Iraq’s Sunni protesters see Egypt’s coup this week as a reason for optimism, with protest organizer Adnan al-Muhanna expressing hope that the protests against the Maliki government, being carried out for months, could eventually change a regime the way “neither elections nor weapons can.”
Muhanna’s hopes may embolden protests in Iraq, but a stark difference in the situation makes an Egypt-style regime change extremely unlikely. Iraq’s military isn’t on their side.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is under criticism for centralizing power, but as the prime minister, defense minister, interior minister and head of the armed forces, he controls materially all of the government’s security forces, and has used them to regularly crack down on the Sunni protesters.
Even beyond Maliki’s role as titular head of the military, Iraq’s military is virtually brand new, with the previous armed force dismantled during the US occupation, and the new military has no history of operating independently to suggest a coup is at all likely.
Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz
- US Tones Down Rhetoric, Actions Ahead of North Korea Summit - April 24th, 2018
- Trump Threatens Iran as Deadline to Withdraw From Nuclear Deal Looms - April 24th, 2018
- Trump Again Backtracks on Syria Pullout, Vows 'Strong and Lasting Footprint' - April 24th, 2018
- West Seeks to Bypass Russian Veto on UN Moves Against Syria - April 24th, 2018
- House Lawmakers Offer Alternative War Authorization Proposal - April 24th, 2018
As long this man uses the method in terrorists terrorizing the Iraqi people there is a hope for democracy to flourish in Iraq…, yehhhhhh right.