With Iraq’s first general elections in over half a century set to create a constituent Assembly and a transitional government, India might have to consider a more active policy towards Baghdad. India knows that elections, even in the most troubled circumstances, have a way of changing the political dynamics on the ground. Whatever may be the final results, expected later this week, Sunday’s elections are likely to breathe a new life into the process of reconciliation and political institution building in Iraq. A day before the polls, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reiterated India’s stakes in Iraq as well as the desire to renew the engagement with its leaders. Singh’s offer to assist in the normalisation and reconstruction of Iraq is hinged on the hope that stability will return to the nation. Stability in Iraq, in turn, rests on many factors. Chiefly, the elections are certain to produce a government that for the first time in decades reflects the wishes of the majority in Iraq. But it might also fall short on representing all the sections of the Iraqi society. Delhi is aware of the danger of viewing Iraq through the prism of ethnic or religious differences. The list of candidates put out by the Shia leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has many Sunnis and Kurds on it. The secular list of PM Ayad Allawi has good mix of all communities and sects. India is confident that the enduring Iraqi national identity will transcend sectarian and ethnic differences.With change looming large, Singh should consider reaching out directly to the Iraqi leadership. He should dispatch newly named special envoy for West Asia, Chinmoy Gharekhan, to Iraq. As Shias become the dominant force in Iraq for the first time, Delhi would also want to leverage the connections that exist between Lucknow and Najaf.
