Mustafa Al Kadhimi is widely recognised as the former Prime Minister of Iraq, appointed on 6 May 2020 amid a climate of civil unrest driven by militia control during the tenure of his predecessor, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, and deep economic challenges. His bold and reformist policies enabled the release of peaceful protestors, enhanced government accountability and laid the groundwork for electoral reform, helping to restore public confidence.
Born in Baghdad in the mid-1960s, Moustafa Al Kazemi was forced into exile due to his early opposition to Saddam Hussein. He spent years living in Europe, Iran and the Kurdistan Region – then outside the control of the regime – where he built a prominent career as a journalist, documentarian and award-winning writer. He produced content for leading media outlets and contributed to respected international publications. He worked at Radio Free Europe/Radio Iraq and co-founded both the Iraqi Media Network and the Iraq Memory Foundation, which documented the crimes of the Saddam regime and became a reference for international institutions and universities.
In June 2016, Al Kadhimi was appointed Director of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, where he led a process of modernisation and depoliticisation, emphasising intelligence-based counterterrorism operations. He is credited with significantly enhancing professionalism and efficiency in Iraq’s security institutions.
A key legacy of his premiership is the launch of the ‘White Paper’ for economic reform – comprising over 200 measures to promote fiscal responsibility, combat corruption and increase transparency. He also negotiated the transition of the US military presence in Iraq, culminating in the official end of combat operations in 2021.
