Monday, October 8, 2007

Wither Maliki? What’s Working, What’s Not, and Why

by Nicholas M. Guariglia from Global Politician

The Iranian-stoked sectarianism and Wahhabi-driven insurrection has continued regardless of Iraqi political progress. This much is undeniable. Top-down efforts to tame the violence did not pay off, and opponents reminded this to the rest of us on a weekly basis. But now as abject military success against al Qaida in Anbar, and against the insurgents across the field, is beginning to pay off, the fons et origo talking point is to claim everything poor is the fault of Prime Minister Maliki and his sectarian nature. While Maliki has been dealt a difficult hand of cards, and he has admittedly not lived up to his responsibilities, the source of warfare and sectarianism and violence in Iraq is not his personality, or the defunct nature of a democratically elected government ... Reconciliation did not bring peace. Peace can bring reconciliation. That’s what we’ve learned. And that means viewing Iraq as a proxy war against its devious neighbors.

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