In his seminal work “Science and Politics as a Vocation,” German sociologist Max Weber proposed a fundamental distinction within political life: one can either live “for” politics or “from” politics. The former is driven by ideology, purpose, and the desire to shape society, while the latter seeks to exploit the political system for personal gain. In the case of Iraq, it seems the country’s political elite have made a career of living “from” politics, cultivating a kleptocracy that thrives on corruption and theft.
The term kleptocracy, often referred to as a “rule of thieves,” is used to describe a political system where those in power exploit state institutions for personal wealth. This has become a defining feature of Iraq’s post-2003 political landscape, where the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime opened the door to a new breed of rulers — ones more interested in enriching themselves than serving the public.
In the years following the invasion, Iraq’s political factions came to rely on a system of power-sharing that cemented sectarian and ethnic divides. This arrangement, designed to balance competing interests, inevitably led to an atmosphere of patronage and cronyism. Government positions became currency for political leverage, and corruption became institutionalized, particularly among the most powerful factions.
One such scandal that epitomizes this corrupt system is the so-called “Heist of the Century” — a brazen theft that rocked Iraq in 2021–2022. According to reports, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi dinars were secretly transported across Baghdad in armored vehicles, with the stolen funds purportedly coming from tax revenues siphoned from the Rafidain Bank, one of the country’s largest state-owned banks. The scale of the theft was staggering, with estimates suggesting that around $2.5 billion vanished — funds that had been earmarked for the country’s budget.
While the theft itself is an astonishing betrayal of public trust, what’s even more disturbing is how seamlessly this fraud was integrated into the fabric of Iraq’s political system. The perpetrators, it seems, were not outsiders or criminals from the shadows, but rather individuals closely tied to the very factions that have controlled Iraq’s political machinery for years. Investigations into the scandal revealed that the theft was orchestrated by figures within the Coordination Framework — a powerful political bloc with deep ties to Iran — and some members of Muqtada al-Sadr’s faction. These are not ordinary political players; these are the very individuals who hold the reins of power in Iraq today.
The situation is symptomatic of a broader systemic failure in Iraq. Corruption has become so ingrained in the country’s political culture that it has become an almost unspoken rule of governance. The fact that such a massive theft could occur, with armored trucks hauling away stolen funds in broad daylight, and yet go undetected by security forces, speaks to the complicity of those entrusted with the country’s security and oversight.
Even more troubling is the fact that the Iraqi political elite has been able to sidestep accountability for their actions. Despite public outcry and the revelation of such a massive scandal, there is little indication that the individuals responsible will face significant consequences. Rather, like many previous cases of corruption, it appears the investigation will serve as little more than a political tool — a means to settle scores between rival factions while allowing the larger system of corruption to remain intact.
The recent scandal underscores a chilling reality in Iraq: the very institutions meant to protect the people and ensure justice are themselves corrupted. The country’s anti-corruption mechanisms have become tools for political maneuvering, often used to target political opponents rather than dismantle the corrupt structures that underpin the state. As Iraq’s powerful elites continue to enrich themselves at the expense of the public, the people of Iraq are left to bear the burden of a system that has failed them at every turn.
What will happen next is predictable. Some low-level officials may be sacrificed to appease public outrage, but the real culprits — the political elites who orchestrated and profited from this grand theft — will likely walk away unscathed. This is the modus operandi of Iraq’s kleptocratic system: corruption becomes a game of survival for the political elite, where the spoils are shared among those in power while the masses are left to suffer.
As long as the political system remains in the hands of those who view the state as a personal cash cow, Iraq’s path to recovery will remain obstructed. The ruling political blocs — whether affiliated with Iran, backed by militias, or aligned with other factions — are, at their core, the very architects of the corruption that plagues the country. It is not just the individuals involved in the Heist of the Century who are at fault; it is the system itself, a system built on the exploitation of the state’s resources for private gain.
For Iraq to move beyond this corruption, it will need more than just political reform. It will require a complete overhaul of a system that allows the powerful to thrive while the people continue to suffer. Until then, Iraq’s political elite will continue to live “from” politics, and the country will remain mired in a cycle of corruption, theft, and broken promises. The question is no longer whether Iraq can recover, but whether its citizens can survive the kleptocracy that has taken root at the heart of their government.