Shafaq News – Duhok

Iraq risks suffering heavy losses amid rising regional challenges and needs a new security approach, National Wisdom Movement (Al-Hikma) leader Ammar al-Hakim warned on Tuesday.

Speaking at the Middle East Peace and Security Forum (MEPS 2025) in Duhok, al-Hakim said Iraq sees its natural role as a bridge between East and West and a venue for regional and international dialogue rather than a battleground for rivalries.

He emphasized three interlinked requirements for that role: a unifying national identity that respects diversity and prevents polarization; institutions capable of providing services, upholding the rule of law, and managing resources fairly; and economic development rooted in diversification and balanced partnerships with the region and the world.

Al-Hakim outlined three pillars for stability: balanced political, economic, and social partnerships; addressing the root causes of tension rather than its outcomes; and building trust among communities within each country and across the region.

According to al-Hakim, stability remains unattainable in a country burdened by deep social inequalities and the absence of justice, and it cannot be sustained in a region where sovereignty, rights, and interests continue to be violated. Civil peace, recognition of cultural and religious identities, and guarantees of dignity and freedom of expression, he argued, are core foundations for political stability.

There is no value in investment, stability, or development if societies lose access to their basic resources, chiefly water, he said, calling for a joint regional roadmap to address water management, desertification, and climate change, alongside renewable energy projects and a regional coalition of governments, universities, and the private sector to tackle its effects before they evolve into displacement and internal conflict.

MEPS 2025 is taking place from 17–19 November in Duhok under the theme “Managed Chaos — A New Middle East?” The forum gathers political leaders, diplomats, academics, and international experts to address regional security, mediation efforts, economic cooperation, US–China competition, and governance challenges. It is organized by the American University of Kurdistan in partnership with Cambridge University, the Atlantic Council, Carnegie’s Crisis Response Council, and the London School of Economics.