Faleh al-Fayad, the Iraqi national-security adviser, believes that 2013 will be the year that the Strategic Framework Agreement will be fully implemented, saying that US President Barack Obama’s re-election will further stabilize cooperation efforts between Iraq and the United States.

As national-security adviser, Fayad’s purview encompasses burdensome issues related to security and untangling the complex network of threads that connect emergent terrorist groups with the unfolding events in the Middle East, all while staying afloat in Iraq’s tumultuous political scene. Fayad is the second most prominent figure in the National Reform Movement led by former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari. He played a large role in forging the Shiite-dominated National Alliance, which presently governs Iraq, and he was also one of the drafters of the Iraqi constitution that was ratified in 2005.

Regarding Iraq’s internal security, Faleh al-Fayad said that the Iraqi army has complete control over the security situation following the American withdrawal. However, he admitted that improvements are still needed regarding technical issues in the intelligence apparatus.

Fayad revealed to Al-Monitor that the Iraqi army is not qualified to maintain order in the cities because it is unsuited to carrying out such duties.