ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Violence, terrorism and mass migration remain some of Iraq’s worst problems, according to international speakers at a conference in Erbil to take stock of the country 10 years after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
“The biggest problem this country is suffering from is terrorism. There were six explosions in Kirkuk yesterday – this is not normal,” said Gyorgy Busztin, deputy chief of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) in Iraq.
“The country cannot function under such circumstances. Violence has no justification,” noted Busztin, one of the speakers at last week’s conference at the Kurdish capital’s Salahaddin University – Hawler (SUH).
“Iraq has a difficult heritage. Ridding this country of the spirit of the past dictatorship is a difficult task but is necessary,” Busztin said.
The four-day conference titled “Iraq: Ten Years On - Stocktaking and Perspectives,” gathered experts and academics from Iraq, Germany, France, Lebanon, Colombia, India and the United States. The aim was to discuss development and progress since Saddam’s overthrow.
Busztin said the UN is working in Iraq under challenging circumstances and that its role is to guarantee that the country can take advantage of its sovereignty while on the road to democracy. He added that, for this to happen, security concerns must first be addressed.
He noted that the sectarian divide undermining national co-existence must be addressed, because it “regrettably enhances the kind of divisions that sadly have marred this country for the last couple of years.”
“The news of migration from the country is truly alarming,” Busztin warned, “and failing to protect minorities will lead to further migration, leaving a country with a rich legacy of diversity colorless.”
The conference, which included panel discussions and workshops, was jointly organized by Salahaddin University, Kirkuk University, the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and the Felsberg Institute for Education and Academic Research.
Magnus Treiber, head of the anthropology department at the University of Bayreuth, said people turn to migration as an escape from violence when they feel that change for the better is impossible.
Stephan Valter, a senior lecturer at Le Havre University in France, said the military has an important role to play in Iraq’s way out of violence, but the army’s scope must go beyond serving only the interests of the establishment.
“The military should be considered full citizens and should abide by the law. But in today’s world, the military are not acting like citizens. They’re not defending the nation, rather they’re defining a narrow set of interests,” Valter commented.
Rasheed Umara from the University of Sulaimani, said Iraqi political elites also have an important role in helping to establish and maintain a lasting peace.
“Iraq is a mosaic of different ethnicities and minorities, and the political elite need to have a more effective role because they can contribute highly to achieving civil peace,” Umara explained.
“The political elite cannot all be gathered in one basket. Some have contributed to aggravating the situation, the conflicts and the disputes among people. But the others, the real political elite, they have the power, the potential, the competence, the ability and the desire to achieve peace as well as the potential to extend that.”
Umara stressed that political elites must come to power through their qualifications, not by inheritance, which is still occurring, creating further obstacles on the road to peace.
Choosing the right political elites is necessary, Umara added, because a sustainable peace must be built on solid foundations.
Ali Al-Hammod, a PhD student of sociology at the University of Baghdad, said that religious institutions have a role to play in civil peace.
“This is an opportunity for shrines to be a part of social reconciliation because they have unique characteristics that other institutions do not,” Hammod explained.
“Shrines can contribute to comprehensive local development and social peace, provided they go beyond the challenges they are faced with and utilize the opportunities they have.”
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