Iraq's Nationalistic Protests Present a Tricky Test for Iran

[Valin]

Stratfor

Nov. 19 2019

Protests like the ones that have gripped Iraq for the past few months have been a fact of life in the country for years, if on a smaller scale. The current protest movement, like ones previously, has coalesced around some of the same long-standing issues of government corruption and a lack of economic opportunity. Beyond the size and the scope of the demonstrations, what's new this time around has been the undercurrent of anti-Iranian sentiment flowing through the protests. This raises some difficulty for Tehran as it tries to maintain its political influence over the government in Baghdad to preserve its interest in keeping its neighbor tightly in its orbit.

A growing sense of nationalism has marked the protests in Iraq, which began in early October and show little signs of dying out. That has translated into a demand by some Iraqis to end the involvement of foreign interests perceived as interfering in the country — whether Iran or the United States or other powers including the Arab Gulf states and Turkey. But because of Iran's high profile, both through its sponsorship of militia groups or its stature in regions of the country where Shiite Islam holds sway, it has been a particular target of protesters' ire.

Evidence of this anger can be found on the streets. For instance, street posters featuring imagery of Iranian political and religious leaders, a common sight in Shiite-predominant Iraqi cities, have been defaced during protest demonstrations, an unusual development conveying the depths of anti-Iranian sentiment. Additionally, Iraqi Shiites have reclaimed religious imagery and symbology associated with that branch of Islam, declaring the symbols a part of their culture and not something that Iran, the leading Shiite power in the Muslim world, controls. Iraqi protesters even attacked the Iranian consulate in Karbala, a holy city with major shrines that have attracted Shiite pilgrims, including Iranians, for centuries.

(Snip)

_____________________________________________________________________

 

Something to keep in mind...They may be Shia, but they are Arab Shia.