Iraq "Lagging in Foreign Investment"

The existing cultural order, which is predominantly religious and tribal, does not help to provide the necessary conditions for ensuring respect for the personal freedoms of investors. Also, investment does not merely mean business administration, but rather a temporary residence for both employees and investors.

Political Islam parties in Iraq have always wanted to impose their values ​​by force, both on Iraqi residents and foreign investors. Thus, anyone who dares to venture into the Arab part of Iraq would be well aware that they would be isolated from society, knowing that the forces in this part of the country have different conceptions of religion and values.

Throughout modern history, Iraqi society could be described as tolerant in terms of religious commitment. This impression has continued to characterize the Iraqi situation until the early 1990s, when the regime of former President Saddam Hussein decided to revive the religious order as a cover for other, civilian affairs.

It could be argued that the political class that ruled Iraq after Saddam has remained committed — both implicitly and publicly — to Saddam’s religious project, which he then considered to be "an awakening of faith." The political class applied it strictly to an extent that narrowed the personal freedoms of the people. This greatly affected foreign visitors to Iraq.

Reconsidering the status of foreign investment in Iraq no longer only means modifying laws and reforming administrative flaws in the structure of the state, which are still subjected to laws that belong to the socialist rule. First and foremost, the values ​​of civil society must be promoted in society for it to be able to once again accommodate, coexist with, and impact foreigners.

Mustafa al-Kadhimi is an Iraqi writer specializing in defense of democracy. He has extensive experience in documenting testimony and archiving documentaries associated with repressive practices. He has written many books, including Humanitarian Concerns, which was selected in 2000 by the European Union as the best book written by a refugee.