Assistant Professor of Political Science, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Law and Political Science, Afro-Asian Open University – Istanbul
The research discusses the problem of external relations with various political components and their impact on Iraq's policies. This research addresses the background of forming alliances of Iraqi political components since 1921. Moreover, it addresses the form of Iraqi political alliances and blocs and the nature of their external connections after the American occupation of Iraq in 2003. It discusses the problem of the emergence of the democracy of 'sectarian, ethnic, and national quotas' as a primary factor in shaping the Iraqi political system. It also revealed the multiplicity of connections between Iraqi internal political components and external factors, such as economic ties, military alliances, and diplomatic relationships.
The research also addressed Iraq's geopolitical position and its role in preserving the lost regional balances in light of this problem. The research explored and examined the repercussions of these (problematic) alliances on the official policies and positions of the state, the most important of which were: 1) The change in the priorities of Iraqi politics according to the changes in the connections of these forces in the government with external powers, 2) The exit from the circle of neutrality and independence in Arab and Islamic affairs, 3) Iraq's loss of geopolitical advantage in favor of external parties.
It also discussed the foundations and motives that influence external actors' interest-based policies towards Iraq.
The research also projected the most likely scenarios of these repercussions in the near future. It answered a central question: What are the boundaries of the effectiveness and influence of external will in shaping Iraqi internal and external policies amidst the conflict of internal wills and the multiplicity of their connections with external parties? This anticipation of future developments adds a layer of intrigue to the research.
This research discovered that the majority of foreign policy trends are governed by the connections and external relations of the components of the government and parliament.
The research reached several results, the most prominent of which are: 1) Iraq's internal and external policy has become a reflection of the interests of influential countries within it, most notably Iran, the United States, and neighboring countries; 2) The consolidation and deepening of the concepts of quotas and sectarianism due to these external connections, 3) Iraq's transition to a square in which it is an arena for settling accounts by proxy in the service of external agendas.
Keywords: Iraq, Iraqi Sunni alliances, Kurdish parties, Iraqi Coordination Framework, United States, Iran, Israel, Turkey, sectarianism, quotas.
