'Iraq First' -- Iraqi National Security Strategy 2007 -- 2010

Iraq FirstThe Iraqi National Security Strategypossessed for decades. They are ready to die to retaketheir past power and authority by any means.Fourth. The current Government has to protect the newlyborn democracy from the dangers of conspiracy andintervention, while differentiating between the remainderof those who were misled and those who entered intothe disbanded Baath Party in order to live under theprevious abusive conditions.Fifth. Another challenge is represented by the growth ofterrorist groups that have adopted Takfirist ideologywhich has deviated from the ideologies of the region andthe world. These groups have found an opportunity forexpansion due to the lack of security after the collapseof the previous regime. They also exploited the presenceof foreign forces and the general attitude againstAmerica in Arab and other regional countries, to getmore support from the region.Sixth. Another challenge stems from the nature of the warsthat the previous regime started. Its misguided policiesresulted in international sanctions and the completeisolation of Iraq, and left a heavy heritage for thebuilders of the new Iraq. It left a debt of more than 120billion dollars; an internally devastated economy thatrelied solely on oil exports; an infrastructure neglectedfor more than 20 years; a low level of individual income;an increase in inflation to destructive levels, seriouslydamaging the middle class and crushing the poor class;an increase in underemployment; a serious increase inthe level of administrative and financial corruption; andthe emergence of organized crime run by members ofthe previous regime.Seventh. The previous regime’s policy of minimizing thelegitimate roles of government institutions led to theircollapse after the collapse of the Head of theGovernment. All this resulted in significant difficultiesand conditions that permitted the growth of corruptionand organized crime, especially as the result of the lackof security that followed the collapse of the previousregime. These difficulties came simultaneously with the(Page 7 of 49 )