The page below is an assortment of notes on Iraqi politicial figures, compiled at varying times since 2003. Beware: It is very incomplete and out of date, and inaccurate in places. They make no attempt to be even-handed or complete; they're just a compilation of tidbits that have interested me in the past. However, there may be some useful information, particularly the links to better biographical resources elsewhere.
If you are looking for general information on Iraqi politicians, you're better off starting elsewhere. Try Wikipedia. The various files compiled by Glen Rangwala are very informative, but increasingly out-of-date. For more general information about Iraq, visit the Iraq Analysis Group.
Leader of SCIRI. Younger brother of Muhammed Bakr al-Hakim, who was killed in Najaf on August 29 2003.
Acting as a liaison between Sistani and the UN
JC 13/5/04: 'I think al-Hakim does believe in clerical rule, along the lines of Khomeinism, but he is willing to wait for it, unlike Muqtada, who is impatient'
Health Mnister. His ministry became 'indpendent' on 28 March 2004
Shiite Islamist. Aide to Abdel Aziz Hakim, and head of the political bureau of SCIRI (president of SCIRI, according to Glen - is this out of date?).
A possible prime minister, with Kurdish and Shiite support, although according to Steven Weisman, he may be 'unacceptable to Sunni leaders, who are said to fear that he might try to impose Islamic law over family matters.'
Name also spelt Adil 'Abd al-Mahdi
Leader of the 500,000-strong Janabi tribe in the 'Sunni triangle'. Considers GC illegitimate
Is this the same person as Fallujah-based Sheikh Abdallah al-Janabi?
Via RFE/RL:
Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) head L. Paul Bremer appointed Adnan al-Zurufi as the new governor of Al-Najaf on 6 May, according to a press release posted on the State Department website. Bremer described al-Zurufi as "the right man for the job at this time." The new governor holds a degree in Islamic law and participated in the 1991 Shi'ite uprising against Saddam Hussein's regime before he was exiled from Iraq. He returned to Iraq in 2003. Addressing the Iraqi public on 6 May, al-Zurufi outlined four goals of his new administration: to adhere to the rule of law; dissolve all militias and ban weapons in Al-Najaf; to delay all cases [in an apparent reference to fugitive Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr] until the 30 June transfer of power; and to make security the responsibility of the Iraqi police. Al-Zurufi also announced plans to open an employment center in the city and to focus on improving the religious tourism industry there, creating some 10,000 jobs. He also said corruption and bribery will not be tolerated in government offices. KR
Name also spelt Adnan al-Dhurfi
The big cheese. Leader of the INC, Governing Council member, head of GC financial committee, the Pentagon's blue-eyed boy (at least until recently). Pre-war lobbying analysed here, among many other places.
Related by marriage to Ibrahim Muhammad Bahr al-ulum (minister of oil). Uncle of trade and defense minister Ali Allawi, who is in turn cousin of former IGC member/president Iyad Allawi. Son Salem (sometimes Americanised to Sam) has been involved in constitution-writing and prosecution of Saddam Hussein.
4/5/04: Salon runs a fascninating article on denunciations of Chalabi by neocons
Currently dislikes: Brahimi, Pachachi
20 May 2004: US troops raid Chalabi's home, putting a gun to his head and seizing documents. According to an INC spokesman:
"Doors were smashed...Computers were smashed. Even pictures on teh wall were smashed. Even his holy Koran, his personal holy Koran was taken as a document"
The INC argues that the raid was retalliation for Chalabi's support for Iraqi sovreignty, and his demands for full investigation of OFF. This seems implausible: Chalabi is hardly the most vigorous nationalist, and the US even now can't have much objection to him attacking the UN. Salon has interesting reporting on this, and on Chalabi's connections with shiite militias. At about the same time, the Pentagon stopped paying the INC its $335,000 per month stipend.
2 June: BBC reports NYT allegations that Chalabi told Iran that the UN had broken Iranian intelligence codes. Iran denies the allegations. Chalabi blamesLakhdar al-Ibrahimi for turning the US against him.
8 August: arrest warrents issued for Ahmed and Salim Chalabi, Ahmed's for currency forgery. According to Helena Cobban 'the amount of counterfeited "old dinars" they are charging him for is around 30,000 old dinars, or about $2'
IWPR, 12 August 04: Chalabi returned to Baghdad, 'despite the order to vacate his offices and the warrant for his arrest'. Also,
(Al-Mutamar) Central Bank Sinan al-Shabibi has denied the allegations of Zuhair al-Maliki upon which he issued a warrant of arrest to Ahmed al-Chalabi. Maliki accused Chalabi of counterfeiting, but Sinan said the Central Bank made no claim against Chalabi.
IWPR, 17 Aug: " Members of the National Congress have split over the decision whether to prevent Ahmed al-Chalabi from attending sessions of the Congress".
1 September: escapes assassination attempt
From an NYT op-ed:
Mr. Chalabi has created two groups, the Shiite House and the Shiite Political Council, which bring Iraq's various Shiite political movements and parties together under a loose umbrella. This is reminiscent of the Iraqi National Congress that he ran from London during the last years of Saddam Hussein. When we spoke last month, he had just arranged for Ali Smesim, Mr. Sadr's top lieutenant, to visit the Kurdish leadership at Sulaimaniya. Similar delegations have been sent to various Sunni groups.
The same article argues that Chalabi si likely to become a significant force again, by having the right enemies (allawi, the US and Saddam), and by being well-connected both to Sistani and to Sadr, and perhaps also to the Kurds.
See also the disinfopedia article, and, in Salon, "how Ahmed Chalabi conned the neocons"
Right at the end of 2005 he stepped in to the post of oil minister, which ibrahim bahraluloum was forced out of because of his criticism of the rise in oil prices in december 2005. This in addition to being deputy prime minsister.
Mayor of Baghdad, elected 18/4/04. See Washington Post (via the CPA site)
Trade minister since the creation of the cabinet on 1/9/03. Defense minister since 4/4/04.
According to JC (6/5/04), he "clearly wants to build a future political career by bringing order to the country", and hence has been willing to make deals such as by meeting Muqtada al-Sadr. He wanted to create a unified army, under his command, from the various militias (peshmerga, Badr brigades, Da'wa troops...). These would mostly have been deployed on the borders, with a 10,000-man special task force for assignments such as keeping internal order. However the Economist (6/5/04) points out that this is unlikely to happen after Fallujah. He now only has 35,000 troops, although in mid-May he will take over the 40,000-strong Iraqi Civil Defense Corps.
Nephew of Ahmed Chalabi. Also related to Iyad Allawi.
Before the war, he was a London-based entrepreneur. Has also been an academic at Oxford.
Interviewed by MSNBC. On foreign relations and infiltration "the Iranians are stirring the pot, btu the Syrians are adding explosives".
4 July: Interviewed by George Stephanopoulos.
Denies reports that he personally executed prisoners in June.
Reportedly threatened to resign over Najaf
Name also spelt Alawi
Baghdad municipal treasurer. Arrested on corruption charges JC
Minister of education.
Minister of human rights, appointed May 5 2004 following the resignation of his predecessor Abdul Baset Turki. Kurdish, and prominent within PUK.
Chief of Staff, Iraqi armed forces. Major General in army until 1997, when he joined Baghdad city council.
political scientist, leader of the Iraq Foundation for Development and democracy
"an intriguing figure not only for his intellect andpolitical savvy but for the range of his social and political ties, which spanned many of hte deepest ethnic, sectarian and political divides in the country" [Diamond 2005:82]
Leader of SCIRI and member of the Governing Council. Concerned about dangers of rebaathification.
9/5/04: orgnanised pro-Sistani (and implicitly anti-Sadr) demonstrations in Najaf; trying to protect SCIRI from stigma of supporting US against Sadr by framing actions as pro-Sistani (JC 10/5/04)
possible relative of communication minister Mohammed Ali Hakim?
name also spelt abdul azil al-hakim
Basra Sadrist.
7/5/04: in sermons, offers bounties for those who kill or capture British soldiers. (via JC)
Minister of Petroleum until he resigned on 2 January 2005 in connection with falling oil supply. The article says he "quit after being placed on leave for condemning government price increases that tripled the cost of gasoline last month"
Glen says:
Shi'a. b.1954, the eldest son of Muhammad Bahr al-'Ulum. Holds a degree in petroleum and minerals, and a PhD in petroleum engineering, from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. Worked in the Kuwaiti oil ministry 1976-82, and at the Petroleum Recovery Research Centre in New Mexico, but has been based mostly in London since 1992, where he has been a consultant to oil companies, such as Duke Engineering corp (Houston). Served as the director of Relief International UK. Was a leading member of the Iraqi Shi'a Council project, based in London and organised through al-Khoei centre. An article by him describing his return to Iraq in May03 is here; in a long interview from FT 4Sept03, he accepts the need for privatisation, and that US companies should have the priority in rehabilitating existing oil fields. There was a failed assassination attempt on him on 12Oct03.
OTOH, given his position and Shia connections, he was probably involved in a July 2005 deal to build three new pipelines to Iran.
Was part of the 15-member Future of Iraq project working group on oil and energy
IGC member, then provisional chair of National Council (by dint of age), in absense of Adnan al-Pachachi (IWPR
According to an aljazeera interview, he 'has lost faith in the US-led occupation'
Ibrahim bahrululum, his son is Minister of Petroleum. JC on the name: [Bahr means sea, and ulum means "branches of knowledge," so his name means "sea of knowledge." You can't break it up and call him "Ulum." It is like calling John Mellancamp "Mr. Camp."]
Public works minister. A kurd. 37 years old. The only woman in the first interim cabinet, and retaining her position in the June 04 cabinet.
28/3/04: survives an assassination attempt in Mosul.
In January 2004, she joined protests over Governing Council resolution 137, which planned to curtail the rights of women.
8/6/04: amid Kurdish complaints at the non-mention of the TAL in UNSCR1546, offers to resign in protest.
In early September, married the president, Ghazi al-Yawer.
Name also spelt Nisreen Barware.
Leader of the KDP
During the 1990s, he was willing to collaborate with the Baath, in the hope of giving himself an edge over Talabani and the PUK. This included discussions with Ali Hasan al Majid, who was responsible for the Anfal campaign.
10/4/04: calls for debt write-off.
[notes to go on Wikipedia]
the summary: I have no idea who this guy is. Neither does anybody els.e
Interior Minister of Iraq since 1991
Prof Cutler, a blogger I hadn't heard about until today, has obviously gone through Lexis-Nexis or similar, and dug up earlier media mentions of Bulani [aka Bolani]:
Newsday has some background on him:
:But questions were raised last week about the vital new member of the cabinet, Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani. A former army engineer with no training in police or internal security, the two critical functions of the Interior Ministry, he was unknown outside Iraq before Thursday.
:While touted as a political independent, an Iraqi Shia source said al-Bolani has been close to Muqtada al-Sadr, a Shia enemy of the United States. In addition, al-Bolani participated in a now largely defunct political party founded by Ahmad Chalabi, the former expatriate who fell out with the United States over alleged ties to Iranian intelligence.
:Just six weeks ago, during negotiations over the new cabinet, al-Bolani joined the Fathila (Virtue) Party, which nominated him for the job. Then, he resigned from Fathila, apparently to join the government as an "independent." Now he faces the ticklish task, proclaimed as a key goal by al-Maliki in recent speeches, of ridding the Interior Ministry of Shia militias accused of randomly assassinating Sunnis. One of those militias owes allegiance to al-Sadr.
:Bush officials are particularly high on al-Maliki as a take-charge figure. He is, in some ways, Bush's best, if not last, hope for success - and bringing home troops - but early signs aren't all encouraging.
He's Shiite, within the United Iraq Alliance. He had previously been quoted once in the Times as a spokesman of Mohammedawi, the 'prince of the marshes'.
How well are the Kurds represented? At the time it seemed to me, and also to Helena, that the Kurds had got a decent slice of the cabinet. However as the cabinet was being formed, Barzani and Talabani wrote a fascinating petition to Bush, outlining their grievances over the transition.
(i.e. on the previous iteration)
Deputy Chief of Staff in the Iraqi armed forces. Former army officer under Baath regime.
Sunni Kurd. Governing Council member. Glen's bio:
b.1953(?), from Kirkuk. A judge in the Court of Appeal, who ruled that the confiscation of land without compensation, according to a Presidential edict, was unconstitutional. Served eight months (of a 3 year sentence) in Abu Ghrayb prison for this, released in the amnesty of Oct 02. Associated with Islamists.
Leader of the (sunni) National Accord Front
Interior minister under Allawi in early 2005. Accordign to Juan Cole:
Al-Naqib is a relic of the old Iraq. His father had been a high Baath official who broke with Saddam in the late 1970s and went to Scandinavia. A Sunni, Falah al-Naqib was brought in as interior minister by the ex-Baathist Iyad Allawi, a long-time CIA asset. The central officials of the Allawi government were secular ex-Baathists, many of whom sounded alarums about Iran.
Ministry of Oil official under Saddam "Chief executive" of the ministry of oil in the first months of the occupation in 2003 Oil Minister under Iyad Allawi [from Crude Designs]
One of Iraq's four grand ayatollahs (and, by birth, the only Iraqi). The chosen successor of Sadeq al-Sadr, who hence holds nominal spiritual authority over Muqtada al-Sadr. See JC 9/4/04 for comments on the extent of his influence.
According to JC's WaPo biography, he led Dawa in the 70s, then fled to Qom around 1980
On 8 April 2003, al-Haeri bestowed Sadeq al-Sadr's authority on Muqtada. More recently, he is reported to have become concerned by Sadr's activities:
Iranian-based Shi'ite Grand Ayatollah Kazim al-Ha'iri, who serves as religious guide for the low-level cleric's movement, appeared to distance himself from al-Sadr on 2 May. Al-Ha'iri's younger brother, Muhammad Husayn al-Husayn al-Ha'iri, speaking on behalf of the grand ayatollah, said in Qom: "His eminence has not issued any fatwa to engage in military confrontation with the U.S.-led occupying forces," AP reported. "The time is not ripe for that," he added. Also on 2 May, coalition forces reportedly arrested al-Sadr aide Adnan al-Unaybi in Al-Hillah, according to Al-Jazeera.
According to one of JC's sources, 'Sayyid Muqtada Al-Sadr has now been officially renounced by Ayatullah Kadhim Al-Haeri. He has been stripped of his "wukala"(representation) and also denied the right of accepting and using any religious dues on behalf of his father as well as Ayatullah Haeri.'
Minister of Planning in both interim cabinets. According to Steven Weisman, he was a leading contender for the post of Prime Minister
Glen says:
A former diplomat, representing Iraq at the UN in New York from 1978-80. Subsequently was head of the Cairo-based Arab Economic Research Association. Of Shi'a origin.
from financial bodies:
The current minister of planning is Mahdi al-Hafiz of the Independent Democrats Movement. His name is also spelt Mehdi Hafedh. Hafiz, a Shi'ite, worked in the Iraqi Oil Ministry from 1975 to 1979, and served in the Iraqi delegation to the United Nations in Geneva in 1978-80. He represented Iraq at 2004 World Economic Forum, where his biography described him as:BSc in Chemistry; MA in Sociology; PhD in Economic Science. Formerly: Special Adviser of UNIDO; Director-General and Senior Expert with UN Agencies, UNCTAD, ESCWA, UNISCO; Minister Plenipotentiary at the Iraqi Mission in Geneva. Currently, Minister of Planning and Development of Iraq. Chairman, Iraqi Strategic Review Board for the Reconstruction of Iraq. Founder, Arab Organization for Human Rights. Adviser, Arab Thought Foundation. Professor of Economics in Iraqi universities. Former President, Arab Society for Economic Research. Former Member of the Board, Arab Thought Forum, Amman. Author of many books on Arab affairs and economic and social issues.i
8/5/04: Interview with al-Arabiya. Avoids saying much that is controversial.
1/5/04: Interview with al-Nahar newspaper (Beirut)
Minister of communications. Shiite electrical engineer; Dawa member.
June 04: accused of corruption in allocating mobile phone contracts.
was a member of the Governing Council. In late 2004, he withdrew his Iraqi Islamic Party from the January 2005 elections, widely seen as a massive political miscalculation.
Blames violence within Iraq on Mossad.
June: poll shows strong support for Hamid - 45% support or strongly support him, making him Iraq's seventh most popular politician.(via JC)
aka mohsen abdul hamid
head of the committee drafting the constitution. Shiite.
General Secretary of the Council of Sunni Ulema (aka association of muslim scholars, etc, etc, etc).
Supportive of anti-occupation violence. The article also describes Dhari as Iraq's 'most senior [Sunni] cleric', and that he was behind the Fallujah ceasefire. Considers the post-30/6 government will be 'illegitimate...because it is being formed by the occupation forces'. Supportive of Sadr.
Dodge 2005:54:
"_ Dr. Muthanna Harith al-Dhari, was educated at Cairo's prestigious Al Azha Islamic University, and taught in the Islamic Law Department of Baghdad University. His rhetoric mixes an austere Islamism with a powerful Iraqi nationalism that condemns those collaborating with the occupation_"
[all taken from this profile by Hannah Allam Sunni cleric, behind conservative 'Association of Islamic Scholars'. Linked to rebels in Anbar province:
He said he doesn't finance insurgents or issue commands. He said he's never met with foreign guerrillas, although he unabashedly supports Iraqis who take up arms against U.S.-led forces. His newspaper publishes flowery obituaries of fallen insurgents from Anbar province.
In April, organised aid convoys to Fallujah. Issued fatwa calling for a boycott of US and British goods.
Shiite cleric, Sadr supporter in Karbala
17 april: leads 2000-person protest in Baghdad, claling for US withdrawel
Iraq's Minister of Environment
female
Minister of Defense. Claims Iran is arming Mahdi army.
Uncle of Muqtada al-Sadr, and supporter of Sistani (he manages the Kadamiya shrine in western Baghdad).Theologically and politically, his views may be somewhat more moderate than his nephew. Not involved in politics (according to Jonathan Steele, he turned down an invitation to join the Governing Council.
According to Xinhua, Colin Powell visited him in 2003, and, according to the article, "announced that this man would take a prominent role in the future of Iraq". A more detailed report from 'Iraq Press' plays up Hussein al-Sadr's power.
Related to Muqtada al-Sadr, though how is unclear. MEMRI claims he is Muqtada's uncle; Newsday says "a distant relative". Jonathan Steele in the Guardian makes them second cousins.
interim vice-president. Leader of al-Dawa (according to JC, 'extremely powerful but under-reported'). Critical of US intervention in Najaf
Interviewed by AP in late June 04
July 2005: visits Iran. JC says
Jaafari, a Dawa Party activist working for an Islamic republic, had been in exile in Tehran from 1980 to 1989. A physician trained at Mosul, the reserved and somewhat inarticulate Jaafari studied Shiite law and theology as an auditor at the seminaries of Qom. His party, Dawa, was briefly part of SCIRI but in 1984 split with it to maintain its autonomy.
Grand Ayatollah. 75 years old. Possible successor to Sistani. Politically quietist. Afghan. JC says:
Fayyad is known as a moderate and a reformer, indeed "more reformist than the reformers." He rejects Khomeini's notion of the rule of the jurisprudent (wilayat al-faqih), which says that clerics must rule politically, i.e., must establish a theocracy. Fayyad's rejection of the rule of the jurisprudent is even more vehement than that of Sistani, who admits it in the realm of "social issues" but does not desire a clerically dominated government. Fayyad seeks a separation of religion and day to day politics, in accordance with the Najaf tradition.
Diamond, 2005:342n
Like many Iraqis, Istrabadi has a mixed family heritage that transcends the country's divides. His father's family is Shiite, of Persian origin, while his mother's family is Sunn, of Arab, Turkoman, and Kurdish origin
Name also spelt Ayad 'Alawi
Shia Arab, and leader of the Iraqi National Accord. A former Baathist, possibly working as an intelligence official. Cousin of Ali Allawi (who is both trade and defense minister), and also related to Chalabi.
Member of the Governing Council (and president in October 2003), until his resignation on 9/4/04 in protest at US activities in Fallujah.
Trying to get himself appointed as prime minister (JC, 28/4/04). Appears (29/5/04) to have succeeded, despite reported opposition in Iraq. The decision to appoint Allawi was apparently made by the Governing Council, to the surprise of the US and the UN. This followed a kerfufle over whether the PM would be Hussain al-Shahristani.
Steven Weisman at the NYT has good commentary on Allawi%G��%@s appointment as PM. On 8/6/04, the NYT reported on ties betwen Alawi's INA and the CIA in the 1990s:
The C.I.A. recruited Dr. Allawi in 1992, former intelligence officials said. At that time, the former senior intelligence official said, "what we were doing was dealing with anyone" in the Iraqi opposition "we could get our hands on." Mr. Chalabi began working with the agency in 1991, and the idea, the official added, was to "decrease the proportion of Chalabi's role in what we were doing by finding others to work with." In 1991, Dr. Allawi was associated with a former Iraqi official, Salih Omar Ali al-Tikriti, whom the United States viewed as unsavory. He and Dr. Allawi founded the Iraqi National Accord in 1990. Both were former supporters of the Iraqi government.
The NYT refers back to a 11/4/97 Independent article, which I can't help but notice blames Tenet for a failed INA coup attempt. The INA was also responsible for the '45 minutes' claim.
Late October 2004: Allawi appears to be publicly distancing himself from the US
Disinfopedia has a lengthy bio. also, Voices have a thing about Allawi, and are collating plenty of dirt on him.
4 december 2005, wapo: allawi attacked by a mob in iraq