Mustafa Al-Kadhimi

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Mustafa al-Kadhimi
مصطفى الكاظمي
President Trump Welcomes the Prime Minister of Iraq to the White House (50248640381) (cropped).jpg
Al-Kadhimi in August 2020
Prime Minister of Iraq
Assumed office
6 May 2020
PresidentBarham Salih
Preceded byAdil Abdul-Mahdi
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Acting
In office
12 May 2020 – 6 June 2020
Preceded byMohamed Ali Alhakim
Succeeded byFuad Hussein
Director of INIS
In office
7 June 2016 – 9 April 2020
PresidentFuad Masum
Barham Salih
Prime MinisterHaider al-Abadi
Adil Abdul-Mahdi
Preceded byZuheir Fadel Abbas al-Ghirbawi
Personal details
Born
Mustafa Abdul-Latif Mishatat

1967 (age 53–54)[1]
Baghdad, Iraq
CitizenshipIraq, United Kingdom
NationalityIraqi
Political partyIndependent
ResidenceRepublican Palace, Baghdad
Alma materAl-Turath University (LLB)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • diplomat
  • bureaucrat
Signature

Mustafa Abd al-Latif Mishatat al-Ghuraybawi (Arabic: مصطفى عبد اللطيف مشتت الغريباوي‎; born 1967),[1] known as Mustafa al-Kadhimi, alternatively spelt Mustafa al-Kadhimy, is an Iraqi politician, diplomat and bureaucrat currently serving as the prime minister of Iraq since May 2020.[2]

He is also a former director of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service,[3] originally appointed in June 2016.[4]

Biography[]

Al-Kadhimi was born in Baghdad in 1967 to Abd al-Latif al-Ghuraybawi, who was born Al-Shatra, a town in southern Iraq, located northeast of Nasiriyah. He later migrated from Nasiriyah to Baghdad as a student. Al-Khadhimi studied law at Al-Turath University, was responsible for reforming the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS) to be more effective and to meet international standards. He oversaw ending the politicization of intelligence action, implementing advanced methods to intelligence gathering and analysis, and setting priorities to broaden the scope of the work of the National Intelligence Service.[5][6] Under his leadership, the agency expanded its remit, particularly in counter-terrorism, both internally and abroad, playing a vital role in Iraq's fight against the ISIL, also known as Daesh.[7][8] During his tenure, he established links with scores of countries and bureaus working within the US-led federation against ISIL.[1]

Al-Kadhimi was a vocal opponent of the regime of Saddam Hussein.[3] He escaped Iraq in 1985 for Iran then Germany, before settling in the United Kingdom, and lived in exile for several years, eventually becoming a citizen of the UK.[1] He is not affiliated with any of the Iraqi political parties.[citation needed]

After the 2003 American-led invasion of Iraq, al-Kadhimi returned to Iraq and cofounded the Iraqi Media Network.[1] In his role as Director of the Iraq Memory Foundation in London between 2003 and 2010, an organization that was established to document the crimes of Saddam Hussain's regime, Al-Kadhimi managed a team spread across various countries, including Iraq. He oversaw the documenting of testimonies and collating footage from victims of the dictatorship.[citation needed]

He was a columnist and an editor of the Iraqi version of Al-Monitor[9][10] and contributed to various outlets. He has also published a number of books and studies.[3] Al-Kadhimi was also the senior editor of Iraq's Newsweek magazine for three years.[1]

Prime Minister of Iraq[]

Al-Kadhimi with US President Donald Trump in 2020
Al-Kadhimi with US President Joe Biden in 2021

Following months of protests that broke out across Iraq in October 2019 and the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and his cabinet, Mustafa Al Kadhimi became a leading contender for the premiership.[11]

Al-Kadhimi and Haider al-Abadi went to Riyadh in 2017. al-Kadhimi made headlines when he was seen in a long embrace with his friend Mohammed bin Salman.[1]

On 9 April 2020, he was named by President Barham Salih as prime minister-designate, the third person tapped to lead the country in just 10 weeks as it struggled to replace a government that fell last year after months of protests. Kadhimi was nominated by President Barham Salih, state television reported, shortly after the previous designated prime minister, Adnan al-Zurfi, announced he was withdrawing having failed to secure enough support to pass a government.[12] After nearly six months of political negotiations, Iraq's parliament confirmed al-Kadhimi as Prime Minister of Iraq on 6 May 2020.[13] Before entering office, al-Kadhimi said his government would be a government that finds solutions to Iraq's many problems and not a crisis ridden government. He promised early elections and vowed Iraq would not be used as a battleground by other countries.[1] He assumed office on the heels of major upheavals in Iraq – large protests, falling oil prices, and the COVID-19 pandemic.[14]

Upon assuming power, al-Kadhimi promised to guide Iraq through a serious financial crisis, saying the state treasury was “nearly empty” after years of waste and declining oil prices. Al-Kadhimi's cabinet vowed to reduce public spending and audit salaries granted to millions of Iraqis but retracted the plan after public criticism. In August 2020, he hired hundreds of unemployed Iraqis at the Ministry of Defense, but not enough to halt sit-ins outside other public sector offices demanding jobs. He has few allies in government and parliament is heavily dominated by pro-Iran MPs who have balked at his references to protester demands. He has also struggled to fulfill his promise to bring the security forces to justice who were allegedly responsible for the deaths of nearly 600 protesters and activists since October 2019. In addition, al-Kadhimi pledged to investigate the recent murders of journalists and political activists that have increased in the past year, but no one has been brought to justice yet.[15]

Iran and its allied Fatah Alliance opposed al-Kadhimi's appointment. In April 2020, Kata'ib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia with close links to Iran and ties to the Popular Mobilization Forces, published a statement that accused al-Kadhimi of being culpable for the deaths of its leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and charged him with working with the United States.[1] In the meantime, al-Kadhimi directed the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) to investigate rocket attacks against the Green Zone in Baghdad, and promised to confront the disobedient paramilitaries.[16]

In July 2021, al-Kadhimi and U.S. President Joe Biden sealed an agreement to end the U.S. combat mission in Iraq by the end of 2021.[17] Following his visit to the United States, Iraq reclaimed 17,000 looted artifacts previously held by the Museum of the Bible.[18]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i "Who is Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Iraq's new prime minister?". Al Jazeera. 7 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Mustafa al-Kadhimi sworn in as prime minister of Iraq". Rudaw. 7 May 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "IMF". www.iraqmemory.com. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  4. ^ "Impersonating U.S. Intelligence Official, Oregon Man Wrote to Iraqi Prime Minister". KDRV News. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  5. ^ "Iraqi man sentenced for illegally using US insignia". Star Tribune.
  6. ^ "Mark as favorite Iraq gets a government—and it was worth the wait".
  7. ^ "High Iraqi Delegation Arrives in Erbil".
  8. ^ Mamouri, Ali (3 December 2019). "Iraq on brink of abyss: What happens next?". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  9. ^ "Mustafa al-Kadhimi | Author | RealClearWorld". www.realclearworld.com. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  10. ^ "Iraqi politicians focus on buying, not convincing voters – By Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Al-Monitor – Jordan Vista". vista.sahafi.jo. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Iraqi spy chief Mustafa Al Kadhimi rumoured to be prime ministerial contender". The National (Abu Dhabi). Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  12. ^ "Iraq names its third prime minister in 10 weeks". Reuters. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  13. ^ Aldroubi, Mina (6 May 2020). "Iraqi Parliament confirms Mustafa Al Kadhimi as new Prime Minister". The National. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  14. ^ "Iraq hospitals fear 'losing control' as coronavirus cases surge". Al Jazeera. 5 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Challenges in Iraq mount a year after anti-gov't protests erupted". Al Jazeera. 30 September 2020.
  16. ^ Marsin Alshamar (13 November 2020). "Six months into his premiership, what has Mustafa al-Kadhimi done for Iraq?". brookings.edu.
  17. ^ "Biden, Kadhimi seal agreement to end U.S. combat mission in Iraq". Reuters. 27 July 2021.
  18. ^ "Iraq Reclaims 17,000 Looted Artifacts, Its Biggest-Ever Repatriation". The New York Times. 3 August 2021.

External links[]

Government offices
Preceded by
Zuheir Fadel Abbas al-Ghirbawi 		Director of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service
2016–2020 		Succeeded by
To be determined
Political offices
Preceded by
Adil Abdul-Mahdi 		Prime Minister of Iraq
2020–present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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