The government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is negotiating a formal bilateral treaty with the United States. The question is whether the agreement will be submitted to parliament for ratification, and whether al-Maliki will be able to get a majority of parliamentarians to vote for it if so. Much of the work of the […]
Dulaim: Al-Maliki is trying to Marginalize Sunnis
The USG Open Source Center translates an interview in the Iraqi newspaper Ilaf with Adnan Dulaimi, a leader of the Iraqi Accord Front (Sunni fundamentalist, called in Arabic Tawafuq), the major Sunni Arab party in Parliament, with 44 seats out of 275. The IAF has withdrawn from the al-Maliki ‘national unity’ government. Excerpt: ‘Dr Adnan […]
Bush’s Middle East Unravels Further
Bush’s achievements in the Middle East were supposed to have been the ‘Cedar Revolution’ in Lebanon and the removal of Syria troops; holding fair elections in Palestine in January of 2006; and a deal to have Gen. Pervez Musharraf cohabit politically with Benazir Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan People’s Party. As of this weekend, Lebanon […]
Bombings Kill 10 in Baghdad Iraqi Parliament in Uproar over Debaathification Al-Hakim Defends Iran
On Sunday, the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki presented to parliament its bill revising the expulsion of ex-Baathists from government jobs and public life. The Shiite deputies in parliament essentially booed it, with the thirty Sadrist deputies pounding the table and making it impossible for parliament to conduct business. Parliament adjourned among shouting and […]
Miscellany and Annapolis
On the Annapolis “meeting” (downgraded from a conference), Mark Matthews of the Baltimore Sun contrasts the preparation and success of the Madrid peace conference in 1991 under Bush Sr., with the likely failure to accomplish much in Annapolis. See also the comments of Dick Norton on Annapolis at our Global Affairs group blog. A reminder […]
Tanter on Rudd and Australian Security Policy
Professor Richard Tanter of the Nautilus Institute at RMIT in Melbourne writes from Australia: ‘A small note on your comment on Kevin Rudd’s election in Australia. On the question of security policy, this is what I think will happen in the next half year: 1. Iraq: Rudd is committed to removing Australian troops from Iraq, […]
Firedoglake Book Salon: The DeLay Reaction
Check out the Firedoglake Book Salon on Sunday, All About The Benjamins: A “Follow The Money” Book Salon Preview. It is the story of how Tom DeLay and other corrupt Republican politicians reduced taxes and regulations on big corporations in the name of helping the common person.
New Australian PM Rudd will Withdraw Combat Troops from Iraq Shahristani: Kurdistan Oil Deals Void Bush scales back Expectations (again)
Another one bites the dust. World politics is littered with the political corpses of rightwing leaders who bucked their own public to join in George W. Bush’s wars and misadventures. Spain, Italy, Poland, and in a way the UK are all object lessons in this regard. Now John Howard of Australia has joined their number […]
Iraq Clerics Call for Stronger Security Forces, National Reconciliation
The USG Open Source Center rounds up Friday prayers sermons shown on Iraqi television this week: ‘Round-up of Iraqi Friday Sermons 23 NovIraq — OSC SummarySaturday, November 24, 2007 Major Iraqi television channels – Baghdad Al-Iraqiyah, Baghdad Baghdad Satellite Channel, Baghdad Al-Sharqiyah, Baghdad Al-Furat, Cairo Al-Baghdadiyah, and Baghdad Al-Diyar – are observed on 23 November […]
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