Ayad Allawi served as Prime Minister of the Iraqi Interim Government from May 28, 2004 to April 5, 2005.  His term as prime minister is now considered by many Iraqis to be   the most productive and promising since Iraq’s liberation from Saddam Hussein.

Dr. Allawi has been involved in Iraqi politics for over three decades, a majority of which he spent as leader of the Iraqi National Accord (INA) – a democratic opposition movement to Saddam Hussein’s regime.  In February 1978, Dr. Allawi survived an assassination attempt by Ba’thist agents of Saddam Hussein while in exile in Surrey, UK.

Decisive Leadership

In welcoming Dr. Allawi to his post as Prime Minister of Iraq, President Bush said on June 1, 2004: “Dr. Allawi is a strong leader.  He endured exile for decades and survived assassination attempts by Saddam's regime.  He was trained as a physician, has worked as a businessman, and has always been an Iraqi patriot.” 

 After meeting with Dr. Allawi on September 24, 2004, President Bush said:  “I'm honored to stand with the Prime Minister of a free and sovereign Iraq.  Welcome, Mr. Prime Minister.  I applaud your leadership and your courage.  It's my honor to welcome a friend to the White House.”

Fighting Terrorism

 Prime Minister Allawi made ending terrorism and sectarian violence a top priority for Iraq.  His government aggressively fought both Sunni and Shiite terrorists with equal intensity. At great personal risk, he regularly visited the sites of terrorist attacks to show the Iraqi people that he stood with them against terrorists.  Secretary of State Colin Powell remarked on July 22, 2004 that, “There's no question that we have a dynamic leader in Prime Minister Allawi.  He is acting with great courage, with very stern views, strong views about what he wants to do and how he's going to go after these insurgents, and we're very pleased.”

Two high-profile anti-terrorist campaigns show Allawi’s even-handed and aggressive commitment to fighting terrorism.

 In August 2004, American and Iraqi armed forces successfully cooperated in Najaf, battling the Mahdi Army of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.  As Prime Minister Allawi stated on August 9, 2004: ''All the Mahdi Army fighters should abandon their weapons and leave the city…This is the core of the matter, and we will not waver.  There will be absolutely no negotiations and no truce.''

In November 2004, US and Iraqi forces jointly liberated Fallujah from Sunni and foreign insurgents led by terrorist leader Abu-Musab Al-Zarqawi.  President Bush said in his weekly radio address on November 13, 2004: “Prime Minister Allawi of Iraq authorized military operations to rid the city of Fallujah of Saddam holdouts and foreign terrorists.  American Marines and soldiers, alongside Iraqi security forces, are on the offensive against the killers who have been using Fallujah as a base of operations for terrorist attacks, and who have held the local population in the grip of fear.”

Free Elections

Prime Minister Allawi managed the transition to Iraq’s first free and fair elections in January 2005, one of the seminal events in the modern history of Iraq and in the Arab world.

In preparation for the elections, Prime Minister Allawi oversaw the creation of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq on May 31, 2004.  His security policies ensured that the Iraqi people could safely and peacefully vote.  In declaring a 60-day State of Emergency prior to the elections, Dr. Allawi stated:  "We want to secure the country so elections can be done in a peaceful way and the Iraqi people can participate in the elections freely, without the intimidation by terrorists and by forces who are trying to wreck the political process in Iraq.  So this is a message.  I hope the terrorists get it because we are not going to be easy on them."

 Despite threats from terrorists such as Abu-Musab Al-Zarqawi to “wash the streets in blood,” and faced with Sunni boycotts, on January 30, 2005, more than 8.5 million Iraqis – over 58 percent of the eligible electorate – participated in the first genuinely free and fair election in Iraq’s history, electing 275 representatives to the Iraqi National Assembly. 

 A February 2005 US State Department report on the elections said: “Although American diplomats and soldiers worked together with Iraqis to assist in making this electoral process a success, this is ultimately and uniquely a triumph of the Iraqi people—of Iraqi policemen and soldiers, of election workers, of political activists and journalists, of the interim government, and of the millions of voters voting for the first time in an election where their opinions and cherished dreams counted for something.”

 A US State Department report to Congress (Section 2207 Report on Iraq Relief and Reconstruction), on April 6, 2005, acknowledged the success of Allawi’s government in managing the election process: “Prime Minister Allawi, the Iraqi Interim Government (IIG), and the people of Iraq demonstrated their combined resolve, remarkable unity of purpose, and clear commitment to further Iraq’s transition to democracy despite intimidation.”

National Reconciliation

 Prime Minister Allawi promoted and enforced a non-sectarian approach to Iraqi politics.  His Cabinet is notable, especially when compared to subsequent Iraqi governments, for its diversity and professionalism – a balanced mix of 32 lawyers, politicians, academics, human rights activists, engineers and businessmen – six of whom were women. 

 During his tenure as Prime Minister, Dr. Allawi endorsed the contribution of the Kurdistan Regional Government in securing a peaceful and multi-ethnic Iraqi federal state.  Upon his meeting with Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani on July 11, 2004, Prime Minister Allawi said he was greatly impressed with the stability and development in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.  After the January 2005 elections, Dr. Allawi supported the aspirations of Kurdish leaders to take an active part in the Iraqi government.  After a meeting with Massoud Barzani on February 10, 2005, Dr. Allawi argued: "If we want to build a united and democratic Iraq that gives everyone the same chance, a Kurd has the right to be a candidate for any function."

 Both Dr. Allawi and the Kurdish leadership expressed a desire to continue their fruitful cooperation in the future.  Toward the end of his term as Prime Minister, on March 29, 2005, Dr. Allawi announced: “Our political program is not an ethnic, sectarian or party program, but it is rather an Iraqi national one that is open to all Iraqis… In this regard, I may give an example of my brothers, the members of the Kurdistan Coalition, who are now insisting on our participation.”

 Prime Minister Allawi also sought to reverse the blanket de-baathification order of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in 2003, in order to allow former Baathist civil servants who were not convicted of any crimes to rejoin the Iraqi government.   Dr. Allawi argued that indiscriminate de-baathification had, in fact, “deprived government departments of their best technocrats and triggered the collapse of an Iraqi state.” 

 Subsequent Iraqi governments did not display Allawi’s commitment to reversing the indiscriminate effects of de-baathification.  Governance and national reconciliation in Iraq has suffered as a result.

 The modification of de-baathification laws has since emerged as one of the key goals for judging Iraq’s progress toward national reconciliation.  In December 2006, the authors of the Iraq Study Group Report argued: “Political reconciliation requires the reintegration of Baathists and Arab nationalists into national life, with the leading figures of Saddam Hussein’s regime excluded.  The United States should encourage the return of qualified Iraqi professionals—Sunni or Shia, nationalist or ex-Baathist, Kurd or Turkmen or Christian or Arab—into the government” (Recommendation 27). 

 Likewise, the White House Initial Benchmark Assessment, released on January 12, 2007, has urged “Enacting and implementing legislation on de-Baathification reform” (Benchmark 2) and “Enacting and implementing legislation addressing amnesty” (Benchmark 6) as essential actions for national reconciliation in Iraq.  Dr. Allawi supports immediate passage and implementation of both of these laws.

Economic Reconstruction

 Prime Minister Allawi also gave priority to rebuilding Iraq’s economy, with several landmark achievements.  The Iraqi Stock Exchange re-opened in June 2004.  On November 24, 2004, Dr. Allawi’s government signed a historic agreement with the “Paris Club”, an unofficial group of 19 of the wealthiest industrialized nations, to reduce Iraq’s $39 billion debt by 80%.  On December 17, 2004, the United States signed a similar agreement with the Iraqi Interim Government, writing off completely Iraq's $4.1 billion debt.  Also in December, the World Trade Organization agreed to begin accession talks with Iraq.   

 Under Dr. Allawi’s guidance, Iraq’s economy showed steady recovery.  According to the National Strategy for Victory in Iraq report, released by the White House on November 30, 2005, Iraq's nominal GDP rose from $13.6 billion in 2003 to $25.5 billion in 2004, led primarily by the expansion of the oil sector, where production increased from an average of 1.58 million barrels per day in 2003 to an average of 2.25 million barrels per day in 2004.  According to the International Monetary Fund, per capita GDP in Iraq rebounded to $942 in 2004 (after dropping to $518 in 2003) – and continued to increase to over $1,200 in 2005, the result of Prime Minister Allawi’s economic programs. 

Foreign Policy

 In order to secure a free and stable Iraq, Prime Minister Allawi pursued an aggressive foreign policy to strengthen Iraq’s security and establish Iraq as a leader for a more stable and peaceful Middle East. 

 In the Middle East, Prime Minister Allawi restored Iraq’s diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. He pressed Syria and Iran to play constructive roles in enforcing security on Iraq’s borders.  He signed protocols for security coordination and economic cooperation with Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iran. 

 Prime Minister Allawi initiated the first major international conference on Iraq since U.S. forces toppled Saddam Hussein's regime.  The Sharm el-Sheikh International Conference, which took place on November 22-24, 2004 in Egypt, brought together some 20 foreign ministers from the U.S., Europe, Russia, China, and the Middle East in addition to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the leaders of the Arab League.

Prime Minister Allawi developed closer ties with international organizations, including NATO and the European Union.  On June 28, 2004, NATO leaders at a summit in Istanbul agreed to offer training to Iraqi security forces.  On November 4, 2004, Dr. Allawi visited NATO headquarters in Brussels to ask for further assistance and deepen NATO’s commitment to the future of Iraq.  In a speech to the NATO Council, Dr. Allawi said:  “You represent in this room a key alliance in the world today – bringing together the common values of the rule-of-law, human rights, and a democratic system of government.  The people in your countries cherish such values.  Some are even lucky enough to take them for granted.  But they are values for which the Iraqi people and the Iraqi Government are fighting every day.”

Next day, on November 5, 2004, Prime Minister Allawi met with European Union leaders at the EU summit in Brussels, and obtained economic assistance of $41.8 million to support elections in Iraq.  The European Commission also pledged funds for a number of additional programs to support the election process in Iraq, including a collaborative program with the United Nations and the Iraqi Election Commission to train election observers.  Speaking at a press conference, Prime Minister Allawi urged: "From this podium, I call on the countries which took a spectator role with regard to the Iraqi issue to cooperate with us to build a better Iraq and a better future.  Iraq is determined to return to the international community, and it is also determined to make the international community return to it.”

Iraqi-US Relations

 Throughout his term as Prime Minister, Dr. Allawi remained committed to US-Iraq relations as the bedrock of Iraqi security and its democratic future.  Dr. Allawi told a joint session of Congress on September 24, 2004:  “There are no words that can express the debt of gratitude that future generations of Iraqis will owe to Americans.  It would have been easy to have turned your back on our plight, but this is not the tradition of this great country, nor for the first time in history you stood up with your allies for freedom and democracy…Now we are determined to honor your confidence and sacrifice by putting into practice in Iraq the values of liberty and democracy, which are so dear to you and which have triumphed over tyranny across our world.  Creating a democratic, prosperous and stable nation, where differences are respected, human rights protected, and which lives in peace with itself and its neighbor, is our highest priority, our sternest challenge and our greatest goal.  It is a vision, I assure you, shared by the vast majority of the Iraqi people.”

Prime Minister of Iraq