Dr. Abbas Kadhim Of The Atlantic Council: The U.S. Is Wasting Millions On The Wrong Causes In Iraq – Training Activists Instead Of Developing Technology, Education, Agriculture, Industry, Economy

Dr. Abbas Kadhim, director of the Iraq Initiative of the Atlantic Council said that the United States has got its priorities all wrong in Iraq in an interview aired on Al-Iraqiyah TV (Iraq) January 20, 2021. He said that the U.S. is wasting millions of dollars on the wrong causes, such as training activists, instead of engaging in technology and education or cooperating with Iraqi agriculture, industry, and economy.

Dr. Abbas Kadhim: "The priorities that the U.S. is [pursuing] in Iraq are not the right ones. I believe that the Iraqi government should approach the Americans – be it the [American] ambassador in Baghdad, the State Department here [in D.C.], or even the U.S. President himself – and reach an agreement about the nature of the American activity in Iraq. The Americans spend millions of dollars in Iraq on issues that I think are not important to Iraq. This is money going down the drain. I have talked to the U.S. ambassador about this several times..."

Interviewer: "On what issues [is money going to waste]?"

Kadhim: "I have also talked with officials here in Washington, D.C. Instead of spending millions of dollars on training activists and other such things, they can engage in other issues, like technology, education, cooperation in agriculture, in industry, in economy... America has tremendous capabilities that it can offer the Iraqis, instead of focusing on two or three issues that are more symbolic than anything else."