Amna Abdelrazek
The Iraqi parliament approved a draft bill in January requiring the government to ask Washington to withdraw American troops from the country.
During the Iraqi parliament’s emergency session, in which some members repeatedly chanted “no to America,” Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi revealed new information about the run up to the American drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian military leader who commanded the country’s Quds Force.
Currently, the US administration might shift its interests to the Kurdish-populated region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq, especially that the Kurdistan leadership has welcomed the increase of US troops in the region
This would allow Kurdistan to preserve its commitment to the international coalition to defeat Daesh, and would maintain its presence against Iran and the factions supported by it, as well as strengthening its position to avoid possible repercussions resulting from the possible future division of Iraq.
Republican Senator from Florida Marco Rubio said on Twitter after the Iraqi Parliament decision, “Maybe it’s time for a fully independent Kurdistan in what is currently Northern Iraq?”
The Kurdistan region is now suffering from deteriorating economic conditions, the spread of the COVID-19, and the low price of oil, which is its main financial resource, with 490 thousand barrels per day, which threatens an imminent economic meltdown.
A report by the Washington Institute entitled “How to Serve U.S. Interests by Saving Kurdistan’s Economy” said Kurdistan is one of America’s strongest friends in the region, born under the umbrella of U.S. air patrols and written into the Iraqi constitution with strong U.S. support.
To spare the Kurds a potential double blow, according to the report, U.S. officials should strongly encourage Baghdad to keep providing the KRI’s current $328 million monthly share per the 2019 budget (which is being reused this year on a pro-rata basis until the new budget is approved).
According to the report, U.S. officials should also make sure that the KRI receives its fair share of any economic or coronavirus aid packages granted to Iraq by the World Bank or other institutions.
The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve is buying oil at the current low prices, and while most of these purchases come from American producers, there is leeway to buy some abroad. For example, Washington could purchase some Kurdish crude as a form of soft loan at this critical moment. Moreover, Washington should sustain the aid for as long as needed and increase it back to its 2019 level.
The report has also said the U.S. government should embrace such efforts warmly, and press other Kurdish actors in Sulaymaniyah, Erbil, and Dahuk to publicly back all austerity measures ordered by Barzani rather than exploiting the situation for short-sighted political benefit.
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