Following Al-Zaidi’s visits: Promising opportunities for playing a regional and international role
Iraq’s role as a strategic link is escalating, but in addition to that, according to the Australian website “The Conversation”, it can turn the external competition around it into a meeting point and coexistence between these powers.
After the Australian website, in a report translated by Shafaq News Agency, pointed to the visits made by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, or that he intends to make, to both the United States, where he “charmed” US President Donald Trump, and Tehran, where he intends to do the same with Iranian leaders, along with Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Syria, it said that his American visit was the most important because it aimed to obtain local legitimacy for al-Zaidi’s government and attract foreign investment while raising Iraq’s status in the Middle East.
However, the report noted that an important aspect of al-Zaidi’s visit to the United States was related to focusing on a new American regional strategy that focuses on trade and investment in the Middle East, with Iraq as a key element in it, as Iraq appears as a strategic hub in the Middle East that is increasingly being shaped through energy networks, infrastructure trade and investment.
According to the report, Iraq’s growing importance as a link for diplomacy, trade, and broader regional transformations came after the collapse of ISIS, improved security, and more active Baghdad diplomacy, which expanded Iraq’s room for maneuver.
In addition, the report cited the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, the weakening of Iran’s proxies in the region, and the US-Iran war, as having also enhanced the strategic value of Iraq’s geography, institutions, and relationships. IraqEconomic News
He went on to say that, with the reshaping of the regional balance and the disruption of Iran’s traditional network of influence, Iraq has become an increasingly important platform for military coordination, regional diplomacy, and economic interdependence.
The report noted that Washington, and every major regional actor, is reassessing Iraq’s role, as Iran, the Gulf states, and China strengthen their engagement with Baghdad, pursuing different objectives while acknowledging Iraq’s exceptional strategic position.
The report noted a shift in the American vision towards Iraq from a lens of rewarding terrorism and military stability, to a broader partnership, especially in the economic field, within the framework of a broader strategy aimed at building a more resilient Iraqi state capable of managing competing external pressures and governance in general.
The report continued that for Iran, Iraq is considered essential to its regional strategy as a more challenging regional environment emerges, as Iraq provides an opportunity for broader trade relations and a crucial corridor linking Iran to partners throughout the region.
He added that the Gulf states, for their part, are readjusting their approach, with countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and others now viewing Baghdad as an opportunity to engage through investment, infrastructure, and economic integration. A more stable and engaged Iraq can link Gulf markets, capital initiatives, and infrastructure to global trade and investment while mitigating the risks associated with instability emanating from Iran.
According to the report, China’s role reflects another dimension of Iraq’s importance, as given that Baghdad has become an increasingly important arena for geopolitical and commercial competition, Chinese companies will need to compete more aggressively for contracts, and Beijing will face greater incentives to deepen its involvement in Iraq to maintain its influence.
The report argued that a stable and economically viable Iraq is in itself valuable to Beijing as a reliable energy partner and a potential hub for broader regional connectivity.
He added that regardless of great power competition, American and Chinese interests largely coincide.
The report explained that these various developing relationships with Iraq do not represent a simple competition between countries or competing blocs, but rather coexistence, reflecting Baghdad’s efforts to diversify foreign relations while avoiding excessive dependence on any single power.
The report argued that what distinguishes Iraq is not just its geography, but the extraordinary intertwining of relationships that few other Middle Eastern countries possess, explaining that Baghdad can engage Washington on security and energy, Tehran on political and trade relations, Beijing on infrastructure and trade, and the Gulf states on investment and regional connectivity.
He went on to explain that this gives Iraq the characteristics of a “middle state,” which the report described as a state whose influence stems from its ability to stay connected to competing political, economic, and security networks while helping to shape how those networks interact.
But the report warned that the challenge for Iraq is whether it can turn this connection into a national advantage without allowing external competition to override government decision-making.
The report added that the most pressing challenge is strengthening state authority, which will be tested by whether al-Zaydi can bring armed groups under the government’s control.
The report concluded by saying that China is unlikely to back down from the Iraqi market, where it has become a major trading partner and infrastructure investor, while the Gulf states will continue to seek a more stable and economically integrated Iraq, and Washington will still want a partner capable of resisting destabilizing pressures, not to mention helping to counterbalance China.
He concluded by saying that “the challenge facing Baghdad is to manage these overlapping relationships while ensuring that external partnerships enhance Iraqi sovereignty rather than restrict it.”
Shafaq.com