October 2019 demonstrations in Iraq
motives and results
By Prof. Dr. Dhiyaa Khamis Ali -
University of Anbar- Center for Strategic Studies
Demonstrations: Citizens go out within a particular class or group or collectively to express an opinion coupled with pressure in order to achieve a demand or a stolen right, and it is one of the forms of political participation.
Demonstration: a collective political act that requires organization and prioritization. The goal of the demonstration may be support or protest.
The demonstrations in Iraq are the result of accumulations and administrative errors for nearly two decades after the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. These accumulations were left by the post-occupation governments, and the most important of these accumulations are the corruption of the authority and the multiplicity of political parties that did not unite and agree on something since their appearance on the country’s political scene.
The main motives for the demonstrations:
1- Economic motives: They include the acquisition of public money, the high unemployment rate to reach 40% among the youth, the high rate of poverty and deprivation to 33% of the people, the loss of an entire generation of job opportunities, and the collapse of the country’s economic system, especially the industrial and agricultural systems, almost completely, and dependence on Oil as a main source of income.
2- Lack of services: which is represented in the lack of education, health, transportation, housing and electricity.
3 - the complete collapse of the infrastructure.
4 - Political motives: The accumulations on the economic side are not free from political irregularities in the continuation of partisan and sectarian quotas that generated great administrative corruption, as well as the absence of actual political participation, as there are no new personalities in the political process, as it was a rotation of faces and personalities from one place to another. .
The political competition within the Shiite component was a major reason behind the youth demonstrations in October, after the end of the war on the terrorist organization ISIS and the control of the militants and the factions close to Iran represented by Al-Binaa, Al-Fateh and Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq on the political scene during the past three years, this moved some Shiite blocs that felt a loss Its political position led to attempts to restore balance within the Shiite component, which was a new negative reflection on the political process.
5- Social motives:
A - Loss of confidence: The imbalance between the size of the alleged big promises of reform and the complete lack of them in implementation, disturbed the balance of confidence with the government, especially a year after the formation of Abdul-Mahdi’s government, which generated a great shock in the decline and decline of the Iraqi economy, and even its clinical death. Electoral fraud is another indicator of mistrust, and the citizens' reluctance to vote is another indication of mistrust when the percentage of apathy reached more than 60%.
Who are the protesters? And who leads them? Who is behind them and pushes them?
The demonstrators are mostly young people who were born and lived in the shadow of despair, corruption, killing and bloody wars in which politicians and youth are their victims. Spontaneous, with no specific leaders, came out to demand legitimate rights and duties, and was not politicized on the one hand, and there is no one behind it except the sons of the country, and there is no support for it externally or internally except in some national cases in the spirit of cooperation and providing the demonstrators with basic requirements by the affluent or even those with Limited income as a national sentiment, especially in the provision of food, medical supplies and clothing.
The most important title of the demonstrations remains the suffering of Iraqis from the deteriorating living conditions, poor basic services, and the fight against corruption that afflicts the state and its security, military, economic, social, service and political institutions.
The exaggeration in the government's response to the demonstrations was the reason behind showing it to the forefront of the media scene and the political interest of countries such as the United States, France, Britain and several international and international organizations.
In conclusion, the demonstrations brought some fruit, especially in the resignation of the Abdul-Mahdi government and the advent of Mustafa Al-Kadhimi's government, which is a product of the popular movement, and the accompanying great rapprochement of the new government with the demands of the demonstrators, and the peaceful struggle for it remains, despite the presence of voices saying that the United States of America is morally supportive of it While Iran supports those who stand against the demonstrators politically and logistically, and this was clear through the statements of Iranian officials, which it described as riots, and the government must confront the riots by all means, as is happening in Iran and confront the Iranian demonstrators. Iraq to suppress and confront it if it continues, and in light of the Corona pandemic and the consequent global economic, political, financial and social events, the demonstrations in Iraq were contained by the Al-Kadhimi government, and the reform measures took their way in the media and politically at the governmental level, the most important of which is setting a date for fair elections next April, and it is likely The emergence of a large bloc that will participate in the elections under the name of the October party supported by Al-Kadhimi's government and the majority of the Iraqi people.
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