The grim reality of Iraq

Many candles have been lit on the 5th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, as thousands of Iraqis and Americans mourned their dead, who were killed during the past five years.

The anniversary marks the death of Iraqis' dreams and aspirations too. Their dreams of a country where democracy reigns through a parliament and governorate councils have turned into a mirage.

Intellectuals who hoped for a future where they could exercise their freedom of thought and expression are finding themselves up against a wall.

After five years of the US occupation, it has become evident that Iraq cannot be ruled as per the desire of its people, who have sacrificed their blood, sweat and tears to choose their representatives in a legitimate parliament.

Iraq is ruled in accordance with a preconceived agenda that is kindled with the interest of other countries and organisations, who use religious and sectarian groups to further their cause.

It is evident in Basra which, of late, is transformed into a battlefield with neighbouring countries snipping at it through proxy entities. The foreign interference there proves that occupation is the worst of all earthly evils.

The past few years have proven the failure of the Americans and Iraqis to set the country in order and to protect the common people who have faced a lot of misery over the years.

Nothing encourages me to be optimistic regarding Iraq's future. The US confiscated our aspirations and jailed our prospects within the framework of its policies and international interests.

On the political level, the new state has not been able to overcome the barriers it faced from day one. And despite the long and winding talk about a national reconciliation, the people are still divided and the gulf between various ethnic and religious segments have widened so much that it reminds one of the days that prevailed prior to the formation of a unified Iraqi state.

In fact, these division - sectarian, tribal, ethnic and even regional - are actively encouraged by the US so that its occupation forces can control the country. Worse, even within the same sect, there are divisions and their differences have led to internecine fighting.

Al Sahwah (awakening) councils are perusing the fundamentalists, whereas they were able to sit together and talk in the past. Al Mahdi army is fighting the Iraqi forces in a number of cities despite the fact that Al Mahdi's leader Moqtada Al Sadr and the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki were partners in the United Iraqi Coalition bloc.

On the economic front, the Iraqi government is still unable to let go off the food coupons, which were devised by the former regime. These coupons also help in sustaining armed militias.

A number of American chartered accountants wrote about the big "re-building of Iraq" lie. The report said that only 5 per cent of the 2007 Iraqi budget has been spent so far in a country which is both devastated and needs to be re-built.

Iraq has also become a hub of corruption and mismanagement, where the national wealth is siphoned off. The Iraqi executive authority is helpless and no embezzler of public funds has been persecuted.

Services are weak, because of the corrupt governmental apparatus, and a government which is neither respected nor feared.

Moreover, millions of Iraqis are displaced within the country and hundreds of thousands have sought refuge abroad. Whether their displacement was forced or not is not the issue, but they all fled to save their lives.

Not a banana republic

The change that took place five years ago should have been brought about by the Iraqis themselves and not through US weapons and force. Iraq is not a small country such as Grenada, Panama or a banana republic, where any change in its structure will not leave its dangerous imprints.

The void in Iraq cannot be easily replaced and the US is aware of the dangers that it poses to the whole region. The country has found itself isolated from the rest of the Arab world too.

The reasons for the seclusion is the rest of the Arab countries have refused to recognise the situation in Iraq. There are also forces in Iraq that want a weak link with other Arab countries.

The worse thing is the political forces have no programmes to improve the situation in the country. It is also a long way to the next elections where many of the faces we see today in the Iraqi parliament will most probably change.

Dr Mohammad Akef Jamal is an Iraqi writer based in Dubai.