President Donald Trump welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to the White House on Tuesday and delivered a series of updates that basically amounted to "we are pivoting from bombs to barrels." As Conservative Brief reported, the meeting covered oil deals, troop drawdowns, and Iran's shrinking influence in the region, all while the two leaders apparently hit it off like old golf buddies at a country club mixer.
Trump called al-Zaidi's leadership the "beginning of a tremendous new chapter between our nations" involving "prosperity, stability, and success like never seen before." He then pivoted to the topic he clearly finds more exciting than any military briefing: oil. "The oil companies are all going in now and they're doing partnerships with Iraq, and they're getting along very well," Trump said. "We will have a strong partnership with Iraq in the field of oil and we will announce it soon. Oil companies will enter Iraq at unprecedented levels."
On the military front, Trump was blunt. "I don't think we need to be militarily present in Iraq. We don't need the military there. We're there to protect them if need be, but we don't think that's going to be necessary." So after two decades of U.S. boots on Iraqi ground, the president basically said "you guys seem fine, we are going to send petroleum engineers instead."
Trump also took a swing at Iran, calling the country "a bully to Middle Eastern countries" and declaring that Iraq would no longer have to deal with that problem. "Iran was a big burden on Iraq, but they're not going to have that problem anymore," he said. He also expressed confidence in al-Zaidi's staying power, saying something to the effect of "He is gonna be there for a long time."
Now here is where it gets interesting. Victoria Taylor of the Atlantic Council, who leads their Iraq Initiative, pointed out that al-Zaidi has been dubbed the "Trump of the Middle East" because he is a business guy with no political experience. "When you value business success, I think then it's very appealing to look at an Iraqi prime minister who is likely a billionaire and can be really pointed to as a political outsider," Taylor said. However, she added that "the reality is much more complicated," noting al-Zaidi was chosen by Iraq's existing political infrastructure and will be "beholden in some way to that system." She also flagged the enormous challenges he will face trying to disarm Iran-backed militias and root out political corruption. So basically, good luck with all that.
Meanwhile, the two countries are reportedly close to finalizing a massive energy deal. An agreement is expected to be signed Friday between Iraq, U.S. companies Chevron and TI Capital, and Qatar's UCC for construction of an oil pipeline linking southern Iraq's Basra to western Iraq's Haditha, then onward to Turkey's Ceyhan port and Syria's Baniyas port. The pipeline would transport roughly 2 million barrels of oil daily, according to two Iraqi officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
So to recap: fewer troops, more oil deals, and a new best friend in Baghdad. The "tremendous chemistry" era of U.S. and Iraq relations is apparently upon us.
Like what you see? Then sign up for our Free Newsletter
