicated to those who might listen to him that he seeks to follow Muqtada al-Sadr’s path regarding reconciliation and normalization, adding that al-Khazali “will never be pro-American, but he does not want to be permanently anti-American either,” and he seeks to conclude business deals in the Iraqi style to make a fortune for himself and his brother without having to worry about being in the face of an “American drone.”
The report noted that some Iraqi politicians, such as Badr Organization leader Hadi al-Amiri, “have long since sold their souls to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei for ideological reasons,” but this is an exception, not the rule.
The report stated that when the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency considered that Iraqi opposition figures inside the country had greater legitimacy than other opposition figures such as Ahmed Chalabi, who had been in exile for long periods in the West.
He went on to say that this meant that the new Iraqi politicians, who had spent decades under Saddam Hussein and were now in Iran or Syria under Bashar al-Assad, had grown up influenced by a torrent of anti-American propaganda. Therefore, when American tanks entered Iraq, they expected the worst from the United States. However, over time, many of them “moderated” and acknowledged that the United States was not the evil empire they had imagined or been led to believe.
Accordingly, the report said the question Washington must consider now, especially given Iran’s wavering stance, is whether the United States is prepared to work with “former adversaries.”
He added, explaining that although the Vietnam War was also bitter, former US President Bill Clinton re-established relations with it in 1995, two decades after its end, noting that the same amount of time had passed since the peak of the Iraqi insurgency.
The report stated that Trump boasts of being a “dealmaker,” adding that instead of ignoring Iraq or constantly denouncing Iraqis who have sided with Iran, perhaps Trump could try to pick out those Iraqis who want a future more integrated with the Middle East and the West.
The report suggested that the starting point should be the head of the Supreme Judicial Council, Faiq Zaidan, whom previous US administrations accused of sympathizing with Iran and following a hostile approach to judicial interference. It noted that much of the rebuke directed at Zaidan was driven by partisan goals from those who lost in the judicial rulings he issued and tried to delegitimize him because he ruled against them.
The report went on to say that regardless of that, Zaidan, like Khazali, also indicates that he has changed his approach, recalling in this context Zaidan’s recent position on the issue of restricting weapons to the state and the need to apply the law and focus on development.
The report argued that Zaidan’s stance represented a gamble on the possibility of achieving the right course of action, rather than a reaction to Washington “holding a gun to his head.” The report addressed Zaidan’s positions regarding the formation of the new Iraqi government, the necessity of adhering to constitutional deadlines, the importance of judicial independence, and the need to resort to the courts to defend freedom of expression.
After noting the positions of the pro-Trump MAGA movement, which is dissatisfied with the idea of endless wars, and Secretary of State Rubio’s efforts to make his department more agile and focused on actual American interests, the report said that Trump and Rubio should approach Iraqi leaders generously, recognizing that selecting and persuading former opponents could be far wiser than striking them.
He went on to say that Trump and Rubio should take heed of the wisdom of President Ronald Reagan, who, during his negotiations with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Iceland four decades ago, quoted the old Russian proverb, “doveryai, no proveryai” (trust, but be sure).
He went on to say that Reagan realized it was important to win over adversaries and turn the page on conflict, rather than continuing the conflict forever.
The Middle East Forum concluded by saying that with more than 70% of Iraqis born after the fall of Saddam, Iraq today is a fundamentally different country from what Americans perceive.
He concluded by saying that, as Zidane’s statements indicate, Reagan’s wisdom has been long overdue for implementation.
shafaq.com
