ATP in Iraq is beginning to settle into its new normal (Iraq Report Part 2)

Iraq is doing its best to find an equilibrium. They are still recovering from decades of rule under Saddam Hussein followed by a war that ravaged the region as Al Qaida and ISIS tried their best to establish a foothold there.

Iraq is beginning to settle into its new normal.

ATP in Iraq is beginning to settle into its new normal.

ISIS sex slaves and overt war have given way to illicit sex industries, exploitation, corruption, and political infighting. These are the same troubles that every modern nation faces, including our own. Mental health, women’s rights and recovering from trauma are focus areas throughout Iraq and especially in Kurdistan. ATP is connected at the highest levels of the Kurdish government and also at the grass roots level to help them usher in the hope and healing the people there so deserve.

Iraq’s New Normal

The new government in Iraq, with the newly elected Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani needs to focus on domestic issues and develop the state’s administrative systems and executive mechanisms that will see Iraq marching toward success and away from external polarizations and currents.

Iraq is poor nation with a rich government. With a $100 billion budget, al-Sudani’s government stands to be the richest in the history of the country. The premier will face the challenge of how to spend that budget while surrounded by corruption. After all, money is not everything. The country suffers from a plethora of problems, starting from Shia and Sunni militias that exist outside state authority and enshrine the rule of jungle law, to the widespread corruption that paralyzes the state more than terrorism ever did, to foreign interventions that emerge like parasites, feeding off of the central authority’s weakness.

It may have been 20 years since Saddam left and 10 since the US did, but Iraq still has a long way to go, and it needs to achieve security, political stability, and good governance, and begin reconstruction.

As for the problem of external pressures and foreign dependence, no one expects the new prime minister and leadership to throw Iraq into the arms of Saudi Arabia, Iran, or the US. A fully-sovereign Iraq falls in the best interest of the Iraqis and the region in general. After all, the lack of sovereignty has been the core reason for the continued failure of states like Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, Somalia, and others.

As for foreign affairs, Baghdad can play a positive role regionally in terms of calming tensions in the Gulf and the crisis in Syria, or even with Turkey, given its geopolitical status and its interconnected issues with its neighbors. Or, at the very least, it can take a neutral stance. So, can the new prime minister lay the foundations for such an important role that encourages toward having a prosperous and stable region? Iraq is considered one of most corrupt countries in the world, ranking 157 out of 180 in Transparency International's corruption perceptions index. The widespread corruption has crippled the country’s efforts to recover from decades of war and UN-imposed economic sanctions.

Despite its oil wealth, decades of war, corruption, mismanagement, and political fighting have left Iraq with poor public services and dilapidated infrastructure.

Despite the billions of dollars earned from oil revenue since 2003, Iraqis are still complaining about poor roads, dilapidated hospitals and broken schools. Many Iraqis receive only a few hours of state electricity a day and buy the rest of their needs from private generators.

Although Iraq sits on vast oil reserves, the country has in recent years experienced an alarming rise in poverty levels, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. The most recent government report said an additional 4.5 million Iraqis were pushed into poverty in 2020. This raised the total number of Iraq’s poor to 11.4 million ― more than a quarter of its population of about 40 million.

ATP’s New Normal

There’s been a shift in focus since ISIS has long been defeated in Kurdistan. The focus is no longer on fulfilling the immediate, life-threatening, survival needs of the IDPs and refugees who fled their destroyed towns and villages. The focus is now on empowering and protecting these individuals, especially women and children.

As we have met with leaders in Kurdistan over the last few days, there’s a recurring theme: empowerment of women and children. Legacy programs that teach skillsets, schools that accept Yezidi survivor children, law enforcement who need training on protecting the vulnerable, and education of human rights are all hot topics in Kurdistan.

There’s a shift that ATP believes the Lord is leading us to be part of and we want you to join us.

Please pray for peace in Iraq.

Peace in Kurdistan.

And for God to watch over our team as we step into this troubled time to share His grace and peace.