Like America and the West, Iraq has experienced turmoil and chaos for years since the Iraq war and its aftermath. We are grateful to the United States for liberating our nation from the yoke of Saddam Hussein, and it is incumbent on us Iraqis to build a stable and peaceful country for the sake of our children.
The best way to achieve that peace and security is for Iraq to align itself with the United States as President Trump and follow-on aligned U.S. leaders lead America into the promised “golden age.”
With the right leadership, Iraq can add value to the United States as we chart our own future at the same time.
My former boss, President Jalal Talabani was a strong Iraqi leader, as I will be. As an independent, neutral president who stands up for our nation, I will be a counter balance to anti-American political forces in Iraq influenced by neighboring countries. We will make Iraq great.
Too many times, Baghdad was influenced by bad actors and lacked a strong Iraqi presidency and if I am president, we will strike the correct balance that serves Iraq’s interests first and the interests of the broader Middle East too. With American leadership, Iraq can and should be integrated into the region in new ways.
If appointed, I intend to use the powers of the president’s office to full effect. The Iraqi constitution is clear that the president has the power to sign orders as well as send legislation to the Iraqi parliament for consideration and passage.
In other words, as president, I will use the powers entrusted in me to lead the nation in new and innovative ways.
In that spirit, I will call on the parliament to pass an oil and gas law, which will make the energy sector in Iraq more transparent and favorable to American investment and technical assistance. Natural resources will be critical to Iraq’s golden age. We must use our resources wisely. Harvesting energy and other commodities for the good of all of Iraq’s people and simultaneously helping our partners is a goal of mine.
A government controlled energy sector producing only 50% of the nation’s required electricity is unacceptable. When I am president, I will call for the privatization of the electricity sector in Iraq, which in turn will shepherd in public-private partnerships and, in doing so, attract U.S. companies to invest and build the sector’s capacity. This is long overdue.
I will also send legislation to the parliament calling for the implementation of the U.S.-Iraq strategic partnership, in various sectors including trade and commerce. Iraq’s food ration program has spent billions of dollars buying crops from other countries. We should buy American. Nor is there any reason why Iraq’s national carrier, Iraqi Airways, shouldn’t buy Boeing commercial aircraft.
Equally important, Iraq must become kinder to its minorities. If appointed president, I will make it a priority of mine to ensure the safe return and freedom of worship for Iraq’s religious minorities, the Christian, Yazidi and Jewish communities, whose numbers have been decimated since the end of the war and before that. It is correct to embrace these communities again for they had been part of Iraq’s fabric as well.
While Iraq is majority Muslim, we understand America is a majority Christian nation, and the freedom of Iraqi religious minorities to worship safely should be a priority of ours. Iraq will be a better place for it, and this will also foster good will from American constituencies, leading to fruitful cooperation between our two countries. We need the Iraqi Christian diaspora to repatriate, and we are here to protect their places of worship. Disarming non-government militias and paramilitary groups will go a long way to providing that security.
One note of caution: Appointing a candidate for president from one of the two leading Kurdish parties over the other party will only divide the two parties, and further weaken Kurdish positions with the central government in Baghdad. This in turn will weaken America’s position and influence in Iraq and strengthen Iran’s influence in the country. Iran is coping with its own serious domestic problems. Now is not the time to allow the rebirth of proxy forces in Iraq, which were so devastating to U.S. military personnel.
I have personally fought on the side of the Kurdish people and understand the special bond between U.S. forces and the Peshmerga. I take this relationship seriously, as every Kurdish fighter does, and am proud of the American-Iraqi-Kurdish bond.
With that experience, I am in a unique position to bring positive change to Iraq and form a strong bond with the American people and her leadership, which will benefit both of our nations for decades to come.
We are on the cusp of significant change across the Middle East, even the world. Leaders matter. The American people inaugurated a president one year ago who has a clear vision and decisiveness. Unfortunately, previous U.S. administrations had different priorities and were not as clear about their intentions in Iraq. I applaud President Trump for his leadership. It is important to put in place leaders who have what it takes to lead humanity to a better place and have an impact on peoples’ lives.
I am that leader and I look forward to leading Iraq as her president. I also look forward to working closely with the United States if I am afforded that wonderful opportunity.
Sardar Abdulla served for ten years as a Kurdish fighter and commander against the regime of Saddam Hussein. Born in Baghdad, he received his B.A. from the University of Sulaymaniyah, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). After serving the Kurdish cause, Mr. Abdulla became an editor and writer at multiple media outlets in the KRI. He was editor-in-chief at Harem newspaper and Rojnama newspaper, among other senior positions. Following his prolific writing career, Mr. Abdulla served as an advisor to the first Iraqi president after the country’s liberation in 2003, Jalal Talabani. Mr. Abdulla was elected as a Member of Parliament in Iraq in 2010. Previously, he ran for president of Iraq, in 2018.
