Abstract

Transport is a key driver of economic growth, encompassing land, maritime, and air transport. Maritime transport is particularly vital for global trade, offering an affordable means of moving goods. Both developed and developing nations invest in commercial shipping fleets, modernize ports with advanced technology, and enhance operational systems to stimulate foreign trade. Iraqi ports play a crucial role in national economic development, prompting the government to revitalize existing ports and construct new ones. One significant initiative is the Grand Faw Port, a strategic project within the dry canal corridor, connecting the Arabian Gulf through Basra’s ports to the Mediterranean via Syria and to Northern Europe through Turkey. This port aims to strengthen Iraq’s role in global trade, drive economic progress, and support sustainable development by improving logistics and transport efficiency. By establishing Grand Faw Port, Iraq seeks to enhance its commercial shipping capacity, positioning itself as a major regional trade hub. The project is expected to create employment opportunities, boost investments, and contribute to long-term economic stability. As maritime trade continues to expand, the Grand Faw Port will serve as a catalyst for Iraq’s integration into international markets, reinforcing its economic resilience and global trade participation.

Highlights:

1. Transport drives economic growth through maritime trade and infrastructure development.
2. Iraq develops Grand Faw Port to enhance global trade connectivity.
3. The port boosts economic progress and supports sustainable development.

Keywords: Faw Port, sustainable development, economic growth, transportation, trade

Introduction

The importance of the research :

The importance of the research stems from the importance of establishing the Grand Faw Port and linking it to the dry canal and activating the role of ports and maritime transport in developing the wheel of economic and social development and its impact on the reality of sustainable development in Iraq in the medium and long term through the establishment of infrastructure and industrial zone projects attached to the Grand Faw Port.

The research problem :

The research problem is represented by the following question: Is the establishment of the Grand Faw Port possible to get rid of the problems of the rentier economy, and what are its repercussions on the reality of sustainable development in Iraq.

Research Hypothesis

The research was based on a hypothesis that: The pursuit of establishing the Grand Faw Port is a strategic option for Iraq to enhance the competitiveness of Iraqi ports on the one hand and to diversify sources of income on the other hand.

Research Objectives :

The research aims to achieve several objectives, the most important of which are those addressed in the research.

1. Analyze the reality of Iraqi ports and their commercial activity.

2. Analyze the potential economic impacts of establishing the Grand Faw Port.

3. Study the most prominent potential economic impacts of establishing the Grand Faw Port on sustainable development in Iraq.

Result and Discussion

The first topic: (Transportation - Theoretical Concepts)

The first requirement: (Transportation concept)

In general, transportation is defined by this definition as moving things or people from one place to another, whether by ships, trains, cars, planes or even on foot. Transportation aims to provide effective means of transporting goods and people from one place to another quickly and easily. Transportation contributes to linking countries and providing means of communication and trade exchange between peoples. But from an economic point of view, transportation is defined as the process of moving goods from their production or sale areas to consumption areas at the specified time and in the required quantities and at a reasonable cost. In this definition, there is a clear indication of the economic importance represented by the transportation process, so that there is a study of costs and the time factor to achieve the proper flow of goods between production and consumption points. The transportation sector is one of the main drivers of economic and social development, as it is the means by which goods and services flow and through which individuals move internally and externally. All other sectors depend on it in the link between production and consumption, and thus the value of transportation has become one of the costs of production, and the decrease or increase of these costs is one of the criteria for the competitive advantage of any economy. Transport is also considered an economic human activity that depends on moving goods and individuals from one place to another to cover a certain distance over time. The main role of transport is to transport individuals, goods, information and news from their place of production to their place of consumption. Transport is complementary to the economic production process .

The role of transport is also of special importance as it is complementary to the economic production process and development in general, through the added value of goods and services. Transport is also a cost of production, and transport has contributed significantly to the development of foreign trade due to the development of means of transport that are characterized by speed, safety and preservation of goods from damage after using refrigerated means of transport. It has played a prominent role in the growth of industry, agriculture and trade, due to the ease and speed of transporting the surplus from its place of production to the rest of the markets in different parts of the world. Thus, the degree of progress of countries is measured by the development they have achieved in the field of transport in its various types .

The second requirement. .. Types of transport: Types of transport are divided into several sections, which are as follows :

1. Land transport is divided into :

A. Railway transport: It is a land transport system that uses trains that run on railway tracks (iron rails). Railway transport is used to transport passengers and goods by trains and wagons specially designed to run on iron rails. The railway connects cities to each other in one country and includes a railway network; it also connects countries and the networks of a country are intertwined with the networks of its neighbors, and we often find an entire continent connected by a great network of railways. Almost all types of railway trains run on iron wheels with a rim that fixes their movement on two iron rails. The two iron rails extend over thick sleepers of wood, cement or iron fixed to the ground, keeping the two iron rails parallel and fixed, and the railway is designed to be able to bear the weight of the pulling trailers and wagons. There are also trains running on rubber wheels and running on two narrow tracks of reinforced concrete, such as the Paris Metro and other metros in France, such as the Véhicule automatique léger, the M3 metro line of the Lausanne Metro, the Montreal Metro, and the Shuttle. "Skyline" of Frankfurt Airport in Germany. The discovery of railways is a revolution in the world of transportation, as it played a role in industrial settlement, and in the exploitation of natural resources in many countries, urban expansion and population distribution. It has the advantage of transporting large quantities of goods, and its low cost compared to transport by cars

B. Transport by cars :

No means of transportation has affected economic development and growth as much as transport by cars. Transport by car is one of the most widely used means of land transportation, and the use of cars quickly developed after World War II, especially in the Soviet Union and Japan. This was reflected in the development of the sizes, shapes and types of cars, and in their specialization in transporting certain goods, and their ability to travel long distances

C. Pipeline transport :

Pipeline transport is a revolution in the transport sector in general, and energy transport in particular, and the use of pipes in transporting water dates back to a long time ago. However, this method of transport developed significantly after the commercial discovery of oil in the world, and the increase in global demand for crude oil, and then the increase in global oil production. Pipeline transport can be classified into (oil pipelines, natural gas pipelines, coal pipelines, chemical pipelines, etc.

2. Air transport: Air transport includes all human activities that work in the field of transporting passengers and cargo by air, including airport design and operations, air traffic regulation, passenger and cargo aircraft operations, and is subject to international laws, regulations and legislation supervised by specialized organizations. The largest burden of air transport, since its existence, has been borne by scheduled airline aircraft, but starting from the 1960s, two other types of air transport have become active: unscheduled or chartered air transport and private air transport or business aviation, and their scope has expanded greatly.) As for the third type, it will be explained in the following requirement.

The third requirement

The concept of maritime transport. Maritime transport is an important means of transport in general and international transport in particular and is the main gateway to global markets ,as it is currently one of the most used means of transport by humans in terms of the huge capacity to carry large quantities of goods and individuals as it is one of the heaviest and best used means of transport at the economic level and the least expensive. Maritime transport is important in the flow of trade and external and internal trade exchange as well as it is important in economic growth, whether in developing or developed countries that are characterized by the availability of the economic and natural components necessary to practice maritime transport. Maritime transport is also one of the activities that perform multiple tasks as it is a service activity that provides services to transport goods and passengers from one place to another. It is also a productive activity because of the economic benefit it adds to goods transported from one place to another. As well as a distribution activity for its important role in the process of exchanging and distributing goods locally, regionally and globally, as maritime transport has developed significantly in recent years, as international trade depends on more than 85% of maritime transport .

Maritime transport plays a major role in reducing costs, along with land transport networks, in linking the different continents of the world, with the exception of Eastern Europe, where there are multiple maritime transport lines that connect Greece and Italy, between the latter and Spain, between France and Spain, whether via the Mediterranean Sea in the south or via the Bay of Biscay in the north, between France and the Netherlands, between them and Britain via the English Channel, the Strait of Dover and the North Sea, between the latter and the Scandinavian countries, between Denmark and Germany, and between the northern countries via the Gulf of Bothnia and the Baltic Sea.

Fourth requirement : (The concept of the port and its components )

A port is a geographical area where ships are brought to the land side to load and unload goods, usually a protected area in deep waters such as bays or river estuaries, while the port authority is the institution responsible for providing the various marine services required to bring ships to land. , and the port is also known as a port* as "the place where ships take shelter, and goods pass through, until they are transferred." It is the home of the ship. The port is called the handling of the transfer of goods or passengers, from one means of transport to another, and from the ship to one of the land patterns or vice versa. The port is also known as a link in the integrated transport links in which goods are gathered for the purpose of exporting abroad, or transporting to the interior. Ports are also known as one of the most important links that support maritime, land and river communication, and due to the increasing sizes of ships, container ports must keep pace with the increasing use of fleets of giant ships. , and diverting ships from the main route to secondary

Port components: Seaports usually consist of three main elements, which are as followsA- Water area: It is an area protected from natural phenomena and waves. This area is the starting or ending point for the journey of goods or commodities transported by sea

B. Land area: It is directly connected to all parts of the country's interior through a network of various internal transport and is the starting or ending point for the journey of goods by internal transport methods

C- Sea front: It consists of a group of docks and quays with a group of cranes and auxiliary devices, and together they are the meeting point between sea and land transport means and internal transport means.

The second topic: Sustainable development (concept. goals. Dimensions ) .

First requirement: The concept of sustainable development

When we look at sustainable development as a concept, we must know the concept of development in general and what is development. Development (Development). In the Arabic language, it comes from the verb “nama” and refers to increase and elevation. Development is the advancement of society and moving it from a fixed state to a better state. It is a process of forward development and continuous, comprehensive or partial improvement. Development is also an economic, social, political, cultural and administrative process, and not just economic achievements. It is something important and necessary for every human society.

The concept of development has become a large space among economic studies, especially after the end of World War II, as the term development became widely used in 1952 and became the prevailing trend in the second half of the twentieth century. As for development measures and indicators, they are many, although the goal is one. Among those indicators are (income, population, health, education, industry, agriculture, electricity, and water). Each indicator has its own measure. For example, infant mortality can be used as a measure of health, and the number of schools can be counted as a measure of education, and so on . In the report of the World Commission on Environment and Development entitled (Our Common Future) in 1987, it was intended to be development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the capabilities of future generations and meeting their needs, which is The definition adopted by the United Nations Environment and Sustainable Development Commission

Credit goes to the researchers (Mahboob ul Haq and Amrta Yas) who were the first to formulate the concept of sustainable development. For them, it is human development, as it is the maker, goal and purpose of development, as it deals with human, ecological, social and technological aspects. Sustainable development is the main concept of the Earth Summit held in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, which issued the twenty-first century document, according to which it defined the standards for achieving sustainable development in order to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Second requirement: Sustainable development goals :

The sustainable development goals are a plan to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. These goals address global challenges, including challenges related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, peace and justice. In addition to the interconnectedness of the goals. To ensure that no one is left behind, it is important to achieve each of the goals by 2030. The Sustainable Development Goals, officially known as Transforming Our World, are a set of 17 goals set by the United Nations. These goals were stated in a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on September 25, 2015. On January 1, 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals were included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Sustainable Development Goals

1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere.

2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning.

5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive industrialization and foster innovation.

10. Reduce inequality within and among countries.

11. Make cities and human settlements sustainable, inclusive, safe and resilient.

12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

13. Take urgent action to address climate change and its impacts.

14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources to achieve sustainable development requirements.

15. Protect and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, manage forests sustainably, combat desertification and halt land degradation.

16. Promote peaceful societies in which no one is marginalized for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective and accountable institutions.

17. Strengthening the means of implementation and activating the global partnership to achieve sustainable development.

The third requirement.. Dimensions of sustainable development

There are three dimensions of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental), in addition to the fourth dimension , which is the technological dimension. The following is a summary of the most important dimensions that came in sustainable development.

First: The economic dimension :

1. The individual consumption share of natural resources. In this regard, the individual in advanced industrial countries consumes several times more oil, gas and coal than the individual in developing countries.

2. Stop wasting resources: This is done by making continuous reductions in the levels of wasteful consumption of energy and natural resources, by improving the level of efficiency and making a radical change in the lifestyle.

3.Reducing inequality in income distribution: This is because the distribution of income and wealth in society has a fundamental impact on economic growth in itself, and therefore the growing inequality in income and in opportunities for access to health care must be reduced.

4. Equality in the distribution of resources: If it becomes The burden of poverty and improving living standards is the responsibility of both poor and rich countries. This responsibility is to make access to resources, products and services among all individuals more equal, as unequal access to education, social services and other natural resources represents a barrier to development.

5. Reducing military spending and transferring funds from spending on military purposes to spending on development purposes and needs.

Second: Thesocial dimension: This dimension includes the social requirements for achieving sustainable development:

1.The democratic style of governance: One of the most important requirements for achieving sustainable development is the provision of good governance for a society, which is chosen in a democratic manner, with participation in governance by all individuals in society. Therefore, adopting the democratic style of governance constitutes the basic foundation for development.

2.The importance of population distribution: It means promoting individual development to help slow down the movement of migration from the countryside to large cities due to its dire environmental consequences, as well as taking special political measures by adopting technologies that lead to reducing the environmental effects of urbanization, as well as working to distribute the population between urban and rural areas in a planned manner in order not to affect the green environment represented by agricultural lands and to reduce the severity of pollution in large cities.

3.Education and health: The goal of sustainable human development is to provide basic needs for health services and integrated educational programs and to acquire and develop knowledge for individuals in order to contribute to sustainable development.

Third: The environmental dimension : The environmental dimension includes the following :

1- Soil destruction : Using pesticides to destroy the vegetation cover because soil erosion and loss of its productivity lead to a reduction in its yield and it is annually produced. Large areas of agricultural land are out of the production circle, Excessive use of pesticides also leads to pollution of surface water and groundwater. Excessive use of pesticides is a cause. Main In food and crop contamination as well as excessive use of chemical pesticides leads to adverse results and economic losses . 2- Protection of natural resources : This means using agricultural land and water supplies efficiently and adopting improved agricultural practices and technology that increase yields. This requires avoiding the excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides so as not to lead to the deterioration of rivers and lakes and the use of irrigation. Ideally, avoid salinization of crop lands and waterlogging . 3- Protecting the climate from global warming : Global warming is one of the most important aspects related to environmental corruption due to the changes that accompany it, represented by increased drought and the destruction of agricultural lands and crops, as well as the spread of epidemics among animals, plants and humans, and the occurrence of waves of storms and floods. The main goal of sustainable development is to work on creating a green environment free of pollution and protecting the environment from all negative effects of all waste .

Fourth: The technological dimension :

Use of clean technology: Sustainable development here means the shift to cleaner and more efficient technology that reduces the consumption of energy and other natural resources to a minimum. This goal should be represented in technological processes or systems that cause less waste or pollutants, recycle this waste internally, work with and support natural systems and systems, and enact laws to impose penalties in this area and implement them. Developing countries usually use less efficient and more polluting technology than technology available in industrialized countries. Technological cooperation and the use of cleaner and more efficient technology can suit local needs, bridge the gap between developed and developing countries without further deterioration of environmental quality and increase economic production.

The third topic

The Grand Faw Port and its implications for sustainable development in Iraq

first requirement (The efficiency and competitiveness of the Grand Faw Port)

The Arabian Gulf region is one of the best strategic locations in the world. This importance stems from the fact that it is the most important energy source in the world due to the presence of oil and gas energy fields, as 18 million barrels of crude oil are transported daily through the Strait of Hormuz .

Where there are consumer and importing areas for goods and merchandise, not to mention the proximity of the Gulf to the global shipping lines between the East and the West and its proximity to the Suez Canal, which is the shortest maritime navigational passage between the East and the West, and due to the fluctuation in oil prices, the countries of the region overlooking the Arabian Gulf have become

It is actively seeking sources to diversify its revenues outside the framework of oil commodities, in line with its goals and plans. For sustainable development for the year 2030, the aim of which is to reduce the dependence of their budgets on rentier sources. In 2013, the features of a new type of conflict began to appear between the countries overlooking the Arabian Gulf and the Arabian Sea, which is the conflict for dominance over commercial maritime navigation, especially after the emergence of new competitors in the region, and after China announced its strategic project (the Belt and Road) and its alliance with Pakistan through the major investment project in the Gwadar Port overlooking the Arabian Sea. Each country sought to reserve a foothold in the most important maritime passage in the world, and win a share of this giant market, and strengthen its economic position, and as is known, whoever controls the major ports will control international trade. This is what made the countries enter into dialogue and international alliances that guarantee their presence within the competition, and on this basis international alliances were formed represented by the first axis China - Pakistan - Qatar, The second axis is India, Iran and the Emirates

The current Iraqi ports face strong competition from the ports of the regional region, the Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Iranian ports, and Saudi ports. In addition to Syrian ports and Jordanian ports. These ports have achieved great development and progress. During the past two decades, at the same time, the efficiency and performance of Iraqi ports have declined in comparison. With the developments The situation with the ports of the region is due to many reasons, including the Iran-Iraq war in the eighties of the last century, when maritime traffic stopped completely, the period of economic sanctions in the nineties, and then the Gulf War, in which most of the infrastructure, ports and all naval vessels were destroyed, and then the events that followed.2003

It is clear that the progress witnessed by the ports of that region was at the expense of the deterioration and decline of the conditions of the Iraqi ports. The ports of the rest of the countries witnessed stability, unlike the Iraqi ports. We find that the Jebel Ali Port in the United Arab Emirates, for example, is the largest port in the Middle East and the best port in the region, and ranks tenth in the world Where we do not see any Iraqi ports with any global classifications, despite the fact that there are several developments in Iraqi ports. They are considered to be of the first and second generation, as the development of Iraqi ports and their transformation from secondary ports to major or pivotal ports capable of receiving giant ships and vessels and connecting to global maritime shipping lines can enhance Iraq's geographical position as a link between the East and the West, with the increasing need to redevelop the infrastructure of the railway network towards serving this goal.

As for the Grand Faw Port, according to the designs agreed upon with the Italian group of companies ( TECHNITTAL ), it qualifies it to be a pivotal port par excellence that meets the specifications of the main pivotal ports, as it will be among the largest ports in the world , and the largest in the region in terms of area, number of docks, and depths that allow the largest drafts for giant ships to enter. Other Iraqi ports can be used as tributary ports to and from the Grand Faw Port to relieve the momentum in container traffic, assuming that they are ports parallel to the Grand Faw Port, specifically the Umm Qasr Port and the Khor Al-Zubair Port, given the available capabilities and making them ports used for internal transport. According to the data, the Faw Port will be one of the biggest competitors to the region's ports, qualifying it to be the first port in the region and the largest port in the Middle East. The effects of establishing a pivotal port are very strong given the movement it will create . Major increase in the flow of goods, frequency of various ships and lower shipping costs. It will also create a large movement of production, storage and distribution and increase demand for many expertise, specializations and various activities that will create added value. The multiplier effect will double the economic activity and investments in the area surrounding the hub port and in an accelerated manner .

second requirement Challenges facing the Grand Faw Port

Although the Grand Faw Port project is the largest strategic project in Iraq and huge amounts of money will be spent on its completion and it represents the only outlet directly overlooking the Arabian Gulf, and the great importance is expected of it, it faces many challenges that may limit or reduce the capabilities of this project and weaken its regional role, and may make it a local port like the rest of the existing Iraqi ports. We will show the most prominent of these challenges, which we can classify as internal challenges and others as external, as follows:

First...(internal challenges)

The internal challenges are represented by a set of points that will be an obstacle to the establishment of the Grand Faw and as The following:

1.Lack offunding. As the financing of the Grand Faw Port is part of the investment plans of the Ministry of Transport, the lack of financial allocations of the Ministry of Transport will negatively affect the process of financing the Grand Faw Port, which is necessary to finance the project to complete the implementation stages of the port. We note that the investment allocations for the transport sector amounted to 92.8 billion dollars for the year 2016. And since the general budget depends on oil revenues by a percentage

It reaches 90% as the decline in oil prices will lead to a decline in the rate of revenues, which will negatively affect and reflect on the lack of financial investment specializations as a whole, which affects the implementation stages of the Grand Faw Port.

2.The processof paying dues. The Iraqi General Company for Ports pays dues to the Korean company Daewoo according to the stages of completion, while if this does not happen, for example, when 10 % of the completion rate is completed, the Korean company gets 3%. From its dues instead of 10% of its dues If the completion rate reaches 20%, it will receive 10% of its dues. In this case, the dues will accumulate on the Iraqi ports, and thus the Korean company will need these dues to complete the project, and thus it will be exposed to financial problems.

3.Poormanagement. Iraqi ports are exposed to many administrative problems, one of which is the presence of one person with whom the management of the Grand Faw Port deals. For example, when faced with legal and administrative problems or a financial problem related to accounts, in this case, negotiations are held with the director of the Grand Faw Port.

4. Entry visasfor foreign workers. The Korean company is exposed to the visa problem, which is a major problem due to the procedures of the Ministry of Interior and the Passport Office. They do not differentiate between foreign workers in investment companies and workers in hotels and restaurants. When companies request foreign workers, they need a long time to obtain a visa, as it takes six months to a year, and to renew it also takes six months, as this problem is one of the problems that hinders the work of the Korean company.

5.The demonstrations that take place from time to time hinder the company’s work, as the people of the Al-Faw area hold demonstrations to obtain job opportunities. These demonstrations lead to the obstruction of work for several days, which causes losses to the company, as the loss per day reaches 700 thousand dollars. These costs are borne by the company in addition to the costs of entry of individuals from the area, as well as the costs of training them before they start the work.

6.Taxes andfees. It was stated in the Cabinet Resolution No. 356 in its thirty-seventh regular session in 2013, which stipulated exempting investment companies implementing the Grand Faw Port from taxes and fees, as it is a development project, while Iraqi ports deduct fees and taxes from companies operating in the port, including the Korean company Daewoo, which paid huge sums to Iraqi ports in exchange for fees and taxes, noting that it demanded the Iraqi government to recover that money.

7.The Grand Faw Port needs a complete infrastructure of water, electricity, railways, roads, and other needs.

8.The lack of an efficient means of transportation commensurate with the size of the port.

9.The lack ofthe necessary security and legal structure for its success. The Korean company was exposed to many thefts of trucks carrying raw materials from Umm Qasr Port to Faw Grand Port, as well as kidnappings of its employees.

Second : (External challenges ) .

The external challenges are represented by two important aspects. The first is the establishment of the Grand Mubar Port in Kuwait and its negative effects on Iraqi territorial waters. The other aspect is the problem of Iraq’s rail links with Kuwait and Iran. We will explain the effect of each of them according to the following:

A.. Mubarak Al- Kabeer Port and its impact on Iraqi ports :

The Mubarak Al-Kuwaiti Port Project is one of the most important and largest projects in the Kuwaiti development plan to form the axis of a regional system in the region that supports Kuwait’s development plans, and serves as the infrastructure for the development of Bubiyan Island, located in the far north-west of the Arabian Gulf, which is the second largest island in the Gulf after the Iranian Qeshm Island, and will make Kuwait a commercial and financial center on the regional and global levels (Awda, 234: 2021)

Which will be close to the Iraqi coasts, as Kuwait has a coastline extending to 500 km on the Arabian Gulf and has several oil and commercial ports that are among the best ports in the Arabian Gulf, represented by the ports of Doha, Shuaiba, Kuwait, and Ahmadi, and other secondary ports and anchorages spread along the Kuwaiti coast, and the capacities of these ports exceed Kuwait’s current and future needs

The most important external challenges to the establishment of the Grand Port of Fu is the establishment of the Kuwaiti Mubarak Port, which Kuwait announced in early 2005 east of Bubiyan Island. The Kuwaiti Mubarak Port is being built in Khor Abdullah and began operating in September 2007 after the project was awarded to the Kuwaiti Al-Kharafi Company and the Korean Hyundai Company. It is planned to be one of the largest ports in the Arabian Gulf, containing 60 berths in 2023, and will be completed in four phases*. The project includes a plan to make the deepest waterway in the Arabian Gulf reach 20 m, while most of the existing waterways do not exceed 16 m in depth. The aim of increasing the depth is to receive the largest international ships, thus paving the way for the railway link project between Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey, which will eventually reach the Turkish ports on the Mediterranean Sea .

It seems that Kuwait chose the location of the Mbar Port to be in the most critical maritime areas in the world, relying on the unjust resolution imposed by the UN Security Council (833) issued on March 27, 1993, which demarcated the borders between Iraq and Kuwait, which Iraq did not agree to except after international pressure, and placed Iraq under the jurisdiction of Chapter Seven of the United Nations Charter. Kuwait began building the Mbar Port a year after laying the foundation stone for the Grand Faw Port, which indicates the existence of a premeditated intention and coordination with foreign countries to influence Iraq’s role in determining its strategic role, as the port’s location will be opposite the Iraqi coast, which will choke the passage leading to the Iraqi ports and completely eliminate their role in the future, as it will prevent international ships from reaching Iraqi ports (

In fact, Iraq did not object to the establishment of the Grand Mbar Port, as each country has its aspirations in establishing strategic projects, in a way that serves its economic interests and its efforts to diversify its sources of revenue and reduce dependence on oil revenues in line with Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and in order to get out of the ranks of rentier states, but the objection to the location of the port and its violation of all provisions of maritime agreements. The fact that the port is squeezed into the narrow Khor Abdullah Canal, which represents the furthest point on the Kuwaiti coast from these navigation lines, cannot be explained in terms of economic feasibility, but the fact that Khor Abdullah Canal represents the only waterway leading to the Grand Faw Port, in addition to choking the navigational passage of the ports of Umm Qasr and Khor Al-Zubair, will give a likely explanation for choosing this location to establish Mubarak Port. It is noted that establishing the port will prevent the smooth flow of ships from reaching Iraqi ports and will paralyze them due to the lack of an alternative sea outlet for Iraq. The economic feasibility of establishing Mubarak Port is almost non-existent, as it was placed in a place outside the borders of international maritime and land navigation, and Kuwaiti ports do not operate at their maximum capacity, but rather at rates not exceeding 60%, and the current port capacities can accommodate any new developments for 20 years, knowing that Kuwaiti ports began to deteriorate economically since 2008, as operational capacities decreased from 83% in 2007 to 76% in 2008 and 68% in 2008. In 2009, about 50% of the goods were for Iraq, most of which were for the American forces. In contrast, trade activity in Iraqi ports recovered during the same period, with revenues reaching 115 billion dinars in 2007 and 186 billion dinars in 2010. Despite Kuwait spending huge sums on establishing Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port, it suffers from problems that may limit its role or make it useless, as it needs a rail link with the Iraqi Dry Canal, through which goods are transported to various parts of the world via Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Without a rail link with Iraq, Mubarak Al-Kabeer Port becomes useless, i.e. a local port only for Kuwait’s trade, which is satisfied with its current ports, and ships will be forced to head to Iraqi ports (Al-Maliki, 23.2020). The negative effects of establishing Mubarak Port on Iraq can be summarized as follows:

1. The Iraqi ports located north of Khor Abdullah will gradually be paralyzed after the project is implemented, and then the Iraqi ports will lose their usual dealings with international shipping lines, which will cause the loss of thousands of workers. Iraqi working in Iraqi ports.

2. The extensions resulting from the docks of this port, according to the project stages, will certainly cause damage to the area of the Iraqi continental shelf, which has not been agreed upon or defined yet.

3. The possibility of the Kuwaiti government imposing fees in the future on the passage of Iraqi ships or ships heading to Iraqi ports.

4. Aborting the Grand Faw Port project, by closing or limiting the only navigational passage to the port and to the port of Umm Qasr and the port of Zubair. This will increase the silt deposits in the navigational channels and cause a decrease in

The depths of the passages, and reduces the area of the Iraqi coast.

5. Economically harming Iraq and making its foreign trade in the Arabian Gulf region pass through Kuwait.

6. Establishing the port in this suffocating part leads to the closure of Iraq’s only sea outlet and obstructs the movement of navigation in Iraqi ports. Although Kuwait is establishing its project on its lands, it has violated the 1982 United Nations Convention on the High Seas, which considered Iraq one of the geographically affected countries .

7. Kuwait does not need, from an economic standpoint, to transform Bubiyan Island into a port, given that it has large commercial ports and a coastline of 500 km, but it decided to establish the port in an area one kilometer away from Al-Faw. Therefore, the goal of establishing the Mubar Port is to thwart the Al-Faw Port project and deprive Iraq of any view of the seas and oceans 8. This project is in violation of UN Security Council Resolution No. 833 of 1993 because it will restrict navigation in the Khor Abdullah Canal.

9. By establishing this port, Kuwait will withdraw maritime traffic from Iraqi ports and make it a transit corridor for goods coming from Kuwaiti ports.

B. Railway connection with neighboring countries

One of the biggest challenges facing the establishment of the Grand Faw Port is the rail link with neighboring countries, specifically Kuwait and Iran. Most of the countries neighboring Iraq seek to extend land transport networks, specifically railways, to connect with Iraq, realizing the importance of its distinguished location and trying to benefit from its strategic location. For example, Kuwait is trying to revive the railway project that links Kuwait City, Umm Qasr and Baghdad. The agreement was signed in this regard in 1978 as part of an integrated regional project that links a number of countries in the region with Iraq to the European railway network in the future (Baghdad-Berlin). The project is linked to the most important Kuwaiti projects, which are the development and expansion of Kuwaiti ports and the establishment of the Grand Mubar Port (Mons, 69.2014) in the hope that it will be linked by rail with Iraq so that this port will be a source of transit trade to Iraq at the expense of Iraqi ports. For its part, Iran is trying to connect by extending a railway from the city of Shalamcheh to Basra and from there to the port of Latakia in Syria, according to agreements concluded with previous governments. The railway connection with Kuwait and Iran was postponed until the feasibility studies for these types of connections were prepared and until the railway infrastructure in Iraq was studied. This observation was confirmed to the attention of the ISCO and the League of Arab States, as the connection with Kuwait and Iran will negatively affect the performance of Iraqi ports and will benefit the ports of neighboring countries at the expense of Iraqi ports .

The confinement and monopoly of the dry canal to Iraqi ports will strengthen Iraq's economic and political position, and will force neighboring countries to use the Grand Faw Port as a link between them and the dry canal in Iraq, which will enhance the regional importance of the port and increase maritime navigation lines, whether regional or international. The appropriate response to Kuwait and Iran is to accelerate the construction of the Grand Faw Port, which will bring great economic benefits to Iraq due to the large financial returns, in addition to diversifying the sources of income for the Iraqi economy and supporting the economic development process. Also, the positive returns are not limited to Iraq alone, but will include regional and European countries through rail links with Europe. It is worth noting that Iraq does not reject rail links with neighboring countries if they are designated for transporting passengers.

The fourth topic

( Establishment of the Grand Faw Port and prospects for sustainable development Future vision )

The first requirement : (The Grand Faw Port and its role in enhancing economic development )

The project to establish and develop the Grand Faw Port plays a fundamental role in developing the transportation infrastructure in Iraq, in addition to the Al-Dhaher area and the strategic projects attached to the port and their economic impacts. A major role in the field of economic developments, in addition to activating the role of the dry canal and the importance of developing economic development corridors that pass from southern Iraq to the west and far north. The transportation sector, in its various fields, plays an important role in the process of sustainable economic and social development, as it is the cornerstone in the development of various economic sectors. It is the basis for most of its strategies and represents the material way to achieve the specific goals of those pivotal sectors such as health, education, agriculture, industry, and the infrastructure necessary for the movement of external, local and international goods and to enhance the resulting economic return. In the first place, improving and increasing the transportation network is one of the basic elements to ensure satisfaction with the strategies of other sectors to develop any region (Ministry of Planning, the structural plan for Basra Governorate, 94.2014) Providing thousands of decent job opportunities, which contributes to reducing the severity of unemployment, especially in the southern regions, where unemployment rates rose to 14% in 2018, compared to the central governorates, where the unemployment rate reached 9.7% in the same year . The Grand Faw Port has great economic importance, as it will leave a significant impact on the Iraqi economy if implemented. This can be explained through the following economic indicators: (We will point out two economic indicators in this section):

1. Economic growth :

The study of the impact of the Grand Faw Port on the Iraqi economy can be shown through the economic growth that will be achieved after the port’s operation phase, and the economic growth rate can be defined as the change in the gross domestic product, and this rate can be known and to contribute to the transportation sector...

2 . Foreign trade :

The importance of foreign trade comes from considering it a fundamental indicator of the capacity of productivity and competitiveness in the international market, due to the connection of this indicator with the available production capacity and the ability of countries to export and import, as well as income levels, and the reflection of this on the country’s balance of foreign commissions. And its impact on the trade balance, and consequently this will affect the Greater Faw Port and the potential of the transportation sector .

The second requirement : (Economic and social dimensions of the Grand Faw Port)

A giant project the size of the Grand Faw Port, especially with Iraq turning into a dry channel with constant movement of goods, investors and investment companies back and forth fromFrom south to north, and vice versa, it has a great impact on the economic and social returns. These benefits include the following:

Economic dimensions :

1. Achieving foreign currency revenues that lead to improving the balance of payments.

2. It helps support economic, political and security independence.

3. Reducing the costs of imported goods, commodities and raw materials.

4. Increasing the competitiveness of Iraq’s exports.

5. Developing and growing the areas surrounding the port (industrial, agricultural, commercial and recreational.

6. It is one of the most important sources of foreign currency needed to finance economic development programs .

7.It is an outlet for international foreign trade (exports and imports(.

8.Supports the state’s economy by collecting customs duties, wages and port revenues.

9.Encouraging the establishment of some industries and new trade.

10. Ports are considered social capital projects.

11. Employing and training national workers and absorbing the large numbers of unemployed people facing Iraq today.

12. It contributes to supporting light, manufacturing and food industries, developing the oil and gas industry and providing opportunities. Distinctive for the Iraqi private sector, to establish local, national and assembly industries in the free zones.

13. Developing the free trade zone in the city of Al-Faw .

Social dimensions

The establishment of the Grand Faw Port represents an economic and social opportunity commercial and service areas attached to it provide, as it will create an important economic zone after it was one of the regions Neglected and prepared to receive local and foreign investment companies in view of the huge projects planned within the Grand Faw Port Project, due to what the port project and the industrial

Conclusions

1. The Grand Faw Port Project is an economic locomotive that pulls behind it many development sector projects. Hence, a forward and backward interconnected relationship is created between it and other sectors that will transform the Iraqi economy from a rentier economy limited in its structure and diversity to a sustainable economy with diverse resources .

2. The social impacts of establishing the Grand Faw Port and activating the dry canal could change the reality of the Iraqi situation through transit road corridors that will pass from southern Iraq to northern and western Iraq, which are provinces characterized by their ethnic and sectarian diversity, which constitutes an opportunity for peaceful coexistence and encourages the return of security and stability to all Iraqi cities.

3. A giant project the size of the Grand Faw Port coincides with the transformation of Iraq into the most important dry channel with constant movement of goods, investors and investment companies back and forth from the south to the north and vice versa. It has a great impact on sustainable development through economic , social, societal, cultural and even political returns and may help in achieving economic and security stability for Iraq and the region that has witnessed many tensions in the past decades.

4. The importance of industrial zones and the free zone attached to the port and their role in enhancing economic development , and the competitive advantage of the Grand Faw Port.

5. The world's awareness of the pivotal role of the Grand Faw Port and its impact on changing maritime navigation routes makes it an incentive to contribute to the stability of the security situation in the region in general and Iraq in particular, as countries are keen on their trade corridors in Iraq.

6. One of the results of establishing the Grand Faw Port is reducing dependence on regional countries’ ports in Iraqi trade, which is a step towards economic independence, which gives a clear reason for delaying the completion of the Grand Faw Port for more than a decade due to the regional countries’ awareness of the role of the Faw Port in drawing global shipping lines to it.

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