Unprecedented challenges.. What awaits Iraq in 2025?
Unprecedented challenges.. What awaits Iraq in 2025?
2025-01-01 01:53
Shafaq News/ It seems that Iraq is not destined for stability and peaceful living, as it awaits, in addition to the challenges that are now considered “normal and ordinary”, major and worrying challenges, some of which are unprecedented, starting with the beginning of the new year 2025, according to observers.
Observers stress that the Iraqi government must quickly implement political reform and unify ranks and words to save the country from these dangers.
Triple Challenges
In this context, political analyst Ghaleb Al-Dumay says, “Iraq faces many challenges in 2025, including security, economic, and service-related challenges.”
Al-Dumaimi, during his interview with Shafaq News Agency, considered that “the most prominent challenge is the security challenge, especially after the recent sudden events that took place in Syria, and the concern that it has created among citizens and the authorities in Iraq.”
He added, “As for the other challenge, it is the economic challenge, especially after Trump announced his intention to work to end wars, including the Russian-Ukrainian war, and thus it may lead to Russia’s return to the global oil market, which causes a major setback in oil prices.”
He continues, “At a time when oil constitutes the largest proportion of the Iraqi budget’s resources, this is the greatest disaster for the Iraqi people, and it may lead to serious repercussions on the street, public opinion, and the popular position on the government.”
Regarding the third challenge, he says, “It is the services represented by providing electricity, which is a serious challenge for the Iraqi government.”
Al-Dumaimi believes that “if the Iraqi government is able to confront these three challenges, it will not be harmed by any other dangers.”
New and unprecedented challenges
For his part, political analyst Aqil Abbas said about the challenges that await Iraq in the new year, “There are normal challenges related to governance, generally linked to the state’s failure to perform its normal, natural tasks, which are providing services, industry to provide job opportunities, the rule of law, restricting arms to the state, and so on.”
Abbas told Shafaq News Agency, “These challenges have been ongoing for years and their treatment is repeated in the ministerial curricula of the governments approved by Parliament, but they fail to address them.”
In addition to these challenges, Abbas believes that “there are additional major and worrying challenges facing Iraq in 2025, especially the arrival of an American administration that views Iraq with suspicion and is prepared not to deal with it as an ally or friend, but rather as an adversary – perhaps an undeclared one – and the Trump administration considers it part of Iranian influence.”
He stressed that “the above challenge is new and unprecedented, and that the political class is not prepared for it, because it may include economic and punitive measures that will greatly harm Iraq.”
Abbas stresses the importance of “implementing rapid political reform by removing Iraq from the Iranian sphere of influence and restricting weapons to the state, so that Iraq appears as a state in its own right and not part of a broader regional project.”
“Somewhat radical changes”
In turn, political analyst Saif Al-Saadi says, “Iraq is awaiting the inauguration of US President Donald Trump on January 20 and his taking steps regarding the Middle East region, of which Iraq may have the lion’s share, amid talk of a new Middle East.”
Al-Saadi confirmed to Shafaq News Agency that “Iraq must, in 2025, take advantage of the opportunity in light of the Iranian side’s withdrawal to get rid of its restrictions and deal with the Arab and international environment.”
Regarding the economic issue, Al-Saadi points out that “there is ambiguity regarding the dollar, the parallel market, and the exchange rate, which requires working on it.”
Al-Saadi adds about the events expected in the new year, “There are parliamentary elections scheduled to be held in 2025, in addition to the enactment of controversial laws (general amnesty, personal status, and property restitution) in addition to the elections law and the commission.”
He believes that “the change demanded by elites, political actors and opinion leaders is not like Syria, but rather through the ballot box, and will be somewhat radical.”
Al-Saadi also expects in 2025, “the factions will be dissolved and weapons will be restricted to countries as a result of pressure from international actors, led by the United States, to spare Iraq from strikes that could affect the political system.”
This is agreed upon by the political analyst from Lebanon, George Alam, who confirms that “Iraq is part of a roadmap being implemented in the region under the title of the New Middle East.”
To confront this challenge, Alam called, during his interview with Shafaq News Agency, for the necessity of “unifying the ranks among the Iraqi political spectrum and putting an end to foreign interference, to save Iraq from these dangers threatening it.”
shafaq.com
