Trump Warns Iraq Against Return Of Ex-PM Maliki

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Washington- President Donald Trump warned Iraq on Tuesday that the US would no longer support the country if its former prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, returns to power.
Trump made the threat days after the dominant political bloc known as the Coordination Framework announced it was backing the nomination of al-Maliki, who the US administration views as too close to Iran.

“Last time Maliki was in power, the Country descended into poverty and total chaos. That should not be allowed to happen again,” Trump said in a social media post announcing his opposition to al-Maliki.

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“Because of his insane policies and ideologies, if elected, the United States of America will no longer help Iraq and, if we are not there to help, Iraq has ZERO chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom.”

Trump's intervention into Iraqi politics comes at a fraught moment for Trump in the Middle East as he weighs carrying out new strikes on Iraq's neighbour Iran, which has maintained deep influence in Iraq's government since the US ouster of Baath Party rule in 2003.

Al-Maliki's troubled relationship with Washington

Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani's bloc won the largest share of seats in November's parliamentary elections. But he stepped aside earlier this month after he was unable to form a government. That cleared the field for al-Maliki after the two had competed for the backing of the Coordination Framework.

Al-Maliki, who first served as prime minister in 2006, is the only Iraqi prime minister to serve two terms since the US toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

When he came to power in May 2006, Al-Maliki was initially embraced by President George W. Bush. Al-Maliki took over as prime minister months after the bombing of the sacred Shia shrine of al-Askari in Sammara. It was a moment that deepened sectarian tension in Iraq and sparked a period of intense violence in the country.

But within months, US officials soured on al-Maliki. They saw his government as too soft on majority Shia population.

For years, concerns were frequently raised in Washington about Maliki's closeness to Iran and his ability to govern independently of Tehran's influence.

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By 2014, the Obama administration had lost confidence in al-Maliki's ability to manage the security situation, particularly the rise of the Islamic State group, which had seized large swaths of the country.

'This is Iraq, so never say never'

The Trump administration began publicly signalling its concerns about the political situation in Iraq in recent days, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio telling caretaker Prime Minister al-Sudani in a phone call Sunday that the US was concerned about a pro-Iran government taking root in Iraq.

“The Secretary emphasised that a government controlled by Iran cannot successfully put Iraq's own interests first, keep Iraq out of regional conflicts, or advance the mutually beneficial partnership between the United States and Iraq,” said State Department principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott in a statement.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a research fellow focused on the Middle East at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank, said that Trump's public opposition creates a difficult hurdle for al-Maliki to overcome.

“But this is Iraq, so never say never,” said Abdul-Hussein.“And this was a guy whose political life was supposed to have expired many, many years ago, and yet Maliki is still here.”

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