Two weeks ago, I visited Iraqi troops in western Mosul as they prepared to liberate the last terrorist-controlled neighbourhoods in the city. By any standard, they are heroes. I did not ask for their religious, regional or ethnic origins. I saw them for what they were: Iraqis standing together against the cruellest killers on Earth.
Some of the soldiers I met may have fallen since then in house-to-house fighting. With their sacrifices, our troops have helped to deal a death blow to Daesh (the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) and the terrorist organisation is losing its largest stronghold in Iraq and the aura of invincibility it once claimed.
Having spilled our blood together with the United States to win this war, we want to work together to win peace. Last Monday, I visited US President Donald Trump at his invitation and also attended the conference of the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh. Trump and I discussed how to build upon the Strategic Framework Agreement our two countries had signed in 2008.
We ask the US to join us in urging the international community to fulfil its funding pledges to secure and stabilise our communities and prevent Daesh and Al Qaida from reemerging. We also need US know-how and investment as we revive our economy and renew our democracy. In the spirit of our 2008 agreement, we want to engage in a partnership that involves political, diplomatic, defence, security, educational and cultural cooperation.
Over the past few years, military advisers from the US and other coalition countries have helped Iraqis turn around our armed forces so that we can fight and win our battles ourselves. Now, we ask Americans to assist us as we restore our infrastructure and diversity and partially privatise our economy. We need US investment to rebuild our housing, hospitals, schools, sanitation facilities, roads, highways and bridges. We can also benefit from America’s technical expertise as we improve and expand our telecommunications, information technology and health-care sectors. Iraq needs US financiers and corporate partners to help us develop agriculture, petrochemicals and other industries.
As Iraqis wind down the war and rebuild our communities and our economy, our challenges can be America’s opportunities. But, ultimately, we ourselves will write a new chapter in our history.
For more than half a century, we have endured a tyrannical dictatorship, international isolation, three wars and ceaseless, senseless violence. When former president Saddam Hussain was overthrown, Iraqis resolved never to allow one man, one political party or one segment of society to dominate our diverse nation. Now we have the opportunity to build an Iraq worthy of what we are: A pluralist people, steeped in history, striving to build one nation in peace and mutual respect.
As prime minister, I have seen that most Iraqis want Iraq to succeed. First, we must finish the job of defeating Daesh militarily. With more than 200,000 Mosul residents displaced, along with more than three million other Iraqis, we must restore public services and rebuild our infrastructure. We must reconcile our society across sectarian and ethnic lines. Houses of worship must be safe and sanctified. When all our citizens know that their voices are heard, their dignity is respected and their needs are recognised, we can then be sure that they will not turn to violence.
In a region whose sectarian divisions our own society strives to resist, Iraq must maintain friendly relations with all our neighbours, while preserving our sovereignty and ensuring that no neighbour exercises outside influence within our country. That is why we welcome America’s continued engagement, consistent with the Strategic Framework Agreement, and have strengthened our ties with our neighbours, as exemplified by the recent visit to Baghdad by leaders and diplomats from throughout the Middle East.
We cannot stop senseless violence without the rule of law and security forces that represent and respect every segment of society. Our government strives to create an independent and impartial judiciary that applies the law without bias or favouritism. And we are incorporating into our security forces all Iraqis who have taken up arms to defend their families and communities.
But for our citizens to fight for the government, they need a government worth fighting for. In the midst of the war against Daesh, we have also waged war on corruption in civil and military institutions. Now that our nation is returning to peacetime, we need to resume the work of reducing the bloated bureaucracy, eliminating ethnic quotas and ceremonial positions, recruiting qualified professionals and devolving decision-making and the delivery of services to local communities, where people can raise their voices and get results.
As we right-size government, we need to grow and diversify our economy, encouraging entrepreneurship and foreign investment, privatising state-owned enterprises and reducing our reliance on oil. Earning a living peacefully is the best alternative to taking others’ lives violently.
Iraqis don’t want to kill each other, to get blown up when they walk outside their doors or to be taught to hate their neighbours because of who they are or how they worship. Instead, we want what most of the world takes for granted: The opportunity to live in dignity and build better lives for our children.
Together with our international partners, we are working to build a new Iraq, advancing this age-old dream. Americans have built that kind of country. With their help and goodwill, so will we.
— Washington Post
