Sudani’s Arab League Summit gamble risks domestic backlash

With Iraq set to host the 34th Arab League Summit in Baghdad this Saturday, Prime Minister Sudani faces mounting pressure at home as signs point to the possible absence of several key regional leaders. What was intended as a showpiece event to project Iraq’s renewed diplomatic stature under Sudani’s leadership now risks backfiring politically, as both his allies and critics question his judgment and strategy in the run-up to national elections.

From the outset of his premiership, Sudani has pursued a foreign policy aimed at positioning himself as a regional statesman. Hosting the Arab League Summit in Baghdad was meant to reinforce that image at a time when he is seeking to consolidate electoral support. But a series of missteps and diplomatic embarrassments have complicated this narrative.

The latest blow came on Monday, when UAE-based Al-Ain reported that Sudani had personally called Syrian President Ahmed Al-Shara to urge him to attend the summit. That afternoon, Sky News Arabia quoted an unnamed Iraqi official expressing hope that Shara might change his mind. But by evening, Syrian state media confirmed that Shara would not be attending, and that Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani would represent Damascus instead.