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“When you see a country with amazing opportunities yet so many challenges and so many difficulties, it is not too much to call it a paradox,” remarked Dr. Barham Salih, former President of Iraq and Senior Fellow with the Middle East Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center. 

Often referred to as the cradle of civilization, the ancient Mesopotamian people, in what is now modern-day Iraq, developed some of the earliest known writing and agricultural systems as well as the first cities. A region rich with not just oil but antiquities, it is brimming with a heritage of culture and intellect. Unfortunately, its wealth has subjected itself to a history beset with conflict; the discovery of oil forever changing the dynamic a country, with leaders seeking personal profits over its people’s potential. 

While Dr. Salih’s address was not designed as a political statement, he was eager to provoke an honest conversation about Iraq’s role in the gulf, as well as the necessity to explore region-wide solutions to challenges the Middle East faces. 

A country “bumping along,” his Iraq is one of untold potential, yet he noted that “we cannot survive the way we were. Oil cannot simply pay for this. I cannot envisage the economy to deal with the challenges on our own.” Salih’s vision for the country is one in which the international community aids the country by helping it realize better governance. Despite its rich human capital and natural resources, without better governance, he argued that the country will struggle to shake corruption and cronyism.  

Iraq’s population boom and changing demography, where 70% of the population are below thirty, are catalyzing its people to demand good jobs, schools, and hospitals. As Dr. Salih notes, the country can little afford to keep “putting people on the payroll;” it is imperative to come to terms with its new reality - one he believes could have been achieved with far greater ease. 

Iraq has never suffered the sort of conflict seen in Europe, suffering two catastrophic World Wars, yet it has not been able to rebuild in the way in which the Marshall Plan assisted its European friends. Dr. Salih believes that if Europe could achieve everything it has after two world wars and despite the religious sectarian tensions of the previous two centuries, Iraq can similarly emerge from the turmoil it has faced in recent times. 

Yet the key to facing these challenges, he sees, is to look at region-wide rather than country specific solutions. For environment challenges like water scarcity aren’t limited to Iraq and countries across the Middle East should come together to face the challenges set and seize the opportunities present. 

Recognizing the reality of surmounting these challenges, Dr. Salih appreciates that the country’s resources can present a real curse, with the “political economy of the country defined by corruption.” And while governments claim sovereignty when it suits their problems, he has seen first-hand that if countries are forced to comply with benchmarks required to receive aid, then progress can be realized, stating that “aid is only transient if you don’t deal with governance.” 

Citing the three-year IMF standby agreement of July 2016, Dr. Salih saw how this presented a “real firewall, preventing political bosses from raiding the treasury and playing with the central bank," it “forced us to do the right thing for the country.”

The West can little afford to retreat from the region, for when things go wrong in the Middle East, they impact the West too. Crises in Syria and Afghanistan brought refugees to Europe’s doorstep, with others winding their way to the United States through a myriad of routes. And as the West steps off the playing field, the Chinese are coming to invest, underbidding western counterparts to become major players in Iraq’s oil sector.  

Absenteeism has never been the solution to global issues and America must remember that while oceans might separate itself from problems it might see as distant, the gulf can quickly narrow and impact lives at home. 

Iraq might have long been seen as a source of trouble, yet the trouble is that if we simply seek to apply a new sauce to its issues, believing it will make things taste sweeter, we will never resolve the problems that lie beneath – for it’s not just the ingredients that matter but the recipe, and one that must come with clear instructions.