Saturday, October 18, 2008

Maliki leads Iraqis out of the shadows

Iraq
Richard Beeston | October 18, 2008

DONALD Rumsfeld would instantly recognise the extraordinary state of modern Iraq. The disgraced former US defence secretary has not been anywhere near the country since he left office two years ago. Few Iraqis -- or Americans -- would welcome him back today.

Yet it was Rumsfeld who envisaged a post-invasion Iraq that would have a weak but functioning government, could begin to exploit its oil riches and was protected by a fledgling Iraqi security force, as US and British troops withdrew. Unfortunately for the former Pentagon chief, the Iraqi people and US forces, his vision has taken 5 1/2 long, bloody and costly years to become reality.


But the signs are unmistakeable. It is impossible to move in Baghdad without being confronted with the seismic change in the balance of power.

Only a year ago it was mainly US troops who provided what little security the capital enjoyed. Power resided with the US ambassador and military commander and was exercised from the US embassy annex, Saddam Hussein's giant marble-tiled palace on the Tigris river, from where thousands of US officials and officers ran the country.

The Iraqi Government and parliament were largely decorative. Their debates and decisions had little impact on their countrymen. Iraqi soldiers were treated with contempt, indifference and occasional pity. The Iraqi police, heavily infiltrated by militias, were blamed for kidnappings and killings.

Until recently it would have been unthinkable to mistake a well-fed, well-trained and well-equipped US soldier for an Iraqi one. But I did just that driving from Baghdad airport along one of the city's most notorious roads. It was not just that the Iraqis looked like Americans, in Humvees, with sunglasses, similar helmets and uniforms. It was the casual professionalism and confident swagger that threw me.

On the American side, troops have largely disappeared from the streets. Brigadier General Jeff Smith, the Deputy Commander of US forces in central Iraq, once one of the most dangerous areas in the world, estimates that about 1 per cent of the 17,000 men and women under his command are now involved in combat operations. The rest carry out training and joint patrols with Iraqi troops. The general spends much of his time trying to lure Western companies to invest in his area.

Foreign oil companies are doing just that and others are waiting to move in behind them for what could be a bonanza.

Even the violence is not what it used to be. So many explosives and arms caches have been unearthed that there is a shortage of the one commodity that never seemed to run out. Recently the assassination of an MP was carried out by a motorcycle bomb. Not long ago it would have been unthinkable to use anything smaller than a huge car bomb.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki embodies the change perfectly. After a life in exile, he was chosen to head the Government as a compromise candidate. Compromise is not an adjective that applies to him any more. He is tough with his enemies, whom he has driven out of most cities, and tough with his friends, the Americans and the British.

He wants the Americans out in three years and the British can go now, if they like. The Pentagon needs little encouragement. It is already reassigning top generals, such as David Petraeus, to what many regard now as the real war, in Afghanistan.


In the coming weeks, the Americans will move into a mortar-proof new embassy compound and hand Mr Maliki the keys to Saddam's palace, a turning point in postwar Iraq. The move is likely to indicate the end of the green zone and the first serious attempt at recognising Iraqi sovereignty.

So is the vision of a democratic, prosperous and Western-oriented Iraq, finally within grasp?

Without the distractions of the bombings and shootings, it is easier to see Iraq for what it really is. The country is bloodied and broken. The infrastructure, much of it built on the back of the oil boom of the 1970s, is on its knees. Unemployment runs as high as 60 per cent in some areas. Corruption is rampant. The sectarian divisions, responsible for most of the violence, have been papered over but could reignite at any moment. Al-Qa'ida may have been largely defeated, but there are still powerful outside players such as Iran, Turkey, Syria and Saudi Arabia who will continue to destabilise Iraq's affairs.

My friend Ali, an Iraqi doctor, is making preparations to leave his country for good and start a new life in America. He witnessed the worst of the violence, had to flee his home and move his family to Syria. Surely now that the country finally appears to have turned a corner, he would want to stay?

Ali shakes his head. He has lost five years of his life to Iraq. He no longer believes in the dream. He has learnt from bitter experience that the future only holds disappointment. A pity. Iraq will need all the Alis it can find for the enormous task ahead.

Source: The Australian

Submission

Blog Archive


FEEDJIT Live Traffic Feed

Followers

Copyright Muslims Against Sharia 2008. All rights reserved. E-mail: info AT ReformIslam.org
Stop Honorcide!



Latest Recipients of
The Dhimmi Award
Dr. Phil
George Casey


The Dhimmi Award


Previous Recipients of
The Dhimmi Award




Latest Recipient of the
World-Class Hypocrite Award
Mainstream Media


World-Class Hypocrite Award


Previous Recipients of the
World-Class Hypocrite Award




Latest Recipient of the
MASH Award
Dr. Arash Hejazi


MASH Award


Previous Recipients of the
MASH Award




Latest Recipient of the
Yellow Rag Award
CNN


Yellow Rag Award


Previous Recipients of the
Yellow Rag Award




Latest Recipient of
The Face of Evil Award
Nidal Malik Hasan


The Face of Evil Award


Previous Recipients of
The Face of Evil Award




Latest Recipients of the
Distinguished Islamofascist Award
ADC, CAIR, MAS


Distinguished Islamofascist Award


Previous Recipients of the
Distinguished Islamofascist Award




Latest Recipient of the
Goebbels-Warner Award
ISNA


Goebbels-Warner Award


Previous Recipients of the
Goebbels-Warner Award




Muslm Mafia



Latest Recipient of the
Evil Dumbass Award
Somali Pirates


Evil Dumbass Award


Previous Recipients of the
Evil Dumbass Award




Insane P.I. Bill Warner
Learn about
Anti-MASH
Defamation Campaign

by Internet Thugs




Latest Recipient of the
Retarded Rabbi Award
Shmuley Boteach


Retarded Rabbi Award


Previous Recipients of the
Retarded Rabbi Award




Latest Recipient of the
Mad Mullah Award
Omar Bakri Muhammed


Mad Mullah Award


Previous Recipients of the
Mad Mullah Award




Stop Sharia Now!
ACT! For America




Latest Recipient of the
Demented Priest Award
Desmond Tutu


Demented Priest Award


Previous Recipients of the
Demented Priest Award




Egyptian Gaza Initiative

Egyptian Gaza




Note: majority of users who have posting privileges on MASH blog are not MASH members. Comments are slightly moderated. MASH does not necessarily endorse every opinion posted on this blog.



HONORARY MEMBERS
of

Muslims Against Sharia
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
Hasan Mahmud

ANTI-FASCISTS of ISLAM
Prominent.Moderate.Muslims
Tewfik Allal
Ali Alyami & Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia
Zeyno Baran
Brigitte Bardet
Dr. Suliman Bashear
British Muslims
for Secular Democracy

Center for Islamic Pluralism
Tarek Fatah
Farid Ghadry &
Reform Party of Syria

Dr. Tawfik Hamid
Jamal Hasan
Tarek Heggy
Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser &
American Islamic
Forum for Democracy

Sheikh Muhammed Hisham
Kabbani & Islamic
Supreme Council of America

Sayed Parwiz Kambakhsh
Nibras Kazimi
Naser Khader &
The Association
of Democratic Muslims

Mufti Muhammedgali Khuzin
Shiraz Maher
Irshad Manji
Salim Mansur
Maajid Nawaz
Sheikh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi
& Cultural Institute of the
Italian Islamic Community and
the Italian Muslim Assembly

Arifur Rahman
Raheel Raza
Imad Sa'ad
Secular Islam Summit
Mohamed Sifaoui
Mahmoud Mohamed Taha
Amir Taheri
Ghows Zalmay
Supna Zaidi &
Islamist Watch /
Muslim World Today /
Council For Democracy And Tolerance
Prominent ex-Muslims
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Magdi Allam
Zachariah Anani
Nonie Darwish
Abul Kasem
Hossain Salahuddin
Kamal Saleem
Walid Shoebat
Ali Sina & Faith Freedom
Dr. Wafa Sultan
Ibn Warraq

Defend Freedom of Speech

ISLAMIC FASCISTS
Islamists claiming to be Moderates
American Islamic Group
American Muslim Alliance
American Muslim Council
Al Hedayah Islamic Center (TX)
BestMuslimSites.com
Canadian Islamic Congress
Canadian Muslim Union
Council on American-Islamic Relations
Dar Elsalam Islamic Center (TX)
DFW Islamic Educational Center, Inc. (TX)
Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (Closed)
Ed Husain & Quilliam Foundation
Islamic Association for Palestine (Closed)
Islamic Association of Tarrant County (TX)
Islamic Center of Charlotte (NC) & Jibril Hough
Islamic Center of Irving (TX)
Islamic Circle of North America
Islamic Cultural Workshop
Islamic Society of Arlington (TX)
Islamic Society of North America
Masjid At-Taqwa
Muqtedar Khan
Muslim American Society
Muslim American Society of Dallas (TX)
Muslim Arab Youth Association (Closed)
Muslim Council of Britain
Muslims for Progressive Values
Muslim Public Affairs Council
Muslim Public Affairs Council (UK)
Muslim Students Association
National Association of Muslim Women
Yusuf al Qaradawi
Wikio - Top Blogs