Even before the latest potentially game-changing developments began involving its longtime financial, political, and military ally Iran, it was clear that Iraq needed to focus more on the independent development of its own resources -- most notably in energy -- for its future. In the weeks leading up to the Western-backed Israeli attacks on Iran, the U.S. removed the longstanding waivers that allowed Iraq to keep importing electricity and gas from its neighbour to power 40% of its grid and rolled out new sanctions aimed at cutting Baghdad’s…