British newspaper: Iraq on the brink of abyss and disintegration more than ever

Shafaq News/ The Times newspaper published in its editorial, a topic entitled "Iraq on the brink more than ever since 2003."

Iraq, a country that dominated Western military and strategic debates in much of the post-Cold War era, is on the brink of disintegration more than ever since the U.S. invasion in 2003.

The newspaper adds that Iraqi Prime Minister ,Adel Abdul Mahdi was forced to resign after two months of violent protests that killed about 450 people and wounded thousands.

This has led to a power vacuum in Baghdad that Iran is seeking to fill while the West's ability to influence what is happening appears to be very limited.

The newspaper said that crisis in Iraq reflects the failure of the constitutional compromise that was put in place after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

It adds that the system has led to widespread corruption that has severely hampered the economy.

Although Iraq has one of the world's largest oil reserves, unemployment is so high and public services are on the verge of collapse.

The result was deep dissatisfaction in the center of the young country, which has more than half its population under 21.

The protests, which began in early October, have the same spirit as the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings in which participants demanded political and economic reform.

The political elite in Iraq does not appear ready to respond to the demands of the demonstrators. Despite promises of reform at the start of the protests, the government has dealt with violent demonstrators. After the resignation of Abdul Mahdi, what will happen in Iraq in the coming period depends on the parliament.

The Times says it is hard to be optimistic that a regime like the Iraqi regime controlled by many players will choose an effective leader who can respond to demonstrators' demands.