A solid five days of protests in Iraq have led to the government rapidly losing control of the situation. Police are opening fire on public protesters, and curfews are spreading, while being generally ignored.
Death tolls continue to rise, with close to 100 now killed, and anti-corruption protests now sweeping in calls from prominent figures, including religious leader Moqtada al-Sadr, for the government to immediately resign.
Sadr, whose faction is already one of the most politically powerful, says that the entire government should resign and prepare for early elections with international monitors invited to oversee things.
Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi doesn’t seem to be on board for that, as he once again called on protesters to obey the curfew, and promised that political reform was coming. He’s promised that reform virtually since he took office, however, and the lack of delivery is a big part of why the protests are just growing.
Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani also issued a statement on the killings on Friday, saying that parliament is responsible for what is happening, and faulted the government for not answering demands to fight corruption.
Not much about the turmoil in Iraq from our mainstream media, but plenty of pearl-clutching over Hong Kong.
When the time comes to install another government there, we’ll notice… in proportion to how many Americans die doing it.
Once again, Sadr is right.
Yes, Comrad, Muktada AL Sadr was the only one that the invaders could not diminish, co-opt, buy, kill or drive out. He was, in the end, the only honest man standing, and Stand he did..!!! What a man…!!!!!!
I’m pretty sure all the anti-government protests in Iraq would cease immediately if the government gave in and let the US have a completely free hand in building more bases from which attacks on Iran could be launched. A few checks would be written, a few people paid off, and voila! everyone is happy with the government again. Funny how that works, and with frightening regularity when we’ve got an interest in the outcome.
How nice of Hillary to drive President Nouri al-Maliki from office (at the same time as she also ordered Libya’s Gaddafi, Syria’s Assad, Yemen’s Saleh and Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo to leave) and bring ISIL/ISIS/ Daesh in….
Wow, she did all that without even being president……and, running the pedophile ring and burying murdered political enemies… :?[
Good luck finding anything but corruption in an economic system that supports it wholeheartedly.
All so a tiny handful can live like Gods on earth while enslaving everyone else.
I guess we’ll just have to wait until the billionaires have to start stealing from the millionaires they now employ for any real change.
Yay capitalism !!!!