Relationship dossier
Iraq
Philippines
Relationship assessment
Practical labor engagement alongside a rupture over the Philippines’ 2004 troop withdrawal from Iraq
Iraq toward Philippines
+10Iraqi-Philippine labor cooperation has included an agreement concerning labor matters and Filipino workers. The scope and implementation of that cooperation are unclear.
Philippines toward Iraq
-10The Philippine government withdrew its contingent from Iraq in 2004 after militants threatened Filipino hostage Angelo de la Cruz with execution. This was a consequential policy decision during the Iraq conflict, rather than a dispute caused by the Iraqi government.
Overall relationship
0The relationship combines practical labor engagement with a significant security-era episode: the Philippines ended its military deployment in Iraq in 2004 under pressure related to a Filipino hostage held by militants. The hostage crisis did not represent Iraqi government conduct, and the breadth of later bilateral cooperation is unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Iraq–Philippines relations have included practical engagement on Filipino workers, including bilateral labor cooperation, alongside a major security-era rupture. The Philippines withdrew its small contingent from Iraq in 2004 after Filipino hostage Angelo de la Cruz was threatened with execution. The hostage-taking was attributed to militants, not the Iraqi government.
Key developments
The Philippines withdrew its contingent from Iraq after militants threatened to execute Filipino hostage Angelo de la Cruz.
Iraq and the Philippines concluded an agreement concerning labor cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of Iraq–Philippines labor cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of subsequent government cooperation on Filipino workers and their safety is unclear.