Iraq should use IS war to rebuild foreign relations
The war against the Islamic State provides Iraq with an opportunity to rebuild fractured relations with neighboring countries and others.
Everyone in Iraq agrees that over the past few years, Iraq has experienced a growing imbalance in the management of its foreign relations that led to the rupturing of ties with a number of neighboring countries, creating an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust. Perhaps the only disagreement is the reason for this imbalance.
Logic dictates that a state rebuilding itself should take the initiative and expand its international relations, but some in Iraq still believe that the country's problem has not been in the management of foreign relations, but in other countries' hostility toward Iraq, including allegedly plotting against it, supporting terrorism and trying to thwart the power structure introduced after 2003.
Although Iraq has a national interest in building foreign relations, the government has often taken stances driven by emotions or personal feelings. It is not an exaggeration to say that today Iraq is paying for mistakes produced from these approaches.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s government is burdened by this legacy of ambiguities and mistakes in foreign relations. Abadi's announced government program includes the intention to promote the openness required for productive relations with neighboring countries and others farther afield. Overcoming the current crisis is key to restoring foreign relations in the future.
