Bahrain’s Political Crisis: A New Chapter for Iraqi Foreign Policy

September 08, 2011

Bahrain's political crisis - the crackdown by the Sunni royal family and government on Shia protesters - has elicited contradictory reactions among Iraq's sectarian and ethnic groups. The suppression has antagonized Iraq's Shiites, while Iraqi Sunnis and Kurds have not taken a clear stance.  This difference is causing an unprecedented interaction between Iraq's domestic and foreign policies.

Disparate statements from Iraq's political leaders further reflect the country's deep ethnic and sectarian lines. On one hand, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki denounced the Bahraini government for the violent crackdown, and described the authorities in Libya, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia as "tyrants."  In contrast, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd, has not declared whether he supports the Bahraini protesters or not, saying that "Iraq's relationship with Bahrain is a special relationship, mainly due to historic, religious, and national ties." He notes that the Shiite majority in Bahrain follows Najaf's authority[1]. When pressed by former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a Shiite, to condemn Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for sending forces to help Bahrain's monarchy, Zebari only inquired about the detainment of an Iraqi soccer player who was arrested during the demonstrations.

On several occasions Iraqi Shiites have shown unified support for the Shiite Bahraini protesters.  The influential Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, has urged his followers to take the streets to support the protesters on multiple occasions. Shiites in southern Iraq have also called for a boycott of goods from Saudi Arabia for sending troops to support the Bahraini government.

In contrast, Iraqi Sunnis have not rallied with their Shiite countrymen in solidarity with the Bahraini protesters. Khalil, a 23-year-old engineering student says, "once again my Sunni friends shocked me by not paying attention to Bahrain... the lack of attention is only because the demonstrators are Shia."[2]

Many Iraqi Sunni politicians do not want to jeopardize their political interests by interfering in other Gulf nations' issues. The Bahraini opposition called on Iyad Allawi, former Iraqi prime minister and current leader of Iraqiya bloc, for assistance. However, Allawi has not taken a position on the Bahraini demonstrations because of his ties to Saudi Arabia. Vice-President Tariq al-Hashimi, a prominent Sunni, cautioned against Iraqi politicians who engaged in the demonstrations in Bahrain. The postponement of the Arab League Summit, originally scheduled to take place in Baghdad in March 2011, and Iraq's exclusion from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are interpreted by some as retaliation for the support that Iraqi Shiites have given to Bahrain's demonstrators.

The Kurds in Iraq, including Kurdish Shiites, have not shown official political solidarity either. Masoud Barzani, the current President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, has not declared any support for the demonstrators in Bahrain. As with the Sunnis, there is no political interest for the Kurds to get involved in Bahrain's political affairs, except that both opposition parties share anti-government sentiments. Currently, the Kurdistan Regional Government, KRG, wants to side with neither Shiite nor Sunni counties to avoid disrupting the balance in the region. 

The challenge of reconciling sectarian political interests with national interests reflects a new era in Iraq's political development. Prior to the Arab Spring, Iraqis generally did not get involved in the affairs of neighboring countries. Though Zebari wants to maintain good relationships with Iraq's neighboring countries, the Shiite population is pressing the Iraqi government to take care of their community in Bahrain. Therefore, Iraq's leaders face the challenge of crafting an effective foreign policy that reconciles domestic and national interests, and not just the foreign policy of incumbent political parties or sectarian groups.

Despite the risks of sectarian gridlock, the tensions between the Iraqi Foreign Minister and Prime Minister can be considered as good thing; a sign of an evolving democratic culture. The Iraqi Shiites are allowed to express their preferences, even though they may conflict with the government's official foreign policies. Though divisive, the difference between the Iraqi Shiites and Sunnis over the Bahraini issue can be seen as a healthy step in Iraq's democratic evolution.

[1] http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/print-news-1-62921.html

[2] http://iwpr.net/report-news/iraqi-shia-back-bahrain-protesters

Photo credit: DoD photo by Master Sgt. Dave Ahlschwede, U.S. Air Force, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iraq-election2005-V.jpg