Al Jazeera Centre for Studies and the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) are hosting a seminar in Istanbul on Saturday, 26 January 2019. Under the title, “Iraq in Light of Domestic and Foreign Shifts,” the seminar will bring together distinguished researchers and experts in the field.
The seminar comes following the parliamentary elections in May 2018 and the ensuing shifts among the political elite. It also takes place in the post-Islamic State period, as Iraq faces domestic and external challenges to restoring its national sovereignty amid regional and international vying in the country.
In three separate panels, the seminar will address several issues. The first panel is dedicated to describing the general political landscape in Iraq, with the goal of spotlighting post-election political coalitions and the overall future of the political process. It will also address core problems in Iraqi politics related to the dominance of domestic power centres, the absence of reconciliation and external influences on politics. In addition, it will touch on the extreme humanitarian conditions in the country and their impact on domestic and regional security. Speakers will explore the potential for developing cross-ethnic, cross-communal national Iraqi politics.
The second panel will discuss the reconstruction of Iraq and repairing the destruction left by the Islamic State around the country, but particularly in Mosul. Speakers will address the challenges facing the development of community projects to end the tension and polarisation that fuel terrorism in Iraq and will spotlight the importance of supporting counterterrorism security forces. The panel will also discuss the grounds for restructuring the Iraqi economy and the budgets and supervision needed to rebuild infrastructure, address issues in public services and revive the Iraqi market. The panel will conclude with a discussion of the water problem—one of the most significant issues facing Iraq that has recently sparked social unrest—in order to identify ways of addressing it.
The seminar will conclude with a third panel, which will discuss the impact of competition between international and regional players on Iraqi stability, security and social welfare. Speakers will examine Iraq’s current predicament: being caught between US pressure to comply with sanctions on Iran and Washington’s attempts to support certain figures to limit Iranian influence and Iran’s growing influence in Iraq and backing of religious and political figures in Iraq, as well as pressure from Arab states, Turkey and Russia. The panel will examine the consequences of this competition and conflict for Iraqi politics, economy and society.