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November 2, 2006
WB: Who Says We Haven’t Brought “Democracy” to Iraq?
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too few Iraqi lawmakers had showed up.
perhaps they are preoccupied w/more pressing commitments
Something called the Central Council for Iraqi and Arab Tribes, headed by Ali al-Faris al-Dulaimi, and a related group called the Republican Gathering, described their current activities as the start of a nation-wide mobilization for national unity, and reported on the first two general meetings, the first for tribes in the area around Baghdad, and the second in Karbala, with participation of a lot of tribes in the Middle Euphrates district, stressing that in both cases the consensus was opposition to any form of federalism. The statement said those promoting federalism as a cover for their narrow interests will earn nothing but disappointment and loss, because the tribes of Iraq have prepared themselves for the sacrifices that will be necessary in the struggle for the preservation of the unity of Iraq, its honor, and its sovereignty.
Posted by: annie | Nov 2 2006 18:47 utc | 1
Where once a single dictatorship stood, we will see one democratic state (Kurdistan) and two theocracies (Shiistan and Sunnistan). I guess we can call it progress, declare the war won and move on…
Posted by: ralphieboy | Nov 2 2006 18:51 utc | 2
In the absence of a unifying national strongman, political power in Iraq defaults to the various heads of patriarchal tribes, with their allied mullahs and militias. Cooperation between these armed tribal entities is adjustable according to how each sees their position relative to the other tribes either improving or declining by such cooperation.
No one cooperates for long in anything demeaning to their own tribe’s fortunes. It is a contest for subtle and clever men. Palace intrigue has nothing on tribal jousting, baby.
Patriarchal tribal councils will base their alliances, strategies and tactics on power and money — in Iraq at this time, that means on controlling territory and on future access to oil. Signing some long term petro extraction contracts with capable foreign oil companies is the Holy Grail. American, Chinese, or Russian firms is all the same — whoever can actually deliver on the deal.
If Sunni and Shia tribal elders are now gathering, kissing one another on both cheeks, and swearing eternal loyalty and friendship, it means they all see their tribe’s best prospects are to keep Iraq’s wealth in one basket, and divvy it up amongst themselves as they will, later.
The triple kisses will dry in mere minutes; the kind words will persist until a knife enters someone’s ribs; the national unity will last while everyone sees better prospects in that route than tribal wars.
The moment one tribe is shut out of future fortunes, the whole alliance comes apart. The root of the problem is that the bulk of Iraq’s oil is located where the Shia live, and where the Kurds live. So it is the Sunni tribal elders who are kissing cheeks especially assiduously, so that they have future access to the national wealth.
The Americans are hellbent on being the ones to sign contracts with a legitamate Iraqi government. If federalism proceeds, or partition, then all the advantages of occupying the region, and installing a compliant government, and supplying the pens and contracts and tables and red carpets and bribes and Swiss bank accounts —
is lost in an instant to Bush and Friends.
That’s why, no matter what he does to offend this Administration, Maliki is doing a heckuva job.
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Posted by: Antifa | Nov 2 2006 19:43 utc | 3
antifa:
The Americans are hellbent on being the ones to sign contracts with a legitamate Iraqi government.
annie:
too few Iraqi lawmakers had showed up.
One + One = No Joy For the Bad Guys
I truly hope the spectacle of an “Iraqi” government cutting Iraqi oil out from under the Iraqi people can be avoided.
Nasruh Al-Maliki ought to stand up and order the Americans out of Iraq in six months, a la General Odum. Good for him, not bad at least; good for the Iraqi people; good for us Americans.
A win-win outcome if ever there was one.
Posted by: John Francis Lee | Nov 3 2006 3:21 utc | 4