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Monday,
April 9, 2012. Chaos and violence continue, Ayad Allawi calls out the
direction Iraq's headed in, Iraqis begin to voice displeasure over the
White House's indifference to their plight, it's 9 years since the US
military pulled down the statue of Saddam Hussein, and more.
Nine years ago today, Gulf News' Mayada al-Askari observes, was "the toppling of Saddam Hussain's statue by the Americans at Al Firdaus Square in Iraq." In 2004, David Zucchino (Los Angeles Times) reported
that the April 9, 2003 toppling of the statue was a psyops operation.
Before we go further, we should note that the US government is not
allowed to use psyop operations on the American people. In fact, that
sort of propaganda is why Voice of America is legally prevented from
broadcasting in the United States. It's very telling that the Congress
refused to investigate what the Los Angeles Times exposed.
Iraqi
civilians didn't topple the statue, the US military did: "And it was a
quick-thinking Army psychological operations team that made it appear to
be a spontaneous Iraqi undertaking."
Sadly
enough, in the almost two years since I left Iraq, little has happened
that challenges my belief that we failed in the reconstruction and,
through that failure, lost the war.
The Iraq of today is an extension of the Iraq I saw and described. The recent Arab League summit
in Baghdad, hailed by some as a watershed event, was little more than a
stage-managed wrinkle in that timeline, a lot like all those
purple-fingered elections the U.S. sponsored in Iraq throughout the
Occupation. If you deploy enough police and soldiers -- for the summit,
Baghdad was shut down for a week, the cell phone network turned off, and
a "public holiday" proclaimed to keep the streets free of humanity --
you can temporarily tame any place, at least within camera view. More
than $500 million was spent, in part planting flowers along the route
dignitaries took in and out of the heavily fortified International Zone
at the heart of the capital (known in my days as the Green Zone).
Somebody in Iraq must have googled "Potemkin Village."
Beyond
the temporary showmanship, the Iraq we created via our war is a mean
place, unsafe and unstable. Of course, life goes on there (with the
usual lack of electricity and potable water), but as the news shows, to
an angry symphony of suicide bombers and targeted killings. While the
American public may have changed the channel to more exciting shows in
Libya, now Syria, or maybe just to "American Idol," the Iraqi people are
trapped in amber, replaying the scenes I saw in 2009-2010, living
reminders of all the good we failed to do.
This weekend, Heath Druzin (Stars and Stripes) offered,
"Iraq experts say that recent developments in Iraq and a growing
Iranian influence are signs that America's hopes are dimming for Iraq to
become the 'beacon of hope' that President George W. Bush had
envisioned in a 2005 speech." Felicity Arbutnot (Global Research) evaluates
the 'progress' in Iraq the illegal war has brought: "Also since the
invasion, the terrorization, whether for relgious reasons or ransom
money, score settling or the unfathomable, in a country were people have
co-existed for countless generations, has been bewildering. Overnight
(literally) Iraq changed from a land where, broadly, the streets of
towns and cities could be walked alone, safely, late at night, to a
country which awoke to find while families in morgues bearing wounds
indicating unimaginable torture. It woke to beheaded bodies chucked on
rubbish dumps -- and beheaded fathers and sons dumped on door steps or
in front gardens. Iraq also woke to ransom kidnappings, extortion,
destruction of homes, premises, businesses -- or their takeover by
force."
In Iraq, the political crisis continues. Liz Sly (Washington Post) observes
that "the appearance of calm that has endured for four months has come
at a price, many Iraqis say, in the form of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki's increasingly authoritarian
behavior." And she notes, "Sunnis and Kurds, angered by what they see
as Maliki's efforts to exclude them from power, accuse the United States
of doing little or nothing to restrain his excesses or to press him to
implement agreements under which he planned to share power." That
latter specifically refers to the Erbil Agreement. So let's provide the
recap.
Nouri's State of Law
came in second in the March 7, 2010 elections and Iraqiya came in first
-- despite the efforts by Nouri to demonize Iraqiya and use the Justice
and Accountability Committee to outlaw various Iraqiya candidates weeks
prior to the election. Nouri refused to let go of the post of prime
minister and, since he had the backing of Barack's White House, he was
able to dig in his heels for over months (Political Stalemate I). The
gridlock was only ended when all parties signed off on the US-brokered
Erbil Agreement. Nouri used the agreement to get a second term as prime
minister and trashed the rest of it. That is the beginning of Political
Stalemate II (December 2010) which is the country's current crisis.
Since last summer, the Kurds have been calling for the Erbil Agreement
to be honored. Iraqiya has joined that call as has Moqtada al-Sadr.
Last
week, on Thursday, there was supposed to be a meeting, a National
Conference. Since December 21st, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and
Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi have been calling for the
conference to address the political crisis. Less than 24 hours before
the scheduled National Conference was to take place, al-Nujaifi
announced that it was not taking place.
Liz Sly notes that some Iraqis are seeing US indiference to whatever Nouri might do. She also notes:
Sunni
concerns have crystallized in recent weeks around Obama's nomination of
Brett McGurk, 38, a lawyer who has frequently advised the U.S. Embassy
but is not a diplomat to be the new ambassador to Iraq. As the chief
adviser to Ambassador James F. Jeffrey and former ambassador Christopher
R. Hill, McGurk is closely associated with the United States'
controversial 2010 decision to support Maliki's candidacy as the better
hope for future stability over that of Ayad Allawi, the head of the
Iraqiya bloc, which narrowly won the most seats in parliament.
We'll get to Allawi in just a moment. But let's deal with Brett McGurk first.
*
McGurk is Barack's third nominee for Ambassador to Iraq. Why have all
three been men? Iraq -- not just Iraqi women and girls, all of Iraq --
would strongly benefit from the US putting a woman in that post. When Ava
and I argued that to members of then President-Elect Barack's
transition team we were shot down with the issue of qualfications. No
one on the transition team could think of a single woman in the State
Dept or out of the State Dept who was qualified -- in their opinion --
to be Ambassador to Iraq. (So don't give me any of that s**t about
Barack being a friend to women. He's not. Press whores and idiots
repeat that crap. Those of who have dealt with the administration damn
well know better.)
* Three nominees and all of
the men. McGurk has no qualifications. He's been a coffee fetcher and
little else for men who've been in the post. He only graduated colled
(as an undergraduate) in 1999. Not only is the lie that they can't find
a qualified woman offensive, so is their desire to put a COMPLETELY
UNQUALIFIED PERSON in charge of the mission that they plan to spend at
least $6 billion dollars on each year through 2016. It is the most
expensive State Dept assignment. How in the world do you justify
wet-behind-his-ears McGurk as qualified for that position. He's been in
no leadership position, he's got little-to-no-experience in oversight
or economics and he hasn't even been a mid-level manager. He is
completely and totally unqualified.
*
Unqualified was Chris Hill. We established that when we reported on his
confirmation hearing. He backed it up with his bizarre behavior in
Baghdad. (Naps under his desk? Pray those were only rumors, pray.)
Because of the Idiot Hill, Barack had to nominate a grown up -- James
Jeffrey. Jeffrey's friends are talking all over DC about how Jeffrey
does not feel he's gotten the support he needed from the White House
that he spends hours trying to explain to the administration that the
sky is blue and they keep asking, "Are you sure it's not a little bit
green, are you sure?" McGurk may be pliable but he's not qualified. If
Jeffrey is not replaced with an adult, Iraq will likely slide towards
authoritarianism even faster.
* Barack Obama was
not against the Iraq War. That was a stupid little press lie to sell
you a War Hawk. To appease voters in Chicago (when he was in the state
legislature) he gave a 2002 speech -- a dumb speech. By the time he ran
for the US Senate, he wasn't against the Iraq War. (He told Elaine
and I that the US was over in Iraq now so it didn't matter. That's not
"anti-war.") But the anti-war vote and sentiment took him to the White
House. Why the hell has the Cult of St. Barack allowed him to appoint
one pro-Iraq War person after another? McGurk is only the latest
example of 'anti-war' Barack giving a plum assignment to someone who was
pushing the Iraq War in 2002.
Brett McGurk
lacks experience, was wrong about the war, is too immature to be put
over a $6 billion a year project and Iraqiya -- the political slate that
got the most votes -- doesn't want him. If there was a functioning
left -- as opposed to the Cult of St. Barack -- McGurk would be
announcing right now that he's withdrawing his nomination to spend more
time with his family of hamsters.
It
has been nine years since U.S. forces removed a brutal tyrant in Iraq
at a huge cost in lives and treasure, but already the country is
slipping back into the clutches of a dangerous new one-man rule, which
inevitably will lead to full dictatorship, and already it is dashing
hopes for a prosperous, stable, federal and democratic Iraq. Exploiting
the unconditional support of Tehran and the indifference of Washington,
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has violated the constitution to
consoldiate his own power by using security and military forces to
intimidate and oppress political rivals and, indeed, the general
population, as manifested in his suppression of peaceful demonstrations
in Iraq.
And that's just the opening paragraph. Al Hayat reports
that Iraqiya has revealed it is in talks with other blocs about
withdrawing confidence in Nouri al-Maliki. The Islamic Supreme Council
of Iraq denies that they have engaged in discussions on replacing Nouri.
Speaking for the Moqtada al-Sadr bloc, MP Jawad Hasnawi allows that
they have serious problems with Nouri but thinks that talk of replacing
him is premature. That said, if requested to, Hasnawi says Moqtada would
be willing to step in as a prime minister. At the end of this Al Hayat article,
KRG President Massoud Barzani offers his concerns that there are
serious attempts by the current government in Baghdad to restore Iraq to
a dictatorship.
Alsumaria reports
that State of Law MP Mohammed Chihod declared today that those seeking a
no-confidence vote on Prime Minister and Thug of the Occupation Nouri
al-Maliki are "conspirators." He makes other charges; however, that one
alone should be seen as disturbing in a country where the likes of
Chihod (Nouri's goons) regularly demonize political rivals as
"Ba'athists" and "terrorists." It's in that landscape that
"conspirators" emerges. A vote of no confidence is not a conspiracy,
it's an approved measure with a process outlined in the Constitution. Chihod
shows more ignorance of the Constitution he allegedly took an oath to
when he declares the KRG is in violation of the Constitution for
refusing to hand Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi over to Baghdad. There
is nothing in the Constitution about that. The Constitution does cover
immunity for office holders, however. Demonstrating that his ignorance
is not limited to the Constitution, Chihod then accuses KRG President
Massoud Barzani of visiting the US last week in order to lead on a
no-confidence vote in Nouri. A no-confidence vote would take place in
the Iraqi Parliament. While it's true that many MPs live outside of
Iraq, they're not living in the US. Meanwhile Al Rafidayn reports
on State of Law's whisper campaign against Barzani in which they hurl
everything at the wall hoping something will stick. This includes the
claim that Barzani's a failure because he wanted the Arab League Summit
in Erbil and it was held in Baghdad. Apparently State of Law's inability
to govern resulted in a heightened sense of awareness as compensation
thereby allowing them to read minds. Barzani's made no comment regarding
the Arab League Summit being held in Erbil. It was scheduled for
Baghdad and scheduled to be held there in 2011. It was finally held
there in 2012. He has called for the national conference (to resolve the
political crisis) to be held in Erbil. State of Law brings up the
allegations of smuggling oil to Iran and insist these are true and that
Barzani is behind the smuggling (the way they go on, we're apparently
supposed to picture Massoud Barzani with a hose and gasoline can,
stopping beside an oil tanker, ready to siphon the tank). Barzani's trip
to the US is called a failure (no reason for that judgment call is
given). The whispers also include that Barzani's made a deal with Ahmad
Chalabi wherein Ahmad will replace Nouri.
Al Mada reports
on an interview Barzani gave in DC after meeting with US Vice President
Joe Biden. In it, Barzani noted that Nouri refused a meeting to put all
the issues on the table. He cites Nouri as the reason the National
Conference failed (it was set for last Thursday but one day prior it was
announced the conference was off). He says Iraq is suffering from a
real -- not manufactured -- crisis. Trend News Agency reports
that Barzani appeared on Al Arabiya TV and stated Nouri is leading Iraq
"to the dicatorship" and that, "If all parties fail to agree on
specific changes, then the Kurdish autonomy will no longer regard
al-Maliki as Iraqi prime minister". Wladimir van Wilgenburg (Rudaw) adds: After
increased tensions between the Iraqi and the Kurdish governments,
Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani told Alhurra TV last Thursday
that Baghdad is considering the use of F-16 fighter planes against the
Kurds.In the interview,
Barzani says the issue with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is not
personal, but it is about his dictatorial policies. "I still consider
him a brother and a friend," he said. According to Barzani, division
commanders in the Iraqi army are supposed to be approved by parliament,
but this hasn't happened.Barzani
told Alhurra that he has confronted the Iraqi PM many times and been
told by Maliki that he will act, but he hasn't, and suggested there is
talk of a "military solution" to confront the Kurds in Baghdad. Barzani
said that in an official meeting with Iraqi military commanders, it was
stated that they should wait for F-16s to arrive to help push back the
Kurds.
Aswat al-Iraq notes,
"Shiite Sadrist leader Muqtada al-Sadr said that 'some want to build a
dictatorship under the so-called new false reconciliation,' according to
the Media Center of his Trend. He did not mention names."
Yesterday, Erbil saw a bombing -- Dar Addustour says
it was the first sticky bombing in Erbil -- a sticky bombing is when an
explosive device is attached to something, generally with adhesive --
one person was injured in the bombing. In other violence Chen Zhi (Xinhua) reports
an armed Tuz_Khurmato attack which left Sahwa leader Sheikh Hussein
Awad Khalifa and his bodyguard dead and a Baghdad suicide car bombing
claimed the life of 1 bystander and left four more injured.
Yesterday was also Easter. Garibov Konstantin (Voice of Russia) points out, "The US-British invasion destroyed the Christian community in Iraq". The Associated Press notes
Pope Benedict XVI's remarks Sunday in St. Peter's Basilica were a call
"for peace in Iraq, Syria and elswhere in the Middle East [. . .]
Sectarian violence in Iraq, often aimed at Christians, has prompted an
exodus over the last years of many from the sizeable Christian community
there." Dar Addustour notes Iraqi Christians in Baghdad celebrated Easter under tight security. EuroNews says that "members of the congregation underwent security checks." Rami Ruhayem (BBC News) adds
that St. Joseph's Chaldean Church in Baghdad was "surrounded by army
checkpoints, and concrete barriers block cars from approaching the
entrance." Sanaa Nimr is a pharmacist and she tells Ruhayem, "It's like
entering a military camp, not a church." Ruhayem reports,
"Alcohol-shop owners and women who did not confirm to Islamic dress
codes had suffered intimidation, [MP Yonadem Kanna] added. Mrs Nimr
said some Christian schoolchildren had been instructed by teachers to
recite verses from the Koran." Nimr explains, "They don't like anyone
who is different from them. They cannot tolerate the other -- Muslim or
Christian or atheist or whatever." BBC News offers a photo essay of Easter celebrated around the world and the second photo is of a mass at the Armenian Church in Baghdad. Jane Arraf (Christian Science Monitor) reported from Karamiles where, at the St. Addaie the Messenger Church, Christians celebrated Easter:
Like
other Christian communities in the disputed areas, a steady stream of
families have departed either legally or illegally to Europe and the
United States. Despite its own violent upheaval, Syria still serves as a
way station for Iraqi refugees hoping for a better life in the West.
The
community has been neglected by both the Kurdish and Iraqi governments,
says Monsignor Yousif. Water is sometimes cut off for days. There are
almost no jobs.
Over the years, some townspeople have made their homes within the crumbling stone walls of the remains of centuries-old homes.
Dar Addustour also notes
Kirkuk Governor Najim al-Din Omar Karem maintains Christians in Kirkuk
were able to celebrate Easter more publicly and he offered his
congratulations to the Cathedral of Kirkuk. Luiza Oleszczuk (Christian Post) reminds,
"In Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Christians (even as many as one
million, according to some estimates) left the country due to an
eruption of sectarian violence that had seen religious minorities
targeted, following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of the country." Ed West (Telegraph of London) calls for England to take in Iraqi Christians and offers this overview:
Christianity
in Iraq has a rich past and confusing present. Tradition has it that
the faith was brought to Mesopotamia by the Apostles Thomas and
Thaddeus, and by the second century the Syriac-speaking people of the
region had a thriving church, whose members went on to convert much of
Asia. After the Arab conquests, Syriac Christians played a pivotal role
in Islamic civilisation's high point; of 60 scholars who preserved the
works of the ancients by translating them into Arabic, 58 were Christian
(of the other two, one was Jewish and the other a Sabaean).
Today
there are six Christian denominations (not including tiny numbers of
Protestants), the largest of which is the Chaldean Catholic Church,
which came into communion with Rome in the 16th century, followed in
size by two Assyrian Orthodox churches. Assyrians speak neo-Aramaic (a
modern form of Syriac) and identify as a distinct Semitic ethnic group;
and although the term Chaldo-Assyrian is often used to emphasise the
unity of Iraqi Christians, some Chaldeans identify simply as Christian
Arabs. Others, especially those who hail from southern Turkey, call
themselves Syriacs or Arameans and doubt the validity of the term
"Assyrian", which only dates as a modern ethnic term to the 19th
century, but nonetheless consider themselves to be one people.
Last month, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom released [PDF format warning] their 2012 Annual Report of the "worst religious freedom violators" which includes Iraq on the list. The Commission found:
The
Iraqi government continues to tolerate systematic, ongoing, and
egregious religious freedom violations. In the past year, religious
sites and worshippers were targeted in violent attacks, often with
impunity, and businesses viewed as "un-Islamic" were vandalized. The
most deadly such attacks during this period were against Shi'a pilgrims.
While the Iraqi government has made welcome efforts to increase
security, it continues to fall short in investigating attacks and
bringing perpetrators to justice. It also took actions against political
rivals in late 2011 that escalated Sunni-Shi'a sectarian tensions.
Large percentages of the country's smallest religious minorities --
which include Chaldo-Assyrian and other Christians, Sabean Mandaeans,
and Yazidis -- have fled the country in recent years, threatening these
ancient communities' very existence in Iraq; the diminished numbers that
remain face official discrimination, marginalization, and neglect,
particularly in areas of northern Iraq over which the Iraqi government
and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) dispute control. Religious
freedom abuses of women and individuals who do not conform to strict
interpretations of religious norms also remain a concern.
Based
on these concerns, USCIRF again recommends in 2012 that Iraq be
designated as a "country of particular concern," or CPC. USCIRF has
recommended CPC status for Iraq since 2008, and placed Iraq on its Watch
List in 2007.
Although the Iraqi government
has increased security and reportedly prevented several bombings,
Muslim and Christian religious sites and worshippers still experienced
violent attacks in 2011 - 2012. Four individuals were convicted and
sentenced for the high-profile October 2010 attack on a Catholic church
in Baghdad, but there appeared to be little progress in investigating
and prosecuting perpetrators of other attacks. Sunni -Shi'a sectarian
tensions increased significantly in late 2011 after the Shi'a-led
government sought to arrest or fire senior Sunni officials. Christian
and Yazidi businesses deemed "un-Islamic," such as liquor stores, were
vandalized in Baghdad and the KRG region during 2011. Non-Muslims and
ethnic minorities in disputed areas continued to report abuses against
women, girls, and secular Iraqis. Violence against Iraqi civilians
continued in 2011 at approximately the same level as in 2010. Large
numbers of Iraqis, many of whom fled religious persecution, remain
displaced internally or outside the country, including in Syria where
the security situation is increasingly dire.
Since
the start of the illegal war, Iraq has had an ongoing exodus. The
professional class was the first to leave ("the brain drain"). As each
year of the war and occupation started up, more and more Iraqis were
leaving. By 2008, Iraq was the largest refugee crisis in the Middle
East since 1948. Most do not get passage to Europe or the US and
instead head for a neighboring country such as Jordan and Lebanon (and
Syria until recently).From there some have received aslyum in other
countries and others have entered Europe through a non-official
process.
During
my recent stay in Iraq I visited a refugee camp for Iranian Kurds about
an hour by car from Hawler (Erbil) while the Kurdish New Years
festivity Newroz was being celebrated. Established 18 years ago roughly
400 people live in this camp of small concrete buildings, dust and
surrounding fences. The people had to flee Iran due to alleged ties to
groups opposing the central government in Tehran.
The
camp was constructed with some help by the KRG (Kurdish Regional
Government) and external donors, but the main work was done by the
refugees themselves. Currently the children living in the camp, most of
whom were born there, can attend a nearby school. But the situation is
still dire -- as the adults are only allowed to work one week a year. A
small store the refugees had set up on a street just outside of the
camp to sell merchandise to passersby was closed down by the KRG as they
had no official license. Their only regular income is a support payment
by the Iranian-Kurdish Party: 20,000 Iraq Dinar a month -- around 17
Dollars.
Over the weekend,
Iraq's oil was in the news -- specifically in terms of the disputes
between the Baghdad-based central-government and the Kurdistan Regional
Government. All last week, Baghdad insisted that ExxonMobil had
cancelled its contract with the Kurds. As Reuters noted, the Kurds have stated the deal made in October is still on. Aabha Rathee (Wall St. Cheat Sheet) reported,
"A statement on the Kurdish president Masoud Barzani's website said
Exxon chief executive officer Rex Tillerson has reaffirmed the company's
commitment. "Rex Tillerson renewed the commitment of his company's
signed contracts with Kurdistan and Iraq and expressed the readiness of
Exxon Mobil to continue its work in Kurdistan," the statement said." The Kurdish Globe also noted the story. The Trefis Team (Forbes) offers this background: Exploration
companies have been lured to sign contracts with the KRG as it has
offered attractive production sharing contracts while the central
government has given out service contracts that compensate players based
on a production linked fee. [1] The better security environment in
Kurdistan also makes the region more lucrative to companies intending to
set up local operations. However, despite these advantages, most oil
majors have stayed clear of pursuing deals with the KRG to avoid
antagonizing the central government, which does not recognize the
validity of such regional contracts.ExxonMobil is not the only issue of difference between the Nouri's government and the Kurdistan Regional Government. Pierre Betran (International Business Times) noted
KRG President Massoud Barzani's visit to DC this week and points out,
"At the heart of the Kurdish-Arab dispute is a constitutional provision
that Kurdish President Massoud Barzani said last week hasn't been
implemented by Baghdad. Speaking in Washington, he said the provision
is designed to set governing and power-sharing agreements between the
two governments. The law would also repatriate strategic oil-rich parts
of Iraq to Kurdistan."
And back to the US for this from Emma Cape's " Mark the second anniversary of Collateral Murder: help us free Bradley Manning" (Bradley Manning Org): On April 5, 2010, WikiLeaks released the Collateral Murder
video, depicting the killing of civilians and Reuters journalists, and
the severe wounding of two children by a U.S. apache helicopter in Iraq.
The Reuters news organization had unsuccessfully filed a Freedom of
Information Request after the incident to obtain the video. However, it
was the WikiLeaks whistle-blower, allegedly PFC Bradley Manning, who
took action to expose the horror that took place that day.
Since then, WikiLeaks has become well known worldwide, and Bradley Manning has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize.
To
honor the second anniversary of the video's release, we ask that you
gather your friends and neighbors sometime during the week of April
15-21 to show them the video and start a discussion about why Bradley
Manning deserves to be freed.
Below
are links to a downloadable version of Collateral Murder and an
interview with soldier Ethan McCord, seen rescuing children out of the
van in the video. You can share the videos with your guests to start the
discussion about advocating for Bradley.
- How are you feeling after watching this video?
- Have
you seen the video in the news or have you heard friends talk about it?
How do you think the release of the video has impacted your community?
- In
his supposed Instant Messaging conversation with Adrian Lamo, the
hacker who reported Bradley to the authorities, Bradley states the
information should be in the public domain because "without information,
you cannot make informed decisions as a public." Do you agree?
Bradley Manning was arrested one month after this video was made public.
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