Corruption continues to threaten Iraq’s stability
Despite the prime minister's efforts, corruption remains a big driver of Iraq’s instability.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visited the city of Nasiriyah on Oct. 5 and confirmed that there are 270 uncompleted projects, some of them unfinished at least in part due to corruption and mismanagement. He promised to sort the problem out.
Putting an end to endemic corruption has been at the top of the list of demands of Iraqi protesters who took to the streets beginning in October 2019. Other demands have included greater job opportunities, clean water and a steady supply of electricity; none have yet been fulfilled.
Iraq is ranked among the 20 countries with the most corruption in the world.
In an Aug. 26 report to the UN Security Council, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the special representative of the UN secretary-general for Iraq, warned, “Corruption remains endemic, and its economic cost untold as it continues to steal desperately needed resources from the everyday Iraqi, eroding investor confidence.”
