Second-generation Iraqi diaspora ‘should be welcomed home to redevelop country’
Now may be the time for the Iraqi diaspora to play an important role in their country’s long-term development, its former UN ambassador said.
Speaking alongside a panel of experts, Feisal Al Istrabadi said the first wave of those returning home after the 2003 war contributed to Iraq’s fragmentation. The years of conflict and sanctions left the country in dire need of input from its diaspora. But, Mr Al Istrabadi said, the influx of people after the fall of Saddam Hussein contributed to local perceptions of self-interest and corruption.
“A lot of the expats returned to Iraq not with the idea of contributing to rebuilding but with an expectation of senior positions, or of showing the hierarchies how it should be done, rather than listening to the hierarchies and learning from them what their needs were,” he said.
Discussing a recent paper by Dr Oula Kadhum on the mobilisation of the diaspora, the speakers agreed that the failings of those who returned had hindered human potential.
Dr Kadhum said there was distrust and suspicion from the Iraqi population towards the “first generation” who returned after 2003, but a new “second generation” could be used with greater collaboration and development.
“A social contract founded on technocracy and meritocracy, rather than networks of patronage and nepotism” was needed, she said at the event, organised by the Atlantic Council think tank. “It’s through that relationship that trust in the diaspora can be rebuilt.”
Armed with skills, expertise and western education, many Iraqis abroad had hoped to return and contribute to the nation’s rebuilding.
“There’s a strong desire to help and many had hoped to put their degrees and qualifications to good use in Iraq,” Dr Kadhum said. “But the biggest impediment has been the security context.” The ethno-sectarian political system that replaced Saddam’s regime led to years of violence and corruption that deterred many Iraqis from returning.
Dr Abbas Kadhim said Iraqis must see the diaspora in a different light.
“Most of the stereotype about the Iraqi diaspora has been made or crafted around the image of the returning Iraqis who would work in politics,” Dr Kadhim said. “And that’s where I think the negativity came from, but this is only a small slice of the Iraqi diaspora that returned or tried to return.”
Dr Kadhum said the relative peace in the country was an opportunity to harness returning Iraqis’ skills.
“There needs to be some kind of formal procedure, a platform or a channel for the diaspora to connect to those in Iraq requiring support, training and knowledge transfer,” she said. “The Iraqi government could create this channel … or it could be conducted through an NGO, international organisation or even from within the diaspora.”