Having lost the major secularist Iraqiya Party as well as both major Kurdish blocs, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government is now facing calls from his Shi’ite rivals in the Sadrist Trend to prepare for early elections.
The call for early elections will have to wait for a bit, however, as the major parties are expected to hold crisis talks later this week in an attempt to resolve the situation. Barring a breakthrough, Maliki will not have a majority government, and while Iraqiya is said to be in private talks, it seems unlikely they will be able to build a majority of their own.
In a parliamentary system this is supposed to lead to fresh elections, but Maliki’s centralization efforts, along with his efforts to arrest top rivals as “terrorists” have led many to believe that he would simply not allow such a vote to happen, and plans to retain his position regardless of his status in parliament.
A new election might be dramatically transformative to Iraqi politics, particularly coming after the US has withdrawn virtually all of its occupation forces. There is considerable anger against Maliki nationwide, and the Sadrist trend, which shocked everyone with its strong showing in the last vote, might well capitalize on that to become the largest Shi’ite bloc.
The situation in Iraq is confused. Who is up who and who is paying the rent?
How are we, citizens of the imperial West, supposed to make sense of it all when the Iraqis can't?
P.S. If this comment is moderated, it will be my last!
“THE CURSE CAUSELESS HAS NOT COME”
So, Iraq has “a parliamentary system” that gives Maliki the ability to create for himself an all-powerful dictatorship. A full ten years has Empire USA had to create for the Iraq people a good government, yet it ends up being the absolute worse kind of government.
The fickle finger of fate — how premeditated it is.
I said a year ago that Sadr was going to be an increasingly more important figure in what was left of Iraqi politics, and now it seems I was actually right for a change. Maliki is damaged goods for his Western ties and I doubt he'll be around much longer. It would not surprise me if Sadr doesn't start maneuvering for Maliki's spot soon. Iraq- Shi'a… Iran- Shi'a… doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out who knows how to do politics in the Middle East, and it ain't us.
What a mess. Perhaps predictable since the US occupation forces were so widely hated it did leave leave Malaki with the stench of being a puppet. We can only hope the best for the Iraqi people but there is absolutely nothing positive the US can do at this point — good intentioned or bad, we have the Midas touch. If the Arabs figure out a way to work together I suspect the Kurds will be the big losers — their 20 years of semi-independence will most likely come to an end. And Iraq will have the willing support of Iran and Turkey once they solve their own Kurdish problem.
The CIA executed all these latest terrorist attacks, as a smokescreen to enable Maliki as he proceeds to get rid of anti-US politicians. I’m dieing to see how Iraq weathers the storm.
If you know who owns all the wealth in Iraq, then you should tell us so we know which direction things are going to go. For power to rule like wealth, it always migrates up toward High Society.
Sadr is no fool. He held back and fed Maliki all the rope fit to swing by.