Go Back   I-Mockery Forum > I-Mockery Discussion Forums > Philosophy, Politics, and News
FAQ Members List Calendar Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #26  
KevinTheOmnivore KevinTheOmnivore is offline
Mocker
KevinTheOmnivore's Avatar
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY
KevinTheOmnivore is probably a spambot
Old Oct 8th, 2005, 12:47 PM       
Yeah, you really need to stay on topic.

And type less.

I agree with you on the parties being election-oriented machines, as opposed to being any sort of an ideological resource.

But it s still about ideology....until after election day. Republicans revert to tax cuts and Democrats revert to healthcare and education, and regardless of what they do in office, the parties serve as ideological message boxes more than anything else.

Great Society Liberalism is dead, and fiscal conservatism is getting the plug pulled. This is an interesting topic (the parties, ideology, alignment, etc.), it's really my most geeky interest, but it has NOTHING TO DO WITH IRAQ AND GOOD NEWS!!!
Reply With Quote
  #27  
Preechr Preechr is offline
=======
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: NA
Preechr is probably a spambot
Old Oct 10th, 2005, 11:21 AM       
Sure it has! It's all in how you look at it.

The more globalization removes authority from politicians, the more politicized normally civil things become, such as war and disaster management, for instance. In fact, without this process, you wouldn't have had to go looking for "Good News From Iraq" because the news we see wouldn't be so damn politically biased.

I could go on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on about this, but since you seem so keen on starting another thread to deal with it separately, I'll wait on that to happen.

(On that note, you might wanna let me know which thread that is since I don't read them all.)

As a preview, I'll go ahead and disagree with you that R's revert to tax cutting and D's go back to healthcare and education on the grounds that what you call tax cutting is simply tax manipulation and if you want to claim some sort of Democrat focus on healthcare or education then I'll point to the lack of any sort of improvement in either system in many, many years and announce to the world that Kevin from I-mockery just labeled his party completely ineffectual and dead.

On second thought, I think I'll agree with you on the Democrat thing.
__________________
mburbank~ Yes, okay, fine, I do know what you meant, but why is it not possible for you to get through a paragraph without making all the words cry?

How can someone who obviously thinks so much of their ideas have so little respect for expressing them? How can someone who so yearns to be taken seriously make so little effort?!
Reply With Quote
  #28  
KevinTheOmnivore KevinTheOmnivore is offline
Mocker
KevinTheOmnivore's Avatar
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY
KevinTheOmnivore is probably a spambot
Old Oct 10th, 2005, 12:09 PM       
Politics isn't about reality, preechr. It's about perception. Your problem is that you look for tangible and substantive things.

You can contradict the fact that Republicans may or may not really cut taxes, but the bottom line is if a GOP candidate is in a GOP-dominated district, when all else fails, they'll appeal to the base with tax cuts and Jesus. One of the two generally works.

Democrats revert to felatio.

And I'd start another thread, if I knew what the hell you'd like to talk about. Shall I title it "Preechr's omnibus thread"???
Reply With Quote
  #29  
Preechr Preechr is offline
=======
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: NA
Preechr is probably a spambot
Old Oct 10th, 2005, 01:03 PM       
Quote:
Originally Posted by KevinTheOmnivore
Great Society Liberalism is dead, and fiscal conservatism is getting the plug pulled. This is an interesting topic (the parties, ideology, alignment, etc.), it's really my most geeky interest, but it has NOTHING TO DO WITH IRAQ AND GOOD NEWS!!!
Whatever you wish to talk about, I suppose, but I was responding to that.
__________________
mburbank~ Yes, okay, fine, I do know what you meant, but why is it not possible for you to get through a paragraph without making all the words cry?

How can someone who obviously thinks so much of their ideas have so little respect for expressing them? How can someone who so yearns to be taken seriously make so little effort?!
Reply With Quote
  #30  
KevinTheOmnivore KevinTheOmnivore is offline
Mocker
KevinTheOmnivore's Avatar
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY
KevinTheOmnivore is probably a spambot
Old Oct 15th, 2005, 04:10 PM       
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/...ain/index.html


Count begins in Iraq's vote on draft charter
Turnout high in some spots; few reports of violence

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- After decades of repression and years of war and insurgency, millions of Iraqis let their voices be heard Saturday, voting in a historic constitutional referendum whose results could significantly alter the way the country is governed.

An Iraqi election official reported early signs of high voter turnout in eight of Iraq's 18 provinces, but the United Nations' top elections official said it was too early to be certain.

Fareed Ayar, spokesman for the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, said initial figures show more than two-thirds of eligible voters cast ballots in Baghdad and provinces in northern and central Iraq.

By contrast, less than a third of the voters turned out in one southern province. Turnout estimates for the rest of the country ranged between 33 and 66 percent.

Carina Perelli, the U.N. elections official, said the early estimates are little better than guesses and don't take into account the possibility of irregularities in different provinces.

With security tight, few incidents of insurgent violence were reported.

Election officials, some working by lantern light, began the hand count as darkness fell.

Rings of Iraqi security forces and U.S. troops closely guarded the polls. Vehicles were barred from the streets, so voters walked to the polls.

Iraqis marked paper ballots to indicate whether they approved or rejected a draft constitution setting up the democratic framework to govern the nation.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari were among the first to cast ballots.

CNN correspondents in different parts of the country reported that voting had been brisk. (See video of one of the polls -- 3:04)

CNN's Nic Robertson, who covered the January vote for the transitional National Assembly and is in Iraq now, said voting appeared to be heavier this time.

And at least one polling site in Diyala province -- which has seen its share of insurgent violence -- reported a high turnout exceeding the 60 percent turnout seen in January elections. About 15.5 million of Iraq's 26 million people are eligible to vote.

"All regions are voting and all regions are voting steadily," U.N. elections official Carina Perelli said a few hours before polls closed.

Attacks meant to stop voting
As expected, insurgents attempted Saturday to disrupt the voting -- but no major attacks were reported.

An Iraqi police patrol near a polling station in Baghdad was hit by a roadside bomb shortly after voting started. Two police officers were wounded, according to to an Iraqi police official with Baghdad emergency police.

At about noon, a civilian was killed when a sniper opened fire from a building across from a polling station, police said. The sniper, who may have been targeting police, was not captured.

On Friday, a bomb attack on the main power line into Baghdad knocked out power to about 70 percent of the capital, an official from Iraq's electricity ministry said. The cities of Beiji and Musayyib were also affected.

Power began gradually returning in the city early Saturday morning.

Sunnis' objections and crucial role
Chances for approval of the constitution increased considerably Wednesday when the Iraqi Islamic Party -- the largest Sunni Arab party -- dropped its opposition, after the transitional assembly agreed to consider changes in the framework once a general election is held in December.

Sunni Arab groups have objected to provisions that would grant more autonomy to Shiite areas in the south and Kurdish areas in the north. They also object to provisions that exclude elements of former dictator Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated Baath Party.

Friday, insurgents attacked four offices of the Iraqi Islamic Party, which made the last-minute deal with the country's governing Shiite-Kurdish coalition to support a "yes" vote on the constitution. No casualties were reported.

A spokesman for the Iraqi Islamic Party, Ayad al-Samarraie, said the attacks would not change the party's decision to support the constitution.

"Those who could not convince people by words, they want to terrify them by these actions," he said.

The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, demurred Friday when asked if he thought the draft constitution would be approved.

"We'll have to see. Now it's in the hands of the Iraqis," he told CNN's "The Situation Room."

"The draft constitution, which a few days ago could have been characterized as a Shia-Kurdish document, now has got a substantial amount of Sunni support."

In the mixed Shiite-Sunni area of Baquba about one-third of the local population had visited the polling stations by midday.

How the vote must go
The draft constitution -- hammered out after months of contentious, painstaking negotiations by lawmakers in Iraq's transitional National Assembly -- must be approved by a majority of Iraq's voters.

With strong support in the Shiite and Kurdish communities, which together acount for more than three-quarters of the population, that threshold is expected to be met.

However, the constitution will fail if it was rejected by at least two-thirds of the voters in at least three of the country's 18 provinces. With many Sunni Arab groups opposing the document, rejection is considered possible in four provinces where Sunnis predominate. (Full story)

Rejection of the constitution would be a serious blow to Iraq's political evolution since the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam in 2003. The transitional assembly would be dissolved, and the process of writing a constitution would have to start all over after a new assembly is elected in December.

By contrast, if the constitution is approved, Iraqis would vote in December for a new, permanent government -- possibly clearing the way for the United States and its coalition allies to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq.

TV appeals from both sides
In a country once governed by the will of Saddam -- where dissent and debate could result in death -- both sides in the constitutional referendum took their case to the people in the days leading up to the vote with emotional television appeals. (Watch efforts to push Iraqis to the polls -- 2:30)

In one pro-constitution message, a warm female voice speaks over the national anthem as images of people casting ballots are shown.

"Let's vote for a better future, not a past of fear," the narrator says. "Let's vote for our strength and not our weakness."

Anti-constitution forces responded with a message portraying the document as the result of the U.S.-led invasion, rather than the product of a homegrown democratic movement.

"Resist the occupation by voting down the constitution," the message says.

As a central part of their strategy, opponents complained that Iraqis have not had adequate opportunity to evaluate the complex constitution because many have just received a copy of it in the last few days.

And some Sunni Arab leaders argued that the constitution is the work of Shiite leaders too cozy with neighboring Iran, where Shiites predominate.

"Only those who are pro-Iran and they worked for Iran, they want to pass this constitution because they want to link part of Iraq to Iran," said Salih al-Mutlag, an official who regularly speaks for a faction of Sunni Arab lawmakers.

But in a recent interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Iraqi National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie said, "I hope and I pray that the Iraqi people will say yes, yes, loud and clear for this constitution."

"It is a huge step toward building a new Iraq, and this is a milestone," he said.

CNN correspondent Aneesh Raman, Arab Affairs editor Octavia Nasr and producers Arwa Damon and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.
Reply With Quote
  #31  
KevinTheOmnivore KevinTheOmnivore is offline
Mocker
KevinTheOmnivore's Avatar
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY
KevinTheOmnivore is probably a spambot
Old Oct 16th, 2005, 05:05 PM       
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...home-headlines


In Fallouja, Lining Up to Have Their Say

Turnout is reported to be heavy in a Sunni Arab city recovering from fighting last year. Sentiment seems to be against the constitution.

By Solomon Moore
Times Staff Writer

October 16, 2005

FALLOUJA, Iraq — The referendum on Iraq's constitution was important enough to Mufeed Abed Ghafour that he cast not just one, but five ballots.

Ghafour walked into a polling station at Al Asad School on Saturday and cast a ballot for himself, his wife and his three children.

"We all came earlier," he said. "But the crowds were too large. So now I have returned and have brought their ballots for them."

Impassioned election workers openly discussed their views on the proposed charter a few feet away from cardboard voting stands.

Security was dicey. A local election official said there were more than a dozen hand-grenade attacks against Iraqi troops in and around Fallouja, and the day before, someone firebombed a local political party office.

Mistrust of Iraqi security forces runs so deep that local tribes formed their own guard units for polling stations and urged the soldiers to keep away.

And many residents' knowledge of the subject of their votes, a complex document completed only last week by Iraq's National Assembly, was sketchy at best.

This is what a successful election looks like in battle-scarred Fallouja, a predominantly Sunni Arab city where only 7,000 residents out of a pre-invasion population of about 350,000 voted in Iraq's parliamentary elections in January. In the aftermath of a massive U.S. offensive in Fallouja last year, most residents were displaced; most who remained boycotted the vote at the behest of Sunni Arab leaders.

On Saturday, nearly 75% of eligible voters, an estimated 150,000 people, cast ballots in the Fallouja area in a vote relatively unimpeded by violence. The large turnout signaled not only the willingness of a large Sunni Arab community to participate in Iraq's nascent political process but the unwillingness or inability of insurgents to disrupt the vote.

John Kael Weston, a State Department official assigned to Fallouja, said that a large reason for the shift from January's boycott to Saturday's high turnout was the decision of 50 clerics to endorse participation in the referendum.

"We're seeing grass-roots organizations telling people to vote, not necessarily because it's what they want to do, but because they have to do it," Weston said. "They realize that if they don't participate they don't have a lot of other options. They also realize that they made a mistake in January by sitting out the last election."

Like many Falloujans, Anad Aboud, 65, boycotted the January election. Aboud's house was destroyed and three of his sons were killed by Iraqi soldiers, he said, shortly after the worst of the fighting in Fallouja. He said that local clerics had persuaded him to vote.

"This our election, and we have to express our opinions," he said. "The clerics, they told us in their sermons that we should vote."

Although no results were available Saturday, anecdotal evidence suggested that Falloujans would vote heavily against the proposed charter.

"I will vote no because I am against sectarianism," said Hareth Abdul Kareem, a 46-year-old merchant. "Iraq should be one nation. Sunni, or Shiite, or Kurd — we are all Iraqis."

Many Sunni Arabs had expressed concerns that the proposed constitution opened the door for eventual secession by the predominately Shiite south or the largely Kurdish north.

Last week, however, the Iraqi Islamic Party, a major Sunni Arab political party, agreed to back the constitution in exchange for the chance to renegotiate the document after the next parliament is elected in December.

But the Islamic Party's agreement to support the constitution appeared to have little traction in Fallouja. Unknown attackers firebombed party offices in Fallouja on Friday night, and voters derided the organization for changing its position on the draft constitution.

Rafa Alwan Mahana, 48, a retired teacher, said Fallouja's council of clerics was disappointed by the party's decision. If the party wanted to take a position, he said, "the Muslim community should be asked first. They did this without consulting."

Weston said that heavy participation in the vote had undercut extremist groups.

"You've got the grass roots, the whole community standing up and saying they want to participate in the election process," said Weston, who has been assigned to Fallouja for 18 months. "If you see your neighbors, your relatives, your own people walking down the street to vote, do you want to kill them? Probably not."

Sheik Dhari Abdul Hadi, who is Fallouja's mayor, said that he was less concerned about which way people voted than how many people voted.

"They are going in great and huge numbers and I noticed this morning that they were joining overcrowded lines," Hadi said. "All the voters know their responsibility to their future of this country."

Weston estimated that Fallouja's vote would comprise roughly 80% of the total vote in the western Al Anbar province, a vast, but sparsely populated Sunni Arab region. The desert province has been a main thoroughfare for insurgent groups trekking over the border from Syria and the target of several major military offensives.

Much of the province will likely report much lower turnouts than Fallouja, Weston said. Marines have been tracking down insurgent groups in Al Anbar towns such as Qaim and Ramadi, and fighting has displaced enough people to lower voter turnouts.

Fallouja has become a key piece of the U.S. public relations effort in Iraq. The U.S. Embassy flew several journalists to Fallouja to observe the election and coordinated security with Marines and Iraqi police throughout visits to polling stations in prescreened areas of the city.

About 4,000 Iraqi soldiers and police officers patrol Fallouja's streets. Generally, only residents of the city are allowed to enter, and the Marines are closely monitoring them.

Marines said as many as 70,000 Falloujans have been subjected to retinal scans and have had their names entered into a military database. All residents must carry identity cards and can be detained if they attempt to pass without the papers. Residents said their unhappiness with tight security was another reason to vote.

"The Iraqi security forces are doing patrols and raids, they are torturing innocent people," said Amir Ismael, 45. "We have no freedom, we are oppressed in this place…. I will express my opinion, and I feel satisfied that all my neighbors will say no to this constitution."

Fallouja itself has been slowly rebuilding. The Iraqi government has spent $200 million this year to compensate Iraqis who lost family members or homes when 6,000 Marines and 1,300 Iraqi soldiers assaulted insurgent fighters in the city. The money is also being used to rebuild Fallouja's damaged sewers, power lines and other infrastructure.

Two-thirds of Fallouja's buildings were destroyed in the fighting — everywhere there are broken roofs, clipped mosque minarets and gaping holes in walls.

During a brief meeting Saturday with local leaders at a Marine outpost, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad urged residents to continue to build their local institutions and their political voice.

A tribal leader told Khalilzad that the central government still owed Fallouja millions of dollars in reconstruction money. The local leaders also said Al Anbar province should be represented by more parliament members during the December elections.

Hadi, the mayor, expressed his fears that the constitution could further divide the nation, and his hope that relations among Sunni Arabs, Shiites and Kurds could replicate the Saddam Hussein era when, he said, there were no divisions.

"Of course, nostalgia for the past should not be a motive driving the political process here," Khalilzad said. "The past is finished. It is gone."
Reply With Quote
  #32  
Geggy Geggy is offline
say what now?
Geggy's Avatar
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Peebody
Geggy is probably a spambot
Old Oct 17th, 2005, 06:23 PM       
My head hurts
http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/10/17/123548/13

This is why I'm having difficulties forming my own opinion on the war, the rebuilding of iraq or any other issues for that matter. After constantly reading countless articles over the years since 9-11, I just don't know which type of information spewed forth by journalists, bloggers, reporters, etc., that I should fully believe in. But I'm definitely certain about one thing...and that is W. Bush has proven himself clearly retarded.
Reply With Quote
  #33  
Geggy Geggy is offline
say what now?
Geggy's Avatar
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Peebody
Geggy is probably a spambot
Old Oct 18th, 2005, 04:54 AM       
This is coming from the Yahoo! news source...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051018/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

Yikes...
__________________
enjoy now, regret later
Reply With Quote
  #34  
KevinTheOmnivore KevinTheOmnivore is offline
Mocker
KevinTheOmnivore's Avatar
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY
KevinTheOmnivore is probably a spambot
Old Oct 18th, 2005, 09:11 AM       
Election fraud? We still have election fraud here, and MyDD is complaining about it over there?

If you want to better formulate your opinion on the war, don't read just MyDD and then the AP Wire. If you're going to read a blog with a liberal leaning, then yes, it may contradict what you're seeing in the mainstream press.

Read the Daily Kos and the MyDD's of the blogosphere, but compliment it with something like http://chrenkoff.blogspot.com/. This guy is very conservative, and is very open about it. He unfortuantely doesn't update this blog anymore, but it provides some pretty comprehensive links and examples of positive things coming from Iraq.

And good things coming from Iraq don't necessarily contradict the fact that George W. Bush is an idiot.
Reply With Quote
  #35  
Geggy Geggy is offline
say what now?
Geggy's Avatar
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Peebody
Geggy is probably a spambot
Old Oct 18th, 2005, 01:32 PM       
my problem is every article i read, i'm skeptical on how solid the information is. i'm just keeping it an open mind and keep my options open until the outcome of the result, then i can form an opinion.

i've noticed numbers of conversative blogs are declining. it's a possible sign they're getting fed up with the bush administrations, espcially after the mier issue. they're completely over it which is the reason i'm leaning more on the liberal assholes' point of views. they seem to be winning the opinion war.

but it can get tiring reading some blogs written by liberal assholes who cringe at every good news coming from white house and iraq that they try everything in their power to contradict the good news. oh well
__________________
enjoy now, regret later
Reply With Quote
  #36  
KevinTheOmnivore KevinTheOmnivore is offline
Mocker
KevinTheOmnivore's Avatar
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY
KevinTheOmnivore is probably a spambot
Old Jun 9th, 2006, 12:58 PM       
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...060801532.html

Our Strategy for a Democratic Iraq

By Nouri al-Maliki
Friday, June 9, 2006; Page A23

BAGHDAD -- The completion of the national unity government Thursday in Iraq marks the starting point for repaying Iraqis' commitment to and thirst for democracy. We are at this juncture thanks to the bravery of the soldiers, police and citizens who have paid the highest price to give Iraq its freedom. Our national unity government will honor these sacrifices by pursuing an uncompromising agenda to deliver security and services to the Iraqi people and to combat rampant corruption.

This government will build on the additional momentum gained from the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in order to defeat terrorism and sectarianism and to deliver on the Iraqi people's hope of a united, stable and prosperous democracy by following a three-pronged strategy:

We will draw on the country's untapped workforce to kick-start extensive reconstruction, put into motion an initiative for genuine national reconciliation, and increase the intensity and efficacy of building the military and police. While some parts of the country have been very quiet and secure, this has not resulted in increased investment or reconstruction. Our government will correct this imbalance and develop the infrastructure and services in these more secure regions, making them a model for the rest of the country. We will mobilize the impressive energy and skills of Iraq's young population to invigorate the rebuilding effort.

This government will embark on a national reconciliation initiative, which is important if Iraqis are to begin to heal the divisions and wounds brought on by Saddam Hussein's dictatorial rule and further widened by terrorism. This, along with genuine cooperation among all of Iraq's ethnic and religious groupings in this national unity government, will allow us to pursue the terrorists with maximum force.

Baghdad is home to a quarter of Iraq's population and is its financial and political center. This government of national unity will launch an initiative to secure the capital and confront the ethnic cleansing that is taking place in many areas around it. We will meet head-on the armed gangs and terrorists who we believe constitute the main threat to security. Furthermore, we will develop and strengthen the country's intelligence services, which represent the best form of defense against terrorist bombings.

We believe we will soon reach a tipping point in our battle against the terrorists as Iraqi security services increase in size and capacity, taking more and more responsibility away from the multinational forces. Key to meeting this target is ensuring that current forces are properly equipped and competent to take over security, while at the same time enhancing and expanding the training program.

To provide the security Iraqis desire and deserve, it is imperative that we reestablish a state monopoly on weapons by putting an end to militias. This government will implement Law 91 to incorporate the militias into the national security services. Unlike previous efforts, this will be done in a way that ensures that militia members are identified at the start, dispersed to avoid any concentration of one group in a department or unit, and then monitored to ensure loyalty only to the state. In addition, we will engage with the political leaders of the militias to create the will to disband these groups.

While security represents the major impediment to reconstruction and the provision of essential services such as electricity, administrative corruption is also contributing to the problem and robbing Iraq of its wealth. We will fight corruption from the top down. We will revamp and strengthen our anti-corruption watchdog, the Commission for Public Integrity, and initiate necessary political, economic and civil reforms. This will include gradual reductions in government subsidies, which impede Iraq's economic recovery and abet corruption, coupled with the establishment of a social security program for the least privileged.

The political and economic reforms outlined here are guided by a common belief in democracy. Liberty is the essence of a democratic system, which is why I believe they must go hand in hand.

Finally, to achieve this vision, it is necessary that Iraq's neighbors not interfere in its internal matters. While some neighboring countries provided refuge for many Iraqis during the rule of the dictatorial Baathist regime, this does not give them a right to meddle in Iraq now or turn a blind eye to terrorists' operations.

Iraqis have elected a national unity government that will always put national interests ahead of sectarian or ethnic agendas. This government will support the judiciary in relentlessly pursuing the murderers and kidnappers who have blighted Iraqi society. With the help of the international community and regional partners, we will be able to defeat the terrorist groups in Iraq.

The scale of the task ahead is humbling. Iraqis have time and time again demonstrated their patience and perseverance in the face of many challenges. With our allies, we will also persevere to make Iraq a prosperous democracy in the heart of the Middle East.

The writer is prime minister of the Republic of Iraq.
Reply With Quote
  #37  
Courage the Cowardly Dog Courage the Cowardly Dog is offline
Unmedicated genius
Courage the Cowardly Dog's Avatar
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Nowhere, Missouri
Courage the Cowardly Dog is probably a spambot
Old Jun 9th, 2006, 05:13 PM       
I thought this was gonna about Zarqawi saving money on his car insurance.

But after reading this I must say I'm very happy. It is good to see we are on the road to final victory and ultimate withdrawel. It may have cost a LOT of lives btu I believe America has made the world a better place with this new government.
__________________
Reply With Quote
  #38  
KevinTheOmnivore KevinTheOmnivore is offline
Mocker
KevinTheOmnivore's Avatar
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY
KevinTheOmnivore is probably a spambot
Old Jun 11th, 2006, 03:19 PM       
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13251244/site/newsweek/

How to Exploit the Opening
More troops in Baghdad is a good idea, but true security will need more than firepower.

By Fareed Zakaria
Newsweek

June 19, 2006 - You've read all the cautions. This is not a turning point. Zarqawi's death is not a seismic event. He was not that brilliant or strategic. He will be replaced. Al Qaeda is just one of the many militias running rampant in Iraq. All true. And so, the violence continues. But there are some political signs—no more than glimmers—that make me just a bit hopeful. First, Zarqawi's death might be a sign of the changing attitude of some radical Sunnis.

Zarqawi was likely betrayed by someone close to his organization, perhaps even someone within it. His extreme ideology and actions were turning off Sunnis, even those who had allied with him. His increasing brutalities against Shiite civilians—blowing up mosques—were not popular. In a recent audiotape, he urged the killing of Grand Ayatollah Sistani, who is respected (even if not revered) by many Sunnis. Last week, in Fallujah, the heart of radical Sunni land, Zarqawi's men tried to destroy the tomb of a Sunni saint because, according to Al Qaeda's puritanical interpretation of Islam, such shrines are blasphemous. But Fallujah's Sunnis, even the radical and fundamentalist among them, have long respected such sites. The result was a pitched battle between Al Qaeda and other Sunni insurgent groups. The latter won.

Then there is the changing attitude of some radical Shiites. More important than Zarqawi's death last week was the completion of the cabinet in Baghdad, which included a Sunni defense minister. Earlier in the week Iraq's Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki, announced the release of about 600 prisoners, a number that will go up to 2,000. It also reported that Maliki will present a national reconciliation plan at a conference sponsored by the Arab League later this month. The proposal apparently will make some provision to end de-Baathification in its current form, and include an offer to reintegrate Sunnis who abandon the insurgency. Such an initiative would represent an attempt by Maliki to address key Sunni demands and draw some of the more moderate insurgent groups into the mainstream political process.


Maliki is also beginning to move on the militias. One of his first official acts as prime minister was to go down to the city of Basra, where Shia militias run rampant, and declare a state of emergency. He has also spoken up about disbanding all militias in Iraq. His actions have provoked angry reactions from his rivals within the Shia alliance, chiefly SCIRI, which has its militias throughout Basra. SCIRI's leader, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, and his son, Mohsen al-Hakim, have both given interviews in the past few days (to Knight Ridder and the Financial Times) that indirectly criticize Maliki's new direction. This internal Shia dissension has been the principal cause of the delays and dysfunction in Iraq's government. And it may get worse now as the tensions rise to the surface. Maliki will have to tackle not just Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, but Moqtada al-Sadr. However, Zarqawi's death has given Maliki greater popularity and thus a stronger hand with which to deal with all his challengers.

Maliki sees his job, first and foremost, as creating security, and he wants to do it by using more troops and focusing them in Baghdad. That's a good idea, but true security will now require a lot more than firepower. Maliki has to rebuild basic political order. Consider an analogy. Imagine if after the fall of apartheid in South Africa, the black majority had come to power and decided to dismantle the entire apparatus of the Afrikaner state. Let's say they disbanded the army, which had slaughtered them, and then fired all the whites in the civil service. The result would have been chaos, a dysfunctional state, and—in all probability—the rise of an Afrikaner insurgency. But they did none of that. On the contrary, the ANC was extraordinarily forgiving, reassuring white South Africans that they would have an important place in the new South Africa. As a result, South Africa has been more politically stable and economically successful than anyone would have predicted in 1994.

The contrast is obvious. The United States disbanded the Iraqi army and fired 40,000 bureaucrats after taking over Iraq, on the urging of some—though not all—Shia political leaders. We see the results. For two years now we have been attempting to reverse course. But to build a stable political order, it will take more than just an Iraqi military. It will take an Iraqi Mandela.
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

   


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 08:59 AM.


© 2008 I-Mockery.com
Powered by: vBulletin
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.