Media Spin on Maliki Win
The recent political development in Iraq is interesting, but the reality is not what's reported.
The U.S. told al-Maliki to convene a 'crisis summit' and to produce a new united government that would include enough votes to hand over Iraq's oil. As Gulf News wrote:
The changes will be in "the structure, nature and direction of the Iraqi state," a senior American official in Baghdad was quoted by AP as saying.
He did not give out details, but the plan is expected to be high on the agenda of a 'crisis summit' which would be attended by key Iraqi leaders who seek to save the crumbling national unity government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki.
The 'crisis summit' went by and the Associated Press put some good news on the wires:
The new Shiite-Kurdish coalition will retain a majority in parliament — 181 of the 275 seats — and apparently have a clear path to pass legislation demanded by the Bush administration, including a law on sharing Iraq's oil wealth among Iraqi groups and returning some Saddam Hussein-era officials purged under earlier White House policies.
181 out of 275 is quite a comfortable majority one would think. But the AP's numbers are simply wrong.
As Juan Cole remarks:
One problem with the new coalition, according to Al-Hayat writing in Arabic is that it probably has no more than 110 seats in parliament, 20 less than a simple majority, and so does not protect al-Maliki from losing a vote of no confidence should one be called. While that difficulty would be resolved if they could attract the Iraqi Accord Front to join them, this development seems unlikely at the moment.
The new coalition Maliki put together excludes all Sunni parties, the Shia Fadillah party and the Sadr movement as well as Allawi's National List. All of these do not agree with some major points on al-Maliki's agenda and have other demands.
Indeed insteed of finding some new 'unity' the 'crisis summit' manifested deep splits and keeps the government and the parliament inoperable. Writes Abu Aardvark:
This is a devastating outcome for the Maliki government and for those Americans who hoped to have some political progress to show in the upcoming Crocker/Petraeus report. There's no other way to spin this: this summit was billed as the last chance, and it has failed.
...
There's still some minor chance that Maliki can pull this back from the brink, but it looks deeply unpromising. The Kurdish-Shia four party alliance has taken to calling itself "the majority" - perhaps learning from the smashing success of Siniora's government in Lebanon? - which does not bode well for their willingness to attend to the demands or concerns of "the minority."
But I suspect that's exactly the plan. Just like in Lebanon and in Palestine, where Abbas abolished the elected government, the new Maliki coalition, "the majority" that is none, may become the officially U.S. accepted "legitimate democratic government".
It's will not be easy to spin it that way, but the record tells that the U.S. media, fed by misleading AP stories, will likely fall for the sham.
Posted by b on August 17, 2007 at 17:09 UTC | Permalink
Bossing Maliki at the point of a gun to get the hydrocarbon law signed (by somebody, anybody) points to the supply-demand problem of world oil. I think it's pretty clear that the US invaded and occupied Iraq to get the oil. While "peak oil" is sort of true, the big problem is expensive hard-to-produce oil. Most of the big fields are in decline, except Iraq. The next round of exploration and practical exploitation needs high-tech, big ticket capital.
Just a note in the margin. I don't see anyone producing Iraq's oil anytime soon, maybe not for decades, after the Americans are long gone.
W.
Posted by: Wolf DeVoon | Aug 17 2007 18:47 utc | 2
@Uncle: Good god man, where do you come up with this stuff? And how exactly do you sleep at night???
Sheesh, that one (#2) really really was a brutal read.
Posted by: Bea | Aug 17 2007 19:27 utc | 3
@Uncle - I silently deleted your loooong 1:1 copy post in former comment #2.
It was someone urging for Bush to become president for life.
But Bea in parallel already refered to your comment, so I want to justify my deletion (usually reserved for spam and currently baned slothrop. Certainly a first to a comment of yours.)
The guy who wrote that stuff is obviously nuts. Even the rightwing side he posted that piece at deleted it pretty soon. The whole story is at least a week old. So why bother? If at all, throw in a link with a short explanation in the OT thread. Sorry for my temper these days. But please no 1:1 copies of long tractates from other sides. The idea of the web is to link.
Any remarks on Associated Press and how it manipulates the U.S. public view on the Iraqi government?
I am really greatful for comments on that here.
Thanks.
Sounds like a good option to me: conquer Gaul, destroy Israel, fall into decline, be conquered by Barbarians. If we put our minds to it, we could accomplish the task in one term of office, not a whole four-and-a-half centuries...
Posted by: ralphieboy | Aug 17 2007 19:50 utc | 5
The Kurdish-Shia four party alliance has taken to calling itself "the majority" - perhaps learning from the smashing success of Siniora's government in Lebanon?
Bolshevism, literally bolshevism, I say!
Posted by: SKapusniak | Aug 17 2007 21:37 utc | 6
The Level of discourse in this post has been so bad that I have deleted all comments in disgust. pl
I am not impressed.
Posted by: Cloned Poster | Aug 17 2007 23:28 utc | 7
Any remarks on Associated Press and how it manipulates the U.S. public view on the Iraqi government?
this is from france, but i feel the silent hand of the neonuts
Attack that killed over 400 might 'unite Iraqis,' general says
According to Odierno, such an attack in 2006 "might have triggered a spiral of revenge killings, but, today, such horrific events actually unite Iraqis of different ethnicities and confessions in their outrage.""Yes, we continue to face setbacks here in Iraq," Odierno acknowledged, "but overall we continue to make steady progress."
rightooo
Posted by: a | Aug 17 2007 23:54 utc | 8
I think the point is not, "Will Bush stay in office?" but "look at what his supporters are saying and are openly calling for."
Not just his supporters, but people who have been in the Gov at the highest levels, and are still working the levers by setting up phony fronts and policy "Think Tanks."
Associated Press is the least of our worries, it's whose behind them. I do not post shit just to be posting, I post to inform, enlighten and get the mentality out in the open so as to understand how to engage it. I do not appreciate my comments being deleted, however, It certainly is your bar, I have many whom enjoy my posts, I can find my way there as easy as you and pat l. can delete posts you do not like.
@bea, brutal indeed, but that is what we are dealing with... And sleep at night? I often do not rest well knowing these vampires are out there and spending billions of our tax dollars to furnish their world domination fantasies.
Posted by: Uncle $cam | Aug 18 2007 0:32 utc | 9
$cam: It's "vampiroyals", that dark evil Americans threw off in 1776 and now it's back again. Old Money > New Money > Neo Money. Neo Money never goes away. It creates a permanent aristocracy, but more than that, it corrupts public policy so public wealth flows directly into the vampiroyals' pockets, ad infinitum, a grotesquely fantastic Neo fascist-socialist goyem bloodletting.
E pluribus vampirum.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IH18Ak04.html
Enjoy the McCain video. There are 10,000 dark legions like him.
Posted by: Etu Brutus | Aug 18 2007 4:58 utc | 10
@CP - 7 - Pat Lang now deleted that post of his.
It was something about China and he had based a dumb analysis on a rediculous piece by Washington Times' prime China hater Bill Gertz. Remembering Gerth' stories about Saddams WMD transported to Syria, his commentators were miffed.
---
@Uncle - 9 - I post to inform, enlighten and get the mentality out in the open so as to understand how to engage it.
And your posts are welcome, but:
- posting something completely unrelated into threads like these doesn't help any discussion
- it demeans the efforts I put into sourcing and writing pieces
- there is allways an open thread in this bar
- please no full copy of articles
- links and some meaningful excerpts or description of the content behind that link are very welcome though
- some things are so nutty, they don't deserve to be posted. Yes, there are crazy people out there ...
And yes, I should have handled this differently like by moving your comment into the open thread. Unfortunatly, that is not easy to do and requires some effort I wasn't willing to put up with here.
CIA stooge Allawi has an OpEd in the Washington Post that cries out "select me, select me, I am a very willing puppet".
Let me be clear. Responsibility for the current mess in Iraq rests primarily with the Iraqi government, not with the United States. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has failed to take advantage of the Iraqi people's desire for peaceful and productive lives and of the enormous commitment and sacrifices made by the United States and other nations.All the right buttons to push for US support. No button in there to get some genuine support in Iraq. The first paragraph I quoted will certainly be loved in Iraq ...
...
Who could have imagined that Iraq would be in such crisis more than four years after Saddam Hussein?
...
I am working with my colleagues in parliament to build a nonsectarian majority coalition that will support the following six-point plan for a "new era" in Iraq and replace through democratic means the current Iraqi government.
...
- I propose declaring a state of emergency for Baghdad and all conflict areas. Iraq's security forces need to be reconstituted. Whenever possible, these reconstituted forces should absorb members of the sectarian and ethnic militias into a nonsectarian security command structure.
...
- Over time, Iraq needs to build a free-market economy with a prominent role for the private sector.It is past time for change at the top of the Iraqi government. Without that, no American military strategy or orderly withdrawal will succeed, and Iraq and the region will be left in chaos.
Of course he doesn't say anywhere how he would achieve any of his goals. Non sectarian security forces? How?
Anyway. He wants to become Prime Minister again and the U.S. will take care by "democratic means" and guns to put him into that position. A year later it will find out that things became worse. Rinse, repeat ...
I am appalled that major international news distribution organizations such as the AP can stoop to carrying water for the dominant hegemonic administration. Then, who can you rely on?
Its bad enough that msm spin the story, but when the distributors spin it as well, that leaves us with fewer reliable sources. A well informed reader has to have the skills, technology, and sophistication to dig out the real truth.
Posted by: Jake | Aug 18 2007 14:29 utc | 13
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=11460>Justin Raimondo
As for the "new" kurdish/shiite coalition, wow, talk about old wine in new bottles, hah! My favorite end run proposal for the loss of the Accord Front is that the new Anbar salvation (U.S. funded&armed) was to be brought in as replacements. The Maliki government must be really desperate , and willing to say anything at this point, to suggest that "former" insurgents be welcomed in to replace al-Hashimi. Fat chance on that happening. The washington spin, with the big report due, has gone into overdrive and appears to be reaching critical mass, what with the Anbar miracle - i.e. giving the insurgency guns, and http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/001504.html>having peace (for U.S. troops) in N. Baghdad Sadr controlled territory, and blaming everything bad on Iranian influence on everybody but the SIIC&DAWA, Irans biggest benefactors and proxie militias, that the U.S. just happens to (dictate) support - like the Iraqi government, and its pretty clear the shitstorm is totally outta control and well beyond explanation - hence, the backdown on famous generals much anticipated report to congress. The jest of which is that the U.S. has become irrelevant to the events unfolding in Iraq and will wimper and point to the fact that they're being attacked less as a metric of success, except that that isn't even true. Like telling everyone the joke is still funny, when there is nothing but silence in the room.
Posted by: anna missed | Aug 18 2007 15:10 utc | 14
jake
al jazeera just as guilt - on its 'inside iraq' - in this bloody week - the whoile programme given over to some hack from centcom who warbled his way through their catastrophic succeses - i don't know what has happened really at al jazeera but there is a reappropriating on major issues of the dominant views - whether it is on iraq or venezuela
sometimes i have thought that they do this to allow the criminals to reveal their stupidity, or that it was being done ironically but i thinkl not, it is yet another arm of the dominant deranged & delusional discourses
Posted by: remembereringgiap | Aug 18 2007 16:49 utc | 15
Maliki lived in Syria, where he was boss of the Jihad office of the Dawa party. He also lived in Iran and is double national, Iraq-Iran. (From Swiss papers, I don’t know much about the man, so ?) In the eyes of the US public, that would guarantee him terrorist status. Of course for the US Govmint he is at present Our anti-Saddamite, Our Man in Eye-rak. The press has to be narrowly selective, lying, Orwellian, to keep the US public on board. But not only; the garbage the press produces corresponds at least partly to the dreams and wished for outcomes of the usual culprits. A kind of mirror that shows a distorted, fantastical, hopeful image, the outcome of manipulations. All very murky, hard to dope out. Contrary to Abbas, though, I think the possibility of Maliki quitting suddenly is to be considered a possibility. That wouldn’t surprise me at all. Heh, and reading B’s link, Allawi wants to buy more property in London.
Uncle Scam, well hate speech is not forbidden in the US! Though that *was* a shocker.
sidebar: Horrendous attacks in Iraq “will unite the Iraqis” or “have united...” and various ppl in the US predicting or even calling for a new 9/11, either as hope, or threat, or solid factoid cum fictoid, are all reading from the same primitive how-to manual. Kill a bunch of ordinary ppl and the sheeples will line up behind authoritarian leaders, spew hate, be ready to kill. Way forward, man.
Won’t work in Iraq, or shouldn’t be interpreted that way, and won’t work in the US today either. Fool me once...
Posted by: Tangerine | Aug 18 2007 16:55 utc | 16
Sorry about post#14, typepad ate half the post & I ate the other half. Anyway, wanted to point out http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=11460>Raimondo's rather good post on the fallacies of interventionism. How inherent cultural complexities doom any attempts to re-structure a society a-priori, and that the U.S. can never begin to understand the intricacies necessary to impose its will on Iraq.
The second half comment was aimed at the current reformation of the Iraqi government minus all who may disagree, especially the loss of al-Hashimi's Accord Front and Sunni representation. The exit of AF surely has come at considerable risk (to them) and tells me they expect the Maliki government not to survive, and may be throwing their lot on the side of resistance or perhaps an Allawi salvation government.
The other curious development of late is how the Anbar project of arming tribes and former insurgents along with http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/001504.html>this story by Michael Totten on the de-facto ceasefire between U.S. troops and JAM forces in Sadr controlled neighborhoods - have created the appearance of less violence against U.S. forces, making it seem that progress is being made.
When in fact the opposite has happened.
The Maliki government has become totally dysfunctional and weaker by the day, its majority status in vote count questionable.
The U.S. is arming and funding the (Anbar Salvation) sworn enemies of said government.
The U.S. is either in stalemate or attacking the Sadrists, the largest Shiite faction, and supporter, of the Maliki (Shiite) government.
The U.S. continues to blame all wrongs in Iraq on Iranian influence, while it continues to support the political parties most beholden to Iran - the SIIC and DAWA and their militias.
None of these contradictory positions makes any sense, except from the point that collectively, they benefit the U.S. By preventing any nationalist (& anti-U.S.)movement from developing. And at the same time create the appearance of progress being made, by essentially paying off our adversary at the expense of our supposed allies. All of which behooves the administration to nix the up coming Petreaus report.
Posted by: anna missed | Aug 18 2007 19:05 utc | 17
@r'giap - 15 - Al Jazeera recently had a "management change". The Angry Arab had some words on that a while ago.
The same Al-Hayat that J.Cole cites apparently also reports that,
... a major meeting was held in Anbar, joining representatives from the IAF with tribal leaders. The conferees agreed to disband the pro-government “Council for the Salvation of Anbar” and sack some of its leaders, chiefly those who negotiated with Maliki and made disparaging remarks against the IAF last week. The leader of the Council (now renamed “the awakening of Iraq”) affirmed that his organization rejects any participation in the government under the current conditions.Al-Hayat said that Ba'this and representatives of insurgent factions, as well as officials from the ministries of interior and defense, were also present in the meeting.
(via Iraq Slogger)
********
Not related, but this could be a crisis in the making:
Interpol issues arrest warrant against Saddam's daughter
(snip) Raghad lives in exile outside Iraq, with her children in the Jordanian capital Amman, hosted by the Hashemite royal family. (snip)
Western governments ignore or manoeuver around Interpol warrants all the time, it's no big deal. But I'm not sure if Jordan would or could do that.
Posted by: Alamet | Aug 18 2007 23:10 utc | 19
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Did America in vade Iraq to spread democracy or to spread manure?
Posted by: ralphieboy | Aug 17 2007 18:45 utc | 1