The European Union and Iraq - how to help democracy

See this comprehensive report on the European Union and Iraq initiated by Ana Maria Gomes MEP, agreed in February. A useful antidote to the widespread pessimism about the prospects for Iraq.

It is critical of the 2003 intervention – it says that: the 2003 war divided Europe. Some Member States of the European Union (EU) took a political decision to support the United States in its decision to rush to war to supposedly defend the world from Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction. The unity of the EU on the international stage was one of the casualties of this fateful decision. The legacy of the 2003 disunity has plagued the EU’s potential role in the reconstruction of Iraq.

It recognises that “the years of the Ba'ath regime and decades of war have left behind a society traumatised by war, repression, ethnic cleansing (including by chemical attack, as in Halabja) and international neglect of these crimes; whereas the international community, and particularly those states that have supported the intervention, have a legal and moral duty, and also a security interest, to support the people of Iraq, and whereas the European Union, in coordination with other international donors, must rapidly and creatively mobilise all the relevant instruments at its disposal to do its part.

It says that “the EU as a global player should assume its responsibilities for building up a new democratic Iraq” and “needs to be more strategic in supporting Iraq in its progress towards becoming a democratic federal state; whereas the EU recognises that, in order for it to be able to provide effective assistance, there must be a solid partnership with the people of Iraq, an ongoing commitment on the part of the Government of Iraq to ensure security, reconciliation, a willingness to cooperate, efforts to achieve capacity- and democracy-building, and efforts to fight corruption and ensure transparency and effectiveness as fundamental preconditions for an increased role of the European Union in Iraq; whereas the key challenges of reconstruction lie on the institutional and social fronts, namely the capacity-building of institutions and administration, consolidation of the rule of law, law enforcement and respect for human rights.”

It adds that “the EC has committed around €818 million to Iraqi reconstruction since 2003, in addition to the contributions coming from member states. But the EU has not been successful in substantially improving the situation on the ground. It is true that it has not been the only donor whose contributions for Iraqi reconstruction have produced disappointingly few results. However, this recommendation argues that Europe can do much more and much better, namely by engaging more intensively with Iraqi institutions, and civil society actors by considerably expanding its presence on the ground and by finding more creative ways to use its resources.”

It contains a host of useful policy suggestions to help Iraq.

Gary Kent