Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani: ‘Iraq does not want to be a party to this war, which lacks any legal basis’
Analysis Summary
This article portrays Iraq as a victim struggling for stability amidst regional conflicts, highlighting Prime Minister Al-Sudani's efforts to maintain neutrality. It builds sympathy for Iraq by emphasizing external aggressions from the US, Israel, and Iran, and by presenting Iraqi factions as reactions to these pressures, while downplaying the internal complexities and potential independent actions of these groups. The article uses emotionally charged language and presents a simplified view of causality to support its narrative that Iraq is a neutral party seeking sovereignty.
FATE Analysis
Four dimensions of psychological manipulation: how content captures Focus, exploits Authority, triggers Tribal identity, and engineers Emotion.
Focus signals
"This is the second interview he has given to a media outlet since the start of the offensive."
Presents the interview as a rare and significant event, drawing attention to its exclusivity and the importance of its content due to the timing of the conflict.
Authority signals
"The Iraqi Constitution does not permit Iraqi soil to be used as a platform to attack neighboring countries, and we are taking legal and on-the-ground measures. The state decides on matters of war and peace. No party or group has the right to infringe upon this right."
Leverages the authority of the Iraqi Constitution and the state's legitimate power to assert control and justify actions, presenting these as fundamental and undisputable principles.
"Our security forces have the right to self-defense as a legal principle under the UN."
Invokes international law and the authority of the United Nations to legitimize Iraq's right to self-defense, portraying it as a universally recognized and accepted right.
Tribe signals
"Iraq does not want to be a party to this war, which lacks any legal basis and constitutes aggression against a sovereign country."
Establishes an 'us' (Iraq) that wants peace and acts legally, against a 'them' (the aggressors) acting without legal basis, creating a clear division and framing Iraq as a victim.
"...individual decisions in accordance with the wishes and decisions of one person, [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, whose government has been acting clearly and without any deterrent, outside the law and international conventions and norms since the events of October 7..."
Clearly delineates a 'them' (Netanyahu's government) as acting outside international norms and law, contrasting it with the principles Iraq claims to uphold, fostering an 'us vs. them' dynamic around adherence to international law.
"The Americans claim to be unaware of some attacks, and that is a problem. It is common sense that the Armed Forces must defend themselves against unknown aggressions. We cannot stand idly by when we have martyrs and wounded."
Creates a dichotomy between the 'us' (Iraqis, who are martyrs and wounded and must defend themselves) and the 'them' (Americans who are 'unaware' or whose actions lead to Iraqi casualties), implying a lack of accountability or sympathy from the latter.
Emotion signals
"The religious and official leadership [of Iran] has been attacked, as the Supreme Leader [Ali Khamenei] was assassinated in an unprecedented situation. This is a dangerous indicator of escalation and the adoption of individual decisions outside the framework of the international system."
Uses strong, emotionally charged language ('assassinated in an unprecedented situation,' 'dangerous indicator of escalation') to evoke outrage and concern over the perceived violation of international norms and the potential for wider conflict, framing the act as highly provocative.
"We already have 100 martyrs and 200 wounded among all the attacks against the Iraqi people, and we have the full right to respond and to take all measures to counter this aggression. They attack our security forces under the pretext that they have connections with armed factions. This information is inaccurate, and the U.S. commander said they will investigate this because it appears he received inaccurate information. This is unacceptable; we are talking about lives, about people."
Employs statistics of casualties ('100 martyrs and 200 wounded') and emotive language ('unacceptable; we are talking about lives, about people') to generate outrage and sympathy for the Iraqi victims, framing the attacks as unjustified aggression based on 'inaccurate information'.
Narrative Analysis (PCP)
How the article reshapes thinking: Perception (what beliefs are targeted), Context (what information is shifted or omitted), and Permission (what behavior is being encouraged).
The article aims to instill the belief that Iraq is a neutral, victimized party in a broader regional conflict, striving for stability and sovereignty amidst external aggressions from both the US/Israel and Iran. It wants the reader to believe that the Iraqi government, under Al-Sudani, is competently navigating complex geopolitical pressures while upholding Iraqi law and protecting its citizens.
The article shifts the context from an Iraq potentially grappling with internal divisions and the influence of various armed groups to an Iraq that is a sovereign victim caught in a wider 'US-Israeli war against Iran.' This framing makes Iraq's neutral stance and calls for sovereignty appear as reasonable and necessary responses to external aggression, rather than internal challenges.
The article omits deeper context regarding the origins, affiliations, and ongoing activities of 'pro-Iranian militias' and 'armed factions' within Iraq, and the extent of their political and military integration or opposition to the Iraqi state. While distinguishing the PMF from 'factions,' it broadly omits the documented history of some PMF elements acting outside Iraqi state control or being directly influenced by Iran. It also minimizes the potential for these groups to act as destabilizing forces from within, instead consistently portraying them as reactions to external pressures. The extent of internal political and sectarian dynamics driving these groups' actions is largely passed over in favor of an externalized threat narrative.
The article nudges the reader to sympathize with the Iraqi government under Al-Sudani, to accept its efforts to assert sovereignty and neutrality, and to view its actions (including those related to the PMF and 'factions') as legitimate and necessary for national stability. It implicitly grants permission for the reader to perceive the US and Israel as primary aggressors in the region, and Iraq as a deserving recipient of international understanding and support in its pursuit of independence.
SMRP Pattern
Four manipulation maintenance tactics: Socializing the idea as normal, Minimizing concerns, Rationalizing with logic, and Projecting blame.
"Iraq is in the middle of this region and has been drawn into it due to the daily violations of its airspace by the Israeli occupation authorities and the U.S., as airspace is being violated and neighboring Iran is being attacked. This has created a problem for us with the Iranian side, which is also violating Iraqi airspace, as its missiles are flying through Iraqi airspace toward Israel, in addition to some indirect acts of retaliation."
Red Flags
High-severity indicators: silencing dissent, coordinated messaging, or weaponizing identity to shut down debate.
"The entirety of Al-Sudani's responses, while appearing diplomatic, consistently reinforce a carefully constructed narrative of Iraqi victimhood and sovereignty, aligning perfectly with government messaging designed to garner international sympathy and project control. His detailed explanations of the PMF's role, the challenges of militia control, and the emphasis on US/Israeli aggression feel highly curated for an international audience."
Techniques Found(6)
Specific propaganda techniques identified using the SemEval-2023 academic taxonomy of 23 techniques across 6 categories.
"In office since 2022, Al-Sudani (Baghdad, 56 years old) leads a country that has postponed the formation of a new government since November due to the upheaval gripping the region caused by the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran."
This statement attributes the postponement of government formation solely to 'the upheaval gripping the region caused by the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran,' when governmental formation delays in Iraq are often due to complex internal political dynamics, factional disputes, and coalition building challenges that predate or are independent of the current regional conflict.
"The religious and official leadership [of Iran] has been attacked, as the Supreme Leader [Ali Khamenei] was assassinated in an unprecedented situation."
The term 'assassinated' is used to describe the death of Ali Khamenei, which, according to international reports, occurred due to a helicopter crash. This choice of word carries a strong implication of deliberate, malicious killing rather than an accident, imbuing the event with a sense of targeted aggression that is not supported by documented facts, thus influencing the reader's perception emotionally.
"This is a dangerous indicator of escalation and the adoption of individual decisions outside the framework of the international system. We are in a very sensitive region that is already the scene of an international war involving more than 14 countries."
While the region is undoubtedly tense and unstable, characterizing events as an 'international war involving more than 14 countries' without specifying the nature of this involvement (e.g., direct combat vs. diplomatic engagement or aid) could be an exaggeration that amplifies the scale and immediacy of the conflict to heighten concern or justify a specific stance.
"whose government has been acting clearly and without any deterrent, outside the law and international conventions and norms since the events of October 7 [2023, the Hamas-led attacks on Israel]."
The phrase 'without any deterrent, outside the law and international conventions and norms' is a strong, definitive condemnation of the Israeli government's actions, using emotionally charged language to frame them as lawless and unchecked. While a government's actions can be debated and criticized, this phrasing goes beyond factual reporting to a highly negative characterization.
"Our security forces have the right to self-defense as a legal principle under the UN."
This statement uses the universally recognized and legally affirmed 'right to self-defense' as a justification for potential actions. By invoking this principle, it appeals to widely accepted values of sovereignty and legitimate defense to legitimize Iraq's position, implying that any response taken by Iraqi forces would be inherently lawful and just.
"Iraq maintains a very friendly stance, both at the governmental and public levels, toward Spain because of its courageous position against the occupation of Palestine and Lebanon and, more recently, against the aggressive war against our neighbor Iran. This is something that honors our dear friend Pedro Sánchez."
The phrase 'courageous position' combined with 'This is something that honors our dear friend Pedro Sánchez' attributes a positive moral quality to Spain's stance and its leader, aligning it with Iraqi values and regional positions. This plays on a sense of shared 'correctness' or moral superiority regarding certain geopolitical issues, invoking a sense of collective pride or identity for those who agree with these stances.