After spending a week in Iraq’s Nineveh Plains meeting with local priests, victims of the Islamic State’s genocidal campaign, various Christian political parties, and refugee camp administrators, one thing has become clear to me: The complexity of the situation prevents the United States from being able to chopper in, deliver an enlarged cardboard aid check, take a photo-op, and walk away. This is assuming, of course, that our goal is to preserve ancient Christian and Yazidi communities that populate Northern Iraq, as opposed to simply burnishing our own sense of benevolence.
Northern Iraq is dotted with beautiful ancient churches and monasteries that date back to the 4th century and embody the rich culture and religious histories of faith communities that have survived and thrived despite generations of persecution, marginalization, and direct violence. The troubles of Christians in the area did not begin with ISIS. Al Qaeda had been attacking Christians in Iraq since 2003, though the actions of ISIS could be the final blow to these peoples if the international community does not remain committed to their survival. Though the numbers speak for themselves: Iraq’s population of 1.5 million Christians in 2003 has gone down to roughly 160,000 today.
The raw pain I could hear in the voices of those who had experienced unfathomable suffering gave me just a glimpse of the hopeless future they face. A young man from Baashiqah, whose home was destroyed by ISIS, told me how he now lives with his family in Erbil without any plan to return home because his town is still dangerous. He studied to become a veterinarian, but currently works the front desk of a hotel with no prospects of work in his field of study. When asked if he has hope for the future, he smiles a little and shakes his head: “I have no hope it will change.”
Another young man who runs a sports program for children in Bakhdida said, “If we can be supported, we will want to stay. We only will leave if we have to.” But he added that they cannot survive waiting years for help to come. When asked who he trusts to provide a secure future for his people, the head of the Yazidi religious community, Baba Sheik, said, “Who can we trust? Baghdad did not protect us in Mosul, and the Kurds did not protect us in Sinjar.” He continued, “If America wants to protect us, they can.”
All is not bleak. In fact, there is a unique moment to help these people in Washington’s halls of power. After years of advocacy, a consensus has developed that the U.S. can and should provide aid to religious minorities in Northern Iraq. Vice President Mike Pence has made preserving these Christian and Yazidi communities a personal mission at a time when they desperately need a powerful friend. These peoples also have sympathetic allies in USAID Administrator Mark Green and Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, both of whom have publicly expressed their commitment to the issue.
Further, the current Congress has a House chamber that unanimously passed the “Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act H.R.390,” a bill authored by Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., that makes it official U.S. policy to provide assistance to religious minorities who are victims of ISIS genocide. The bill has hit a roadblock after being placed on the Senate Consent Calendar, a procedural process by which a bill is passed based on the lack of opposition from any members, but where a single senator can block a piece of legislation should they have objections. In the case of H.R. 390, it is being held up by Sen. Rand Paul, who sees the bill as a backdoor attempt to expand U.S. involvement in Syria, though such language is not explicitly found in the bill text.
The combined support for religious minorities in Iraq from the current administration, a bipartisan coalition in Congress, and various other organizations is not inconsequential and gives reason to hope that the U.S. will remain committed to finishing the work. USAID Administrator Mark Green was recently in Iraq on direct orders from Vice President Mike Pence to accelerate the process of delivering promised USAID support to the region.
Yet, as the U.S. works to provide aid, we must realize there is not a ‘one size fits all’ model for recovery. Every town faces its own challenges, from destroyed water and electric grids, high unemployment, to political conflicts between Baghdad and Erbil that prevent people from returning to their homes. Rigid U.S. bureaucracies tend to like processes that provide results on a grand scale; however, rebuilding the Nineveh Plain is going to require hundreds of small projects targeting the specific needs of localized groups.
Another historic hallmark of aid projects writ large is abuse of funds, and Iraq is no exception. Speaking privately, an individual who has worked closely with many non-governmental organizations in the region said “you should not trust anyone, even me,” explaining that it is not that they steal money outright, but that there is little oversight. This allows different organizations and government entities to take a cut of all projects. In the end, a significantly reduced percentage of the funds reach the ground.
This concern was corroborated over and over as one group after another expressed their distrust for each other. Certainly, some of this is turf jealousy as some groups receive funding over another, but there is also real cause for concern as certain individuals who’ve been given authority over aid projects are under investigation for abuse. Thankfully, this is probably the easiest problem to address: The U.S. simply needs to provide a watchdog who can track the money. Non-governmental organizations who specialize in oversight were initially present as international aid flowed into Iraq from around the world, but as the crisis winds down and the long task of rebuilding begins, these groups have mostly moved on. USAID has strong oversight mechanisms, and these should be brought to bear in this region for the good of the people in most need.
Standing in the street of Bakhdida earlier this month, I was filled with reasons to hope. While the wreckage of war remains visible on all sides, accentuated by the consistent presence of garbage and the reek of the broken sewage system, life is returning to normal. I saw a young man unlocking his designer clothing shop for a day of business, a shop not all that dissimilar to one you could find in Georgetown or any American city. The Iraqi people are resilient; all they ask is that we remain committed to helping them rebuild their lives.
Peter Burns (@peterburns_1861) is the Government Relations and Policy Director at In Defense of Christians. Burns is a Philos Fellow and an alumnus of America’s Future Foundation’s Writing Fellowship.
