Iraq and death have formed a bond its corrupt leaders leave unbroken

The country’s political elite is unable or unwilling to provide even a basic standard of rule in a country they only see as a means to enrich themselves

People attend a collective funeral for victims of the wedding hall fire in Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 29, 2023.
AFP
People attend a collective funeral for victims of the wedding hall fire in Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 29, 2023.

Iraq and death have formed a bond its corrupt leaders leave unbroken

Iraq remains a land of stark contrasts, displayed to the point of paradox by how its politicians posture, seeking dominance over land steeped in tragedy.

Two recent scenes have demonstrated this with painful clarity.

The heart-wrenching despair, tears and shock engulfed the families of the victims of the terrible fire at a wedding in the Al-Hamdaniya district of the Mosul governorate.

Then came the disturbing spectacle of arrogant conceit and loud laughter at the General Conference of the Kurdistan National Congress in Sulaymaniyah, from a coalition of self-appointed political leaders who have joined forces to extend their influence.

The tragic loss of innocent lives starkly contrasts the political charade orchestrated by a group who have used familial connections or even foreign influence to put themselves into prominent positions over the Iraqi people.

There were statements of condolence from the Sulaymaniyah gathering for the victims in Mosul. But their political jockeying continued unabated as the extent of the tragedy unfolded, without regard for the deceased, until the victims were laid to rest.

These tragedies and the suffering of ordinary citizens seem to have lost their impact on these politicians. After all, they acquired power by sacrificing numerous followers in senseless and bloody misadventures, all driven by a single-minded motivation: seizing and maintaining power and political influence.

They remain indifferent to cries of anguish. They are unmoved by the scenes of death and destruction. To them, these scenes are not anomalies, but a grim part of their coexistence with the people they are meant to serve.

AFP
A woman reacts during a collective funeral for victims of the wedding hall fire in Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 29, 2023

Read more: Amid an unsettling peace, people bury their loved ones and swallow their outrage

Iraq's political elite remains indifferent to cries of anguish. They are unmoved by the scenes of death and destruction. To them, these scenes are not anomalies, but a grim part of their coexistence with the people they are meant to serve.

Everyday death

Iraq has become a country where a relentless cycle of senseless death has endured for so long, it has become part of daily national life. No other people can be as intimately acquainted with senseless death daily as the Iraqis.

Iraq and death have forged an unbroken bond. This grim connection takes various forms.

AFP
A woman reacts during a collective funeral for victims of the wedding hall fire in Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, on September 29, 2023.

At times, death is imposed under the rule of authoritarian regimes, while at other times, it thrives in the chaos of war. Yet, even when neither of these factors is at play, death can still strike, as fellow Iraqis inflict it on each other. In the post-2003 era, terrorism contributed to this devastating toll.

The grim tally of death began with the inception of the modern Iraqi state. When British forces entered the country at the start of its occupation, hundreds of lives were lost.

The Assyrians' crisis in the 1930s culminated in a tragic massacre. During the First Republic, Kirkuk and Mosul witnessed harrowing massacres. The Kurdish rebellion ignited until the mid-1970s, leaving countless casualties behind.

Throughout the Second Republic, the National Guard spread terror and death. Terror and cruelty marked the Third Republic, and hundreds of thousands of martyrs perished in war with Iran.

After that, those opposed to Saddam Hussein's tyrannical rule were massacred, amounting to crimes against humanity. They included heinous crimes in Halabja and the harsh repression of popular uprisings. Mass graves in the central and southern regions are a haunting testament to this suffering.

Terror and cruelty marked the Third Republic, and hundreds of thousands of martyrs perished in war with Iran. After that, those opposed to Saddam Hussein's tyrannical rule were massacred amounting to crimes against humanity. 

Danger every day

The story does not end there. Even after Saddam's fall, the spectre of death persisted.

It lingered in the form of military operations and terrorism. Aside from those brands of violence, it came from the inability of the authorities to provide security and safety, as shown by the Imams Bridge incident in Baghdad and the Camp Speicher massacre in 2014.

And the spectre of death still haunts Iraq. Each day brings a different kind of threat, all exacerbated by the insidious presence of corruption.

The state is governed by corruption. The absence of the rule of law means mafia groups have exerted control over every facet of life while only the political class thrives amid the destruction.

The once optimistic city of Mosul – which was supposed to be a model for post-war reconstruction and recovery – has instead become emblematic of Iraq's problems. It is a battleground for rival political and military factions and the businesses they control.

The tragic wedding fire incident in Al-Hamdaniya is not an isolated event but a stark reminder of the pervasive chaos and corruption that have taken root. 

In March 2019, a ferry disaster claimed the lives of many, including women and children, further underscoring the devastating impact of corruption and mismanagement on the lives of Iraqis across the nation's cities.

Following its liberation from the Islamic State (IS), Mosul's plight is closely tied to mismanagement. Military operations have left the city in ruins, and the government has failed to invest in rebuilding trust between various political and security sectors and the citizens.

Read more: Mosul on the mend six years after IS fall

Many Iraqis had come to view the state, even in its absence, as safer than the model IS sought to impose in Nineveh.

Neither the government nor the provincial council had a vision for what should happen after liberation. Even the slogan "victory over extremism" has been exploited primarily as election propaganda, and continues to be used for political purposes during every election season.

The tragic wedding fire incident in Al-Hamdaniya is not an isolated event but a stark reminder of the pervasive chaos and corruption that have taken root. 

Multipolar politics, one form of corruption

The deeply entrenched and corrupt political system is the true culprit of Iraq's desperate death toll. It is responsible for the loss of life everywhere — from Basra, Mosul, Baghdad, and Dhi Qar, as well as across the entire nation.

The political class that has governed Iraq since 2003 may differ in their views on the state's identity, the nature of the ruling system, and their affiliations with foreign entities. But, they share one common trait: viewing the state as a source of spoils and governing it with corruption as the norm.

In the past, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) used to release monthly reports on the number of casualties resulting from terrorist operations.

Today, we need statistics on the deaths caused by corruption. Yet this issue doesn't require statistical evidence to prove its presence in Iraq. Anyone who visits healthcare institutions across Iraqi cities will sense that many of these facilities seem more like places of death than centres for healing and recovery.

If we were to compare the numbers of victims of terrorist operations to the corresponding figures for victims of corruption and mismanagement, the disparity may not be significant.

Traffic accidents on the highways connecting Iraq surpass the number of terrorist casualties in a country so rife with corruption, that it cannot provide even the most basic safety measures for its people.

There are also frequent fires that have become a familiar reminder of the dire state of the nation. They even break out in hospitals. Incidents at Al-Khatib Hospital in Baghdad and a fire at Al-Hussein Hospital in Nasiriyah in 2021 were heart-wrenching examples.

They all preceded the devastating Al-Hamdaniya wedding hall fire, with tragedy sweeping away what was meant to be a day of celebration.

AFP
A woman's shoe lies among charred objects inside the Al-Haitham hall in Qaraqosh, also known as Hamdaniyah, days after a fire broke out during a wedding, killing at least 100 people and injuring more than 150, on September 29, 2023.

How can Iraqis find joy and express their love for life in a country without even the basic requirements for daily safety?

The political class remains indifferent to the well-being of its people, seeing the country as a means to provide them with the wealth they crave, and looking away from the ruin and death around them.

The political class remains indifferent to the well-being of its people, seeing the country as a means to provide them with the wealth they crave, and looking away from the ruin and death around them.

The battle between ordinary Iraqis and their corrupt and failed politicians appears to be protracted. Its losses may surpass even those inflicted by the struggle against terrorism.

The people of Mosul showed their fellow Iraqis and the world how to defeat terrorism. But after their victory was declared, they were locked in a different battle with a more diffuse enemy: pervasive corruption.

Those responsible for it continue to wreak havoc and devastation on Iraq, and at times, those fighting it seem powerless and deprived of their will.

font change

Related Articles