BAGHDAD (Hatha Al-Youm) — In a televised interview that has sent shockwaves through the regional diplomatic community, Aras Habib, Secretary-General of the National Congress Party, warned that Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are entering a "deadly geopolitical game" orchestrated by US President Donald Trump’s inner circle.
At the center of this storm is Tom Barrack, the newly appointed "Super-Envoy" whose vision for the Middle East includes dismantling democratic structures in favor of an imperial, transactional order.
Tom Barrack: The "High Commissioner" Who Despises Democracy
Speaking to Dijlah TV, Habib described Tom Barrack not as a diplomat, but as a "High Commissioner" with a centralized grip on the Iraq-Syria-Turkey-Gulf files. Habib revealed that Barrack harbors a deep-seated disdain for the region’s democratic experiments.
"Barrack sees the Middle East not as states, but as a collection of tribes and villages," Habib stated. He disclosed a private discussion from 2025 where Barrack allegedly claimed that "Iraq is not fit for democracy," suggesting instead that a "monarchy modeled after Saudi Arabia" is the only viable system for the country.
This "Barrack Doctrine" signals an end to the post-2003 democratic era, viewing the Iraqi people as subjects of a "security corporation" rather than citizens of a sovereign state.
The "SDF Betrayal" as an Omen for Kurdistan
Habib issued a stark warning to the leadership in Erbil, linking the recent American abandonment of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to the future of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
"The US sold out the SDF in a second," Habib noted, warning that Barrack’s strategy aims to weaken the Kurdish component as a whole to facilitate regional "Grand Bargains." He cautioned that Kurdistan’s constitutional status is increasingly vulnerable in Barrack’s eyes, as the envoy views the region through the lens of a "distressed asset" to be restructured or discarded.
Adding to the regional instability, Habib slammed the decision to transfer 9,000 ISIS prisoners from Syria to the borders of the Kurdistan Region (Mosul and Sinjar). He described this as "importing cancer" that would bleed the Iraqi and Kurdish security forces dry.
The $60 Million Scandal and the "Syrian Leak" against Maliki
The interview pulled back the curtain on the corruption surrounding Barrack’s predecessor, Mark Savaya. Habib alleged that Savaya’s departure was accelerated by a "stench of corruption," claiming that Iraqi factions had funneled nearly $60 million to him in exchange for hollow promises of lifting sanctions. "Barrack has replaced 'brokerage' with 'raw dictates,'" Habib remarked.
Regarding Trump's public veto of Nouri al-Maliki’s candidacy for Prime Minister, Habib revealed that it was based on a "Syrian intelligence file." Allegedly, the government of Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus leaked a comprehensive archive of Maliki’s anti-American rhetoric to Trump, prompting the President to treat Maliki as a personal adversary.
"A New Bremer" or "Drinking the Poison"
Habib urged the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework to adopt the "realism" of the late Ayatollah Khomeini, who famously said he was "drinking the poison" to end the war with Iraq.
"If the escalation continues, a 'New Bremer' will arrive," Habib warned, referring to the post-2003 US administrator. He predicted that Barrack’s endgame for continued defiance would be the dissolution of Parliament, the imposition of a presidential system, and the freezing of Iraq’s oil revenues held in the Federal Reserve. "Without US protection of our funds, Iraq becomes a bankrupt nation overnight," he said.
The Only Way Out: The "Kurdish Mind"
As a potential exit strategy, Habib proposed that Iraq entrust its negotiations entirely to Fuad Hussein, the current Kurdish Foreign Minister. "I don’t see anyone more qualified or with deeper international ties than Dr. Fuad Hussein," Habib said, suggesting that a "Kurdish mind" is the only tool capable of navigating the "Barrack-Trump" pincer movement.
Conclusion: For the international observer, Aras Habib’s testimony underscores a pivot in US policy from "Nation Building" to "Asset Management." Under Tom Barrack, the Middle East is being treated as a difficult investment opportunity. For Iraq and Kurdistan, the choice is increasingly binary: total submission to the High Commissioner’s terms or a systematic dismantling of the state as we know it.