Chalabi: Anbar crisis sign of 'political failure' in Iraq
In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Ahmed Chalabi shares his views on the upcoming elections, the economy and the de-Baathification law.
BAGHDAD — Ahmed Chalabi, leader of the Iraq National Congress, says that Iraq is in a "very difficult situation."
In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Chalabi, who has been both praised and skewered for his advocacy of the US war in Iraq, discussses some of the successes and disappointments since the United States deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003; the challenges faced by the de-Baathification law; the crisis in Anbar; the need for diversification of Iraq's economy; the upcoming Iraqi elections; and Iraq's "failed" relations with Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia.
Text of the interview follows:
Al-Monitor: You were one of the most prominent political figures who contributed to the war to liberate Iraq in 2003. More than 10 years on, do you see Iraq as you had hoped it would be? Why have [the country's] tracks deviated and why is Iraq still mired in violence and political and sectarian conflict, despite the US withdrawal?
