Comments on: Biden Attempts to Mediate Sunni-Shiite Struggle in lead-up to Elections

By: Andrew Turvey

Andrew Turvey — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:22:06 +0000

There is one major issue with this decision that hasn't been raised yet:

Neo-cons argue that one of the achievements of the invasion of Iraq was that it brought pluralistic democratic politics to Iraq. Compared to Saddam and compared to nearly all of their neighbours, this largely holds true.

But - what does the future hold once the Americans withdraw? A highly politicised government-appointed body vetting the suitability of election candidates - does that remind you of anything? Will the Justice and Accountability Commission transform to perform the same role in elections as the Guardian Council in next door Iran?

Is democracy in Iraq going to end up as a limited militarised democracy, where free speech and media are repressed, only certain people are allowed to stand and electoral fraud is rampant? Seems well on its way to that future already.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:07:07 +0000

Barry Lando's excellent book "Web of Deceit" gives a detailed account of Western influence in Iraq, including supported BOTH sides against each other in the Iran/Iraq war.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:05:37 +0000

You forgot to mention America's role in your neat summary – for example, its backing of Iraq in the war with Iran and its provocation of Kurdish and Shia separatists to rebel against Iraq at the end of the first gulf war and then deserting them instead of giving them the military back-up they promised. I cannot think of any country that would not have similarly suppressed such a rebellion from traitors. Look at the present utterly ruined state of Iraq caused in part by those very same traitors and the fact that Iran is now dictating policy in Iraq through the fundamentalist Shia puppets placed in power by the Americans.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:01:16 +0000

It is well known that the head of the Accountability and Justice Committee is running as a candidate himself, anf that he is one of Chalabi's mob.

But the fact that the head of the "Independent" High Electoral Commission is a senior member of Barazani's PUK is less publicized. So the Kurds are firmly behind the exclusion of the nationalists.

Talabani is the slimiest of all the Green Zone Iraqis. He is trying to make himself look as if he is on the side of those being expelled, while acting to undermine them at the same time. He described Mulaq, their highest profile as Ba'thist but not Saddamist, although he is neither.

If Biden manages to overturn or modify the ruling, Iran still wins. Thoes candidates will be branded as both Ba'thist and the occupiers' pets, ruining their chances of winning seats.

The real issue here is that the electorate choice should not be limited. If even the Ba'thist are preferred over the current secterian mobs, then so be it. The fact that the main Shi'a parties are blocking the right to stand is indicative of their unpopularity.