Iraq Now!

I spent the past several days in Baghdad meeting with Iraqi government officials, advisors, and U.S. Embassy representatives. More importantly, I went outside the green zone to get a better sense of the climate that exists within the country.

Iraq is ready for change and Iraqi citizens want it! However, the political system, endemic corruption, and a sense of malaise permeates public and private institutions, which prohibits meaningful change from happening. Almost everyone I spoke with recognizes and understands the problems, but cannot come up with solutions. The newly elected government, led by its appointed Prime Minister must quickly address the concerns of Iraqi citizens. They have a small window of opportunity to restore trust in the government and implement programs that address the grievances of Iraqi citizens.

The challenges Iraq faces are not uncommon or insurmountable. However, they require novel solutions that current approaches fail to deliver. Introducing technology to address corruption, designing small-scale, community-based programs that address the basic needs of individuals and communities, and removing the draconian security protocols to promote foreign direct investment are the pillars of a strategy to create stability.

Hopefully the leaders of the new Iraqi government will adopt the novel approaches in order to deliver security and prosperity to Iraqi citizens. If not, I fear the government will suffer the same fate as the Adel Abdul-Mahdi government in 2019.