AN ECONOMIST PROPOSES A WAY TO TRANSFORM IRAQ INTO AN “ACTIVE REGIONAL PLAYER.”
An economic expert has proposed a practical way to transform Iraq from what he calls a “field of influence” into a “power” and an “active regional player” in the worlds of politics and economics.
Economic expert, Manar Al-Obaidi, pointed out in a post on his social media account that, “At a time when countries around the world, whether allied or hostile, are rushing to win the favor of the Donald Trump administration, realizing that survival lies in distancing themselves from an administration that sees its international relations as nothing more than a means to achieve its own interests, Iraq remains a spectator to this dynamic scene.” He noted that “neighboring countries from north to south and from east to west are making direct offers to the United States, in an attempt to protect their security and stability by securing their national interests, while Iraq is often left as part of the negotiating tools rather than an actual participant in them. ”
The economic expert believes that “the use of Iraq as a bargaining chip is no longer limited to the Iranian side. Arab and Turkish parties have also entered the fray, and various Iraqi issues are sometimes managed as part of understandings or escalation deals between regional powers and the United States.”
He said: “Amidst this landscape, Iraq has a rare opportunity to transform from a mere arena of influence into an effective regional player, if it makes good use of its economic tools. One of the most prominent of these possible tools is the proposal to establish an Iraqi-American investment fund, financed by the export revenues of no less than 100,000 barrels of oil per day, sold directly to the United States. These revenues would be allocated exclusively to investment in the American market, forming the nucleus of a sovereign fund capable of generating long-term profits for the Iraqi state.”
According to Al-Obaidi, “developing this fund and enhancing its investments would create mutual economic interest with the United States and transform Iraq into a political force with regional influence, linked by long-term strategic economic relations, rather than remaining a tool in the hands of negotiators at a table to which it is not invited.”