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Twenty years have passed since the US invaded Iraq. However, many Iraqis have said in a survey that the situation is worse now than it was during the time of Saddam Hussein.
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was ousted in 2003.
Gallup International, a non-profit polling firm, surveyed about 2,024 people in 18 regions (provinces) of the country in February.
Asked how the situation was now compared to before the US invasion, 60 percent said the situation had worsened. 40 percent said the situation had improved.
After 2003, Iraq’s majority Shia Arab population took a back seat. This angered Iraq’s Sunni Arab, Kurdish, and other minority communities.
This discrimination is evident in the survey. A majority of Sunni Muslims, 54 percent, said life was better under Saddam Hussein.
The survey also shows a slight sign of improvement amid some poor results. In other words, one in three answered that the situation in Iraq is bad.
If Gallup International flips through its old documents, two-thirds of respondents to the same question in 2003 said the situation was worse.
A 45-year-old man living in Anbar province told the survey team, “It is very difficult to predict whether the situation has worsened or improved since the time of Saddam Hussein. Change gives hope. We also forget the past. The economy may have improved but productivity and safety have declined.” said.
The United States invaded Iraq in 2003, claiming that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein’s regime was also said to be a threat to international security.
But no evidence of weapons has been found so far. The war claimed the lives of thousands of Iraqis and created a state of instability in the country.
The real reason for the invasion
Although the US government justified its invasion, many Iraqis still have doubts about the true motive for the war.
51 percent of Iraqis believe the US invaded to steal their country’s resources.
This sentiment remains strong in the oil-rich Southeast and Anbar provinces.
However, 29 percent of those polled believed the invasion was aimed at toppling Saddam Hussein’s regime. People chose less for other causes, such as the war on terror and bringing democracy to Iraq, to satisfy the wishes of US defense contractors.
Shia people support Russia
IS grew with the support of Sunnis who felt disenfranchised in the north and began fighting for Baghdad, Iraq’s lifeline, in 2014. But IS was driven out in 2018 by the military support of the United States and allied countries. Since then, peace has returned there.
Iraqis have different views on the future presence of the United States. At the height of the insurgency in 2007, 170,000 US troops were stationed in Iraq. Now it has been reduced to 2500.
Those in the southern part of Iraq want the US to withdraw its troops immediately, but in the north, some in the Kurdistan region say a US troop presence is needed.
75 percent of Shiites view the presence of US coalition forces as negative. They have expressed their desire to be Russia’s political and security ally.
This is not a surprising response in a violent region, given the relationship between Iran and Russia.
Although the Middle East region is under the protection umbrella of the United States, in recent years China has dominated it economically. The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia recently met in China and agreed to renew bilateral ties.
Young people looking for light
But the future is bleak for the youth.
47 percent of those who participated in the survey expressed their desire to stay in Iraq and reform the country. But 25 percent, or one in four, expressed a desire to leave Iraq.
“Many of Iraq’s youth, especially those living in Baghdad, feel that their opportunities are better abroad,” said a person who did not want to be named during the survey.
There is a different answer depending on the age. One in three 18-24 year olds want to leave the country.
This is a manifestation of the prevailing political climate in the country and the long-standing problem of corruption.
But statistics cannot explain Iraq’s dire circumstances. Millions of Iraqis have a painful past. The new generation must carry the pains of the past and move towards a better future.
40 percent of Iraq’s population is under the age of 15. What they want is economic security and job opportunities. But at the same time peace and stability are their most important needs.
Data: Leonie Robertson
Design and Images: Race Hussain and Ismail Monir
Editors: Maya Mosavi and Johannes Dell
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