At the 2024 Middle East Peace and Security (MEPS) Forum, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani expressed his optimism about the new administration that is being formed by U.S. president-elect Donald Trump following the November 5 U.S. elections.
“Obviously, we congratulate the United States for having a successful election. This was a chance for the American people to decide what kind of a government they want. But obviously, decisions made in the United States have an effect on the globe, and definitely on our region as well,” Prime Minister Barzani stated.
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“We have experience with the previous Trump administration. This time we are hoping that the new administration is going to maintain good relations with Iraq and in particular with the Kurdistan Region, which has been a very credible partner to the United States in the fight against terrorism, in promoting peace, and in developing the shared values and principles that we have with each other.”
However, he said it is too early to decide how the new administration will play out. “We have to wait until the whole cabinet is picked and decided, but we definitely have friends among the people that we hear are being considered to be in the next government.”
“I would like to be optimistic,” he said about the future Trump administration.
President-elect Trump has asked Florida Representative Mike Waltz to be his national security advisor. Waltz is a member of the Kurdish American Caucus and has repeatedly lobbied for better treatment of the Kurdistan Region by Baghdad.
During his election campaign, President-elect Trump also promised to end all wars.
“I hope that there will be peaceful solutions to every ongoing conflict. However that’s achieved, I believe it will serve the people of those countries that are suffering from the ongoing wars now. Additionally, I hope that these decisions are made in consultation with the parties involved and that the interests of the people are going to be taken into account.
“I don’t know how this is going to be done. We hear that through force, peace can be promoted. Maybe that’s the policy of this new administration, we have to wait and see, but in any case we do believe that peace is going to be better than war.”
Iraq should stay out of the conflict in the Middle East.
— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) November 23, 2024
The country's interests and the needs of its people must be the guiding principles in navigating through the regional uncertainties.
We are ready to play our part in the Kurdistan Region.https://t.co/2v6OdeDcwl pic.twitter.com/KE0WkKaaoP
According to the latest Pentagon Inspector General report, the United States and Iraq in September have announced a two-phase transition for Coalition operations: ending the military mission in Iraq by September 2025 and continuing anti-ISIS efforts in Syria from bases until at least 2026.
“U.S. troops are in Iraq based on the invitation from the Iraqi government because of ISIS terrorism that was threatening the security of the region and the whole world. We had that first experience here in Kurdistan. The peshmerga were fighting ISIS and we wanted the Coalition forces to come to assist us and, thankfully, they did.”
Coalition mission is necessary
“Now, if the overall assessment of terrorism has changed, and if Iraq believes that terrorism has come to an end, then we don’t need U.S. troops here, we need a mission of the Coalition forces. That’s a different situation. We may have different ideas, to be frank with you. We don’t think that terrorism has come to an end.”
Prime Minister Barzani warned that ISIS is still a threat. “We think that ISIS is still intact and they have active members. They are active in different parts of not only Iraq, but the region and elsewhere in the world. We need to have that global Coalition to fight terrorism.”
“If the mission is no longer needed because Iraq feels stronger today and it can control the security situation in the country, that doesn’t mean that the relationship between Iraq and the United States will come to an end. Ending the Coalition mission doesn’t mean the end of the U.S.-Iraq relationship, even the military relationship,” he explained.
“So we hope that, for as long as Iraq can manage its relationship with all of its partners, whether it’s the United States, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, any other European country on bilateral levels, to maintain good relations where Iraq can benefit from the friendship, we believe that there is a way that can can manage. And, perhaps, this will be less risky in terms of looking at whether or not the security situation is going to be affected by the departure of the Coalition forces.”
He also noted that the United States is staying in many of the countries in the region. “We have U.S. forces not only in Iraq, but in many other Middle Eastern countries., so it’s very normal for U.S. forces to stay in Iraq and have bilateral relations with Baghdad.”
Withdrawal not good idea
He also underlined that any unilateral decision to withdraw would not be the best decision, as the previous U.S. withdrawal from Iraq in 2011 led to the rise of ISIS in 2014.
“The US was invited by the Iraqis and any departure has to be mutually agreed upon. This includes the mechanism, the timing, and the way that it needs to depart. Any unilateral decisions made while we have so many pressing issues is going to cause new problems. We had this experience in 2011, when the United States pulled out their forces. Even then we didn’t think that it was the best decision, and we anticipated that the United States would come back but at a higher cost – which was the case because the vacuum left after the United States pulled out their troops was filled by ISIS and other terrorist organizations, and the United States had to come back once again.”
“There are good decisions and well-calculated decisions. If the United States wants to pull out, we need to look at what would be the alternative and how the vacuum created is going to be filled. We don’t want to create another problem.”
U.S. engagement
Prime Minister Barzani underlined that the Kurdistan Region wants to continue having U.S. engagement in the region.
“We want to continue having security cooperation. We want to continue and develop our economic relations with the United States. The more development there is in the region, the more stability, and more economic stability leads to more political stability and definitely to more security. More U.S. engagement in the region, I believe, is going to help the region.”
Prime Minister Barzani also expressed his trust in the United States. “The United States is not just about one person or one administration. The United States is a successful country based on the values of democracy and the principles of equality and freedom. The US wouldn’t be successful if it wasn’t a place that was built on the right foundations, and when you have institutions that endorse these foundations, they need to be trusted.”
