Corruption is deeply entrenched in Iraq, permeating all levels of government and society, including the Kurdistan Autonomous Region (KAR). It involves systemic practices rooted in family ties, tribal and religious loyalties, and the muhasasa system, whereby political positions are allocated along ethno-sectarian lines. Political parties exploit ministries for self-enrichment, collect bribes and monopolise sectors, while militias benefit from and protect corruption. This fuels distrust, particularly among young people, and was one of the factors that drove the Tishreen protests of 2019.
Despite the establishment of institutions such as the Integrity Commission and the Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court, progress remains limited due to political interference, insufficient resources, and obstruction by those in power. Journalists, activists and whistleblowers who expose corruption face arrest, intimidation and violence. In 2024, Transparency International ranked Iraq 140th out of 180 countries, with a score of 26/100. Both the World Bank and Freedom House confirm that corruption undermines public services and fosters structural distrust in the government.
Corruption also manifests itself in the form of document fraud. Fake ID cards, passports and nationality certificates have been in circulation for decades. However, the introduction of electronic ID cards and passports containing biometric data, alongside the digitisation of civil registries, has improved fraud resistance. Nevertheless, fraud and bribery persist, particularly in the issuance of official documents.
Policy
Since 2013, the security situation in Iraq has largely been determined by the rise of and the battle against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). On 9 December 2017, then Prime Minister al-Abadi announced that the last piece of ISIS territory on Iraqi soil was recaptured and that this put an end to the ground war against the terror organization. The repulsion of ISIS and the recapture of territories occupied by the organization has had a clearly visible, positive impact on the security situation in Iraq. However, ISIS cells remain active in several Iraqi provinces and the Iraqi security forces, the Shia militias and the Kurdish Peshmerga still carry out actions against the organization. This displays itself in strong regional differences regarding the level of violence, the scale of random violence and the impact of the conflict. Additionally, as part of the conflict with the PKK, the Turkish army carries out air strikes and ground operations against PKK targets in the northern border regions of Iraq.