Call Grows for Independent Organization Among Leftists and Unions

A new argument for independent mass organizations is gaining traction amid the fragmentation of unions, women’s groups and student structures across the Middle East and the Global South, with Iraq presented as one of the clearest examples. The text says authoritarian conditions have long pushed the left toward centralized and tightly controlled organizational models, but that this approach has lost effectiveness in the digital age. Younger generations now expect horizontal organization, transparency and direct participation, the article argues, making party-affiliated unions and mass organizations less relevant. It says this shift has weakened older structures that once relied on strict hierarchy and political discipline. The text also points to the post-2003 period in Iraq, when many left-wing formations created their own unions and associations. That proliferation, it says, produced a crowded field of organizations and confusion over authority and representation. Independent, broad-based unions are described as more effective instruments for social change, but Iraq’s oil-based economy and dependence on the state are said to make organization difficult. As a way forward, the article proposes building independent mass organizations while also developing political coordination and joint action among leftist forces.