Iraqi Student protests in Basra, January 8th, 2020

As the Trump Administration backs away from antagonizing Iran to the brink of war given his precarious domestic political situation, Iraq will almost certainly remain in the crossfire for years to come. The birthplace of civilization is now the primary flashpoint in the conflict between the United States, Iran, and their allies as world powers jockey for hegemony. Amid the chaos of escalations and blatant disregard for Iraqi sovereignty, the Iraqi parliament, reacting to mass demonstrations by the Iraqi people, made a clear statement. On June 5, Iraq’s parliament voted for and declared that all American troops must leave Iraq. 

Trump’s response to this basic and reasonable request was vulgar and unhinged. He threatened to punish Iraq with sanctions simply for expressing the will of the Iraqi people. This threat follows a pattern of behavior from Trump that has become all too familiar. He vocally expresses the vicious rot of American imperialism whereas other politicians would try to disguise it. Trump has come out and emphatically attacked Iraq’s sovereignty, Iraq’s supposed democracy, and the will of the Iraqi people. 

All this is not to say that Trump’s beating of the war drum is anything new. The Bush Administration destroyed Iraq and killed hundreds of thousands of civilians. The Obama Administration expanded the powers of the executive branch to wage war in all corners of the world without congressional assent, bombing funerals and weddings. Now Trump and the neo-conservatives around him will seek to wage a furious proxy war against Iranian influence in the Middle East. A full blown war on Iran is possible but a heated proxy war in Iraq is more likely. Such a conflict would likely spill over into Syria and Lebanon. 

When imperialists of both parties contribute to lighting the Middle East on fire, one fact remains clear—these events are not driven by mere personalities. The intensification of American imperialism is a byproduct of capitalism and its endless need for natural resources and global hegemony. The world is divided between capitalist factions in the United States, the European Union, Russia and China. The United States wishes to push Iranian capitalism aside so that business interests within the American sphere can succeed.  

After the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi children killed by Bill Clinton’s sanctions, and after a generation of Iraqis grew up in the hellscape of the American occupation, imperialists have the audacity to make Iraq bleed more. We say “no” to the US occupation of Iraq, “no” to war against Iran and “no” to using Iraq as a battleground for regional hegemony and control of resources. Obey the will of the Iraqi people! US troops out of Iraq! 

Categories: U.S. News