The Shiites, the big winners of the fall of Saddam Hussein in Iraq

The shia They were the big winners from the fall of the Sunni president saddam hussein 20 years ago and since then they have dominated the politics of Iraqa multi-ethnic and multi-denominational country of 42 million inhabitants.

The Shiite community, the majority in Iraqwas marginalized in the times of saddam husseinbut a questioned system of distribution of power established after the invasion of USA guarantees them political supremacy.

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The Shiites enjoy good relations with Iran, the neighboring country, which is also an influential ally. The Islamic Republic closely monitors Iraqi politics.

The most visible change for the Shiites after the fall of Saddam in 2003 was that they could once again express their faith and devotion to the founding figure of the Shia IslamImam Hussein.

During the great commemorations of the Ashura and of the arbainmillions of pilgrims converge on the holy cities of najaf and Karbala.

Under the command of Saddam Hussein, these celebrations were semi-clandestine.

After the fall of the regime, the interim authorities installed by the United States built a new political order and agreed that the prime minister would be a Shia, the speaker of Parliament a Sunni and that the presidency, an essentially symbolic position, would go to a Kurd.

“Consolidated elite”

“It was to be expected that the main Iraqi interlocutors of the United States would be the best positioned to benefit from a regime change.”, analyzes Fanar HaddadIraq specialist in University of Copenhagen.

“The opposition in exile” of Saddam’s regime was made up mainly of Shiite and Kurdish movements, he recalls.

Two decades later, things have not changed and the same names continue to dominate the “shia house”, although many no longer hold official positions.

Among them are Nuri al-Maliki, Ammar al-Hakim and Hadi al-Ameri.

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Many are former opponents in exile, coming from conservative and Islamist parties, and who for a long time took refuge in Iran or Europe to flee the repression of Saddam Hussein.

Since then “we have witnessed a consolidation of the political eliteAlshamary said.

“What happened in the last 20 years is that they went from being civil servants to being simple heads of political parties, who continue to have power even though they do not technically have a state position.”, he continued.

New actors have also entered the political scene, such as the Hashed al-Shaabiarmed pro-Tehran factions formed to fight the jihadists of the Islamic State (IS) now integrated into the army and with representation in both the government and parliament.

“No event has served Iranian interests as well as the invasion of Iraq in 2003.“, summarizes Fanar Haddad.

“The fundamentals of the system remain largely unchangedHaddad confirms. “The agreement reached by the elite in 2003-2005 continues to govern political life”, he adds.

“Generational change”

And the dissensions that crack the “shia house” sometimes lead to unprecedented episodes of violence.

The last legislative elections of 2021 led to an outbreak of clashes between the pro-Iranian camp and the turbulent Moqtada Sadrwhich culminated in August 2022 with a day of deadly combat in the center of baghdad.

This elite, often accused of being disconnected from the base, is now being challenged on the street, as illustrated by the unprecedented anti-power uprising of October 2019, which denounced endemic corruption, infrastructure decay and Iranian control.

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These demonstrations have especially shaken the capital Baghdad and the south of the country, with a Shiite majority, poor and underdeveloped, despite its enormous oil wealth.

Alshamary points to a “generational change“and a break with the vote”identity” which Shiite parties had enjoyed since 2005.

“The majority of Iraqis born after 2003 (…) grew up in a state where they are faced above all with growing income inequality and corruption. It’s what they fight against“, held.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.