by Omar Habeeb Abdul Razzaq
Every time I read news about an Iraqi succeeding abroad, conflicting emotions battle in my heart. Overwhelming joy because our people prove to the world that Iraqis can excel and innovate wherever they go, and deep sadness because this success happens far from the homeland that needs them more than ever.
As an Iraqi politician and social activist who has spent years supporting youth causes, I’ve witnessed this painful equation firsthand. It’s not just cold statistics in migration reports or numbers in brain drain studies. These are real stories of young Iraqis forced to chase their dreams beyond our borders, not because they don’t love Iraq, but because Iraq hasn’t provided them with the right environment to achieve their ambitions.
The irony cuts deep: we celebrate their achievements abroad while failing to benefit from their capabilities at home. According to recent reports, thousands of young Iraqis migrate annually, most holding advanced degrees and specialized skills. These aren’t just numbers—they’re doctors who could have saved lives in our hospitals, engineers who could have built bridges of progress in our country, and scientists who could have put Iraq on the global map of scientific research.
But the real question isn’t why they leave—it’s why we can’t convince them to stay. The answer is complex and multifaceted, but it starts with understanding that brain drain isn’t just about seeking better salaries. It’s about finding an environment that values competence, provides fair opportunities, ensures stability, and respects innovation.
When an Iraqi doctor finds himself waiting years for appropriate training opportunities while getting them in months abroad, the decision becomes clear. When an engineer sees infrastructure projects awarded based on connections rather than competence, frustration turns into a decision to leave. When a researcher realizes that investment in scientific research is minimal and limited, foreign laboratories become the only option for achieving scientific dreams.
This doesn’t mean everyone who leaves is justified in their decision, nor that staying in Iraq is impossible. There are inspiring success stories of young Iraqis who chose to stay and contribute to building the nation despite challenges. But these stories remain exceptions that confirm the rule rather than refute it.
The real problem lies in treating brain drain as inevitable fate rather than a challenge that can be confronted. We need a real revolution in how we think about investing in Iraqi human capital. This means reforming the education system to meet modern requirements, developing the scientific research environment, creating real job opportunities based on competence, and ensuring security and political stability.
More importantly, we need to change the institutional culture that favors connections over competence and personal loyalty over professional achievement. We need to build institutions that respect the Iraqi mind and provide it with the right environment for creativity and growth.
The solution isn’t preventing youth from traveling or closing borders to ambitions. The solution is making Iraq a place worthy of keeping creators and attracting successful people back. We need a comprehensive strategy that includes educational reform, scientific research development, creating an attractive investment environment, and ensuring good governance.
This challenge isn’t impossible. Many countries faced the same problem and succeeded in reversing brain drain. South Korea, for example, managed in just a few decades to transform from a brain-exporting country to a brain-attracting one through massive investment in education, technology, and scientific research.
Iraq has all the ingredients to succeed in this challenge. We have a rich history in education and culture, enormous natural resources, a strategic geographical location, and most importantly, we have smart, creative, and educated people. What we lack is the real political will to make the required change.
When we see an Iraqi succeeding abroad, we should celebrate their success, but we should also ask ourselves: what could we have done to keep this success in Iraq? And what can we do to ensure that the next generation of Iraqi creators finds in their homeland what they seek abroad?
The answer to these questions is our collective responsibility. The government’s responsibility in setting the right policies, institutions’ responsibility in applying competence and transparency standards, and society’s responsibility in supporting a culture of excellence and innovation. Only when we take this responsibility seriously can we transform the bitter joy of our children’s successes abroad into pure joy in their successes at home.