BAGHDAD
Journalists live for the unexpected especially in Iraq, where events can overtake a carefully planned interview before it even begins. I had requested a meeting with Iraq’s new Prime Minister, Ali Al-Zaidi, who emerged after a prolonged political contest involving two of his predecessors, Nouri Al-Maliki and Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani. The interview was scheduled for June 28th, so I arrived in Baghdad the day before. As it turned out, the timing could not have been better.
When Al-Zaidi took office, I wondered whether he had made the biggest mistake of his life. He had built a successful career in finance and business and amassed considerable personal wealth. Why abandon that world for the unforgiving arena of Iraqi politics, and for a job in which success has often proved elusive? From his first day in office, he appeared to be confronting two of Iraq’s most dangerous challenges: entrenched corruption, which has drained the country’s wealth, and armed groups operating beyond state control, which have exacted a heavy price on Iraq’s economy, reputation and regional and international relations.
I woke early in the Green Zone to messages saying that armored vehicles had sealed off the area overnight and restricted access. At first, I assumed it was a routine security incident. It soon became clear that something far more significant was under way. — DNA
