Cross-Sectarianism in Iraq
This is a fantastic story in both senses of the term: elegantly written and reported by The Washington Post’s Anthony Shadid; and substantively a Good Thing.
This is a fantastic story in both senses of the term: elegantly written and reported by The Washington Post’s Anthony Shadid; and substantively a Good Thing. Shadid reports on the emerging political coalitions in Iraq that, for the first time since the invasion, cross sectarian lines. I like this anecdote between Sunni hardliner Saleh Mutlaq — whom I once saw taking care of business in a Green Zone hotel two years ago — and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who have been bitter sectarian and political rivals for three years:
“„Mutlak draws backing from among the still-numerous supporters of Hussein’s Baath Party in Sunni regions, and he has long pushed for reconciliation with its members. Despite his reputation as a Shiite hard-liner when he came to power in 2006, Maliki echoed the call this month. In a speech, he urged Iraqis to reconcile with rank-and-file Baathists, those he described as “forced and obliged at one time to be on the side of the former regime.”
“„He declared that it was time “to let go of what happened” in the past.
“„Mutlak said he told Maliki in a meeting two months ago that “there was a time when you stood against me on those issues. ‘You should be happy I changed,’ he told me.” Smiling in the interview, Mutlak joked that first the prime minister “stole the government from us, and now he’s trying to steal our political speech from us.”
Read the whole piece for a flavor of the complex coalition forming that’s taking place in Iraq. Much of it concerns alliances of convenience in the south, where Maliki will break bread with followers of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, despite their war last year. And much of these alliances are furtive and prone to collapse as the factions test each other. But that’s what’s so broadly significant. Since the occupation began, politics had been a subset of sectarian activities — violent and otherwise. For that dynamic to erode is to mean Iraq has a chance at being a functional, healthy, successful state.
–
TWI’s Twitter feed is also substantively a Good Thing. Follow it here.
Related
$1.3 trillion in federal spending unaccounted for, report finds
Despite calls for independent bodies to keep government accountable, the Sunlight Foundation’s most recent Clearspending report has found the federal
$1.89 billion given to states to fight HIV
The federal government Monday announced more than $1.89 billion in funding to states to fight the HIV epidemic with access to care and with more cash for the failing AIDS Drug Assistance Program. According to an HHS press release , $813 million of that money will go directly to the ADAP programming. An additional $8,386,340 will be issued as a supplement to 36 states and territories currently facing a litany of unmet needs and access issues.
1 Brigade and 1 Battalion
ISTANBUL – It’s 10 p.m. in the lowest level of the Istanbul airport. In 20 minutes I’ll be allowed to board my plane to Kabul, bringing me to the
1. Brian Schweitzer
As governor of Montana, Schweitzer doesn’t represent one of the most highly populated, high-profile electoral states in the country. But this
#1 in Conspiracy Theories
Andrew Young’s tell-all biography of John Edwards, hitting shelves next week, is surging in one Amazon.com category in particular. #1 in Conspiracy
$1 Million for Toomey
Pat Toomey, the former Club for Growth president and leading Republican candidate in Pennsylvania’s 2010 Senate race, has announced a $1 million haul in the
$1 Trillion for Fannie and Freddie?
That is the worst-case scenario, according to Egan-Jones Ratings Co., quoted in a Bloomberg article making the rounds. The agency says that if home prices
$1.3 Million for Brown
The GOP’s candidate in the Massachusetts special election raised more than one million dollars -- double the goal -- in a 24-hour moneybomb on the Ron Paul
Ten Loopholes That Can’t Make It Into FinReg
Dan Pfeiffer, the White House communications director, wrote a blog post that lists the loopholes lobbyists most want inserted into Sen. Chris Dodd’s (D-Conn.)
Bachmann uncomfortable over earmarks ban
Republicans appear to have boxed themselves into a corner with their portrayal of earmarks as wasteful spending, as many of them have backed a moratorium on
Troubled mine holds hope for U.S. rare earth industry
China currently controls 97 percent of the world’s rare earth production. The Mountain Pass Mine could change that -- if it can overcome serious environmental concerns.