Iraq is facing a new crisis

No one should have entertained the fantasy that things would suddenly go swimmingly once the last American troops left Iraq. But even pessimists would have been challenged to foresee that crisis would hit just a day later. And while Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned at the ceremony marking the end of U.S. military involvement that Iraq would face many challenges, it's likely he meant that al-Qaida and sectarian extremists would test Iraq's government with terrorist bombings.

A series of those did occur, and they were bloody and dispiriting, but sadly they are business as usual in Iraq. The far greater threat was spawned almost immediately upon completion of the American withdrawal when Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a member of the country's Shiite majority, issued an arrest warrant for Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, a top-ranking Sunni politician.

For the moment, Mr. al-Hashemi is safe, since he was in the Kurdish region at the time, and the Kurds have little incentive to snap to Mr. al-Maliki's commands.

It's hard to know whether there is any truth to the charge that Mr. al-Hashemi ran a death squad during the civil strife that wracked the nation after the American-led invasion in 2003. Few Iraqi leaders have completely clean hands; it's also the case that these former rivals somehow must govern together if their country is to have any chance of avoiding dictatorship or disintegration.

In any event, much more is at stake than Mr. al-Hashemi's fate.

For starters, the timing supports fears that Mr. al-Maliki is moving to purge the government of meaningful Sunni participation. In addition to seeking Mr. al-Hashemi's arrest, Mr. al-Maliki asked the parliament for a no-confidence vote against another prominent Sunni leader, Saleh al-Mutlaq, a deputy prime minister. Mr. al-Maliki also threatened to exclude Iraqiya, the main Sunni party, from participation in the unity government.

Meanwhile, hundreds of former members of the Baath Party, through which Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq as leader of the Sunni minority, have been arrested in recent weeks, and Sunni officials' compounds in Baghdad have been surrounded by Mr. al-Maliki's security forces.

All in all, the situation reeks of Shiite vengeance against Sunnis and strongly suggests that Mr. al-Maliki intends to become a new Iraqi dictator. If that is his intention and he succeeds, Iraq will have traded the Sunni Saddam for a Shiite counterpart. If he tries and fails, the country could quickly dissolve into renewed sectarian warfare and possible partition into Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish regions.

Some Republican lawmakers in Washington are seizing on the crisis to criticize the Obama administration for pulling out military forces. But the administration had no choice, since Iraq refused to agree to permit troops to remain. Moreover, military intervention in Iraq's internal politics would have been precisely the wrong thing to do.

However, the United States and its key allies in the region — Saudi Arabia, the Persian Gulf emirates, Turkey and Jordan — should use their considerable influence to pull Mr. al-Maliki back.

The U.S., for example, can withhold delivery of F-16 planes and training of Iraqi pilots. Other countries can impose conditions on Iraqi oil sales and redevelopment of its oilfields.

If Iraq crumbles or falls into the grip of tyranny, a war that was a disastrous blunder will result in utter defeat.

Geezer you absolutely correct .......may Iraq get it together , ....but it looks M is PLANTED!!

and he there for a purpose....kinda look s like we are going thur the samething!!

Sadly, many of the Iraqis in parliament do not understand how their own system of government works. When they dramatically walk out of parliament meetings you forfeit your right to vote, just the same as if a US Senator chose not to attend a voting session in the Senate. Meanwhile, the parliament is paralyzed due to a lack of a quorum. They need to understand the voting process is how they weigh in on issues...not walking out.

Political disagreement is the cornerstone of the democratic process. Just look at our own government. They claim that Maliki is running things like a dictator...that really cannot be any more than Obama could be. Maliki does not even have veto powers, so he cannot undo what Parliament accomplishes in session. Maliki's power can best be quantified by what the Parliament and the Iraqi people sheepishly allow him to have instead of asserting their inherent rights.

I am not the president of the Maliki fan club and I certainly have no insights into the Iraqi mindset, nor do I possess any special knowledge of what is really happening over there. However, I do understand government structure and the hows and whys of the governmental system put in place in Iraq. If we can help the Iraqis at all at this juncture it would be to assist them in how to better implement the process for the common good, which is what I suspect is one of the reasons the US Congressional is there right now.

Whether you like Maliki or not (jury is still out for me), he is pushing forward the issues related to the RV at breakneck pace, so in essence he is working in our best interests. I won't comment on the more humanitarian or public interest components further other than to say that the public programs (housing, education, utilities, medical faclities, etc...) most desparately needed are directly related to Iraqs' financial success and Maliki appears to understand this. Time will tell...

And how is he NOT a dictator when he has had secret prisons, stealing the election, not following thru with the agreements made, bypassing the constitution with proxy positions (which he is in charge of magically) and the list goes on and on and on.


Sounds like o ....