Iraq's Struggle to Contend With the Sino-US Rivalry

Abstract

This article analyzes Iraq's response to evolving US-China relations, focusing on its foreign-policy objectives of ending isolation, strengthening security, and fostering economic growth. Iraq seeks American support to attain these goals, aspiring to reintegrate into the international system and bolster its defense mechanisms. Simultaneously, Baghdad perceives China and its Belt and Road Initiative as instrumental to economic recovery. Despite these aspirations, Iraq encounters impediments that stem from its external environment and domestic politics. As a relatively feeble power, Iraq grapples with limited economic, political, and diplomatic influence, which constrains its ability to effectively respond to shifts in the Sino-US rivalry. In addition, the country engages in incoherent foreign behavior due to consociationalism and the nonstate armed groups that operate outside of the state`s orbit. The analysis concludes that Iraq's responses to US-China tensions are reactive, not proactive; circumstantial, not strategic. This article is part of a special issue on the responses of Gulf countries to rising Sino-American competition, edited by Andrea Ghiselli, Anoushiravan Ehteshami, and Enrico Fardella.