Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi sought to brush aside early setbacks a mere two weeks into his job on Tuesday, vowing to pursue reforms despite a lack of embedded support from the legislature.
In a letter to the public, Mr Al Kadhimi said he is having to deal with a “heavy inheritance,” as political groups who said they would not impede the new premier continue to deny him his choice of two key ministers.
Mr Al Kadhimi said he is facing a contradiction between “public promises that affirmed my prerogative to choose the cabinet and what is going on behind the scenes”.
“I say to those who cautioned me that I do not have a political party that I will continue to move forward to serve my people,” he said.
Parliament confirmed Mr Al Kadhimi’s government on May 5, leaving the oil and foreign minister positions vacant. The new prime minister is a former intelligence chief supported by the United States.
In the letter, Mr Al Kadhimi renewed his call to put “weapons and fire power in the hands of the state,” to hold early elections, and to meet the demands of the country’s protest movement to “erase the detested legacy of the spoils system”.
Months of demonstrations began in October, demanding an end to corruption and the formulation of a new political system. They have now mostly halted due to a government crackdown backed by pro-Iranian militias and measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
One of Mr Kadhimi’s first orders was the release of demonstrators, but it remains unclear whether the order has been met amid the fragmentation of the administration he took over.
Iraq has myriad security organisations. Various militias killed and disappeared hundreds of civilians in response to the civil uprising.
Mr Al Kadhimi’s confirmation came as a result of messy compromises that have been the hallmark of Iraqi politics since the first democratic election in the post-Saddam Hussein era consolidated the political ascendency of the country’s Shiite majority.
Kurdish parties that were early enthusiastic supporters of Mr Kadhimi were largely left out of his cabinet. Shiite groups in parliament, who are kingmakers in the system, largely because of their association with militias supported by Iran, got control of the interior ministry.
The jockeying for power and the dominance of the Shiite groups left Mr Kadhimi with only one ally in a key position, the Finance Minister Ali Allawi.
Mr Al Kadhimi said he found state coffers “nearly empty,” adding that public security is being threatened “not just by the continuation of ISIS and its sleeper cells, but also from the weapons running loose outside the control of the state.”
Mr Al Kadhimi met militia chiefs this week as part of a charm offensive to placate them. But one day after followers of one of the most lethal militias supported by Iran overran the Saudi Arabia-owned MBC channel in Baghdad.
The channel had aired a show that was critical of Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis, killed in a US strike earlier this year near Baghdad’s airport. He is the de facto leader of the Popular Mobilisation Forces, an umbrella body of all of Iraq’s mostly Iranian-backed Shiite militias.
The storming of MBC undermined overtures by Mr Al Kadhimi to the Arabian Gulf.
Interest in the region in Iraq reignited after Mr Al Kadhimi became prime minister, partly because he is seen as not tainted by ideology.
Mr Al Kadhimi said the government needed PMF support to keep ISIS from re-surging. But he emphasised in his letter that no one should be above the law, indicating that the militias should disarm.
“No party, no matter how important or what the source of its power is, or its allegiance, should be above the will of the state, the constitution, or the law,” Mr Al Kadhimi said.
What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Who are the Sacklers?
The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.
Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma.
It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.
Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".
The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.
Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
Naga
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Ant-Man and the Wasp
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas
Three stars
Gothia Cup 2025
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