Tuesday, June 13, 2006
TUESDAY, JUNE 6th, 2006
Good evening…
like many others, follow up the changes in the situation in the Iraqi field, and, like many others, I get confused, puzzled, and frustrated, especially after the forming of what is called a – National Unity Government, for two weeks now. But there are no positive developments on the ground of reality.
Why?
Of course, the innocent question jumps in front of my eyes.
I want to go back to reading the reality once more, especially after the events of Basra; the violence there, the killing, looting, the dislodgement of the Sunnie Iraqis, the city filling with different Shia'at militia, who fight over the illegal export of oil. There are also many stories of an Iranian intervention. And of course; there is the on-looking British force, who has nothing to do with the scene, except to remind us that miserable Iraq is still under foreign occupation….
**************************
Cards got mixed up for people inside or outside, so they do not understand what is really happening. The foreign media, and the parrots of the Arab media behind them, keep repeating the fears of a sectarian civil war devastating Iraq.
And once more I go back to ask: What does a civil war mean?
In more than one specialized reference, I read: The civil war is one in which the number of conflict victims are more than one thousand people.
So then, the number of Iraqi victims exceeded tens of thousands, perhaps more, for three years. So, is what is happening there really a civil war? And did Iraq really get a national unity government?
The poor, miserable Gondoleezza Rice, and with her the staff of the American administration; Bush, Rumsfeld, and Cheney, are trying to explain everything that is happening in Iraq as a great victory.
But the truth is; what is happening in Iraq now is a peak, in misery and failure to the American policy…
This isn't a national unity government; this is a sectarian shares government, fighting over interests. And the events in Basra said all that, and exposed it…
*****************
The new Prime Minister, with the new Vice-President, with all my respect to them, went, with personal bodyguards and a big delegation, to Basra, to solve the problem on the ground, instead of sitting in the green zone, and issuing statements.
We always used to say: how can a government enforce its control over unknown gunmen, militias, death and assassination bands in the streets of Baghdad, while that government has no direct control over the street?
The government has no authority over any policeman in the Iraqi street, doesn't know if he is with or against her, it has no control over the security check points on the streets of Baghdad, so how can she control Basra, and the other Iraqi cities?
This isn't a challenge, or a mockery, but the painful reality in Iraq now; this is an elected government, permanent for the next four years, but look with me- how potent and active it is on the ground?
The answer is: nothing- so far…
************************
The Prime Minister, went to Basra, and issued fiery statements; he said– we shall hit with an iron fist all the powers that are tampering with the security of Basra. They schemed a security plan to control the situation; they enforced a state of emergency on the city, spread the army, and had talks with the leaderships of the various militias, that they should withdraw, and reduce their presence in the city…
But by the passage of days, it seems that the security situation in Basra didn't get better; for the acts of violence went on, and this means there is a challenge for the government, and there are some problems that cannot be solved by way of enforcing force, and the army. Because the police force in Basra, and all over Iraq, is not totally nationalistic, meaning- penetrated, containing a lot of the criminals who work as mercenaries, having sectarian, non-nationalistic loyalties…
I didn't understand fully what is happening… but on a website on the Internet I found an interview with a leader of a Shia'at Party, a Party with an active militia in Basra, one that is involved in the acts of violence and the smuggling of oil from the port of Basra.
I remembered that that Party was within the Shia'at Coalition, which contained 7 Parties or groups, most of which have militias, (Al-Da'awa Party, Al-Fadeela Party, Al-Sader Group, Al-Hakeem Group, and others..). These Parties entered the elections as one coalition mass, and won seats in the parliament, but went thought a struggle for Ministries. One Party wanted the Oil Ministry but didn't get it. And now, for instance, after announcing the governmental allotment, the events of Basra rose clearly. I understood from the interview that the leaders of this Party were angry because they were marginalized, and it is as if they were announcing in Basra their revolution against the new government, it being unfair in allotting shares, so, they chose to behave their way, "to obtain the people's robbed rights of the country's wealth". And the spokesman of the Party said; that the government should solve the conflict by way of negotiation and debate, not by force.
And here, I comprehended a part of the true story. There are conflicts for power and for the investment of oil money, which could be interpreted -on the surface- as acts of riot and sectarian violence, but in truth, below the surface- it is a story of financial and political interests of one or more Parties. The interests collided, and the civilian victims from the miserable Iraqi people fell, to pay the price of the hatred, greed, and cupidity of the corrupt leaderships that entered Iraq after the occupation.
Still, the occupation and the American administration are evaluating the political process in Iraq as going in the right direction.
Where is the right direction? And what are the indications?
This violence and daily random killings are a sign of failure, there is no Zarqawi or any other nonsense in the story…
*****************************
I want to look at the presence of the occupation forces, and understand what are the priorities for them? And how do they behave on the Iraqi lands.
Now, Basra is witnessing acts of violence, killings, chaos, and the illegal export of oil. No one of the occupation forces interferes- neither British nor American, to rectify the situation. The cities of Baghdad, Diyala, Basra, Karkook, and other cities are witnessing acts of violence, sectarian or ethnic dislodgment, the destruction of mosques, trapped cars in Sunnie and Shia'at neighborhoods alike, and the daily kidnapping, torturing, and killing of innocent people, and the occupation forces do not interfere to stop any of this daily bloodshed, but they do beat the drums that they are going to bring in extra forces from Kuwait, to besiege Ramadi and cleanse it from the resistance, or the insurgents, as they call them.
Why?
Which is the priority?
Stopping the daily Iraqi bleeding, or eliminating the resistance against the occupation?
Of course, eliminating the resistance is a top issue for the occupier.
As for the Iraqi bleeding, who cares about it?
The new government?
Yes; let us say they do care about it, but, what authority have they to stop the bleeding?
Even the allegiance of the new Iraqi Army and the Police force to the government is dubious, for some have a sectarian loyalty, and are involved with criminal militias, erecting checkpoints to kill people according to their ID cards. The death bands are killing people randomly- school and university students, random families, civilians in mini busses on their way to work or home. There are also death bands responsible for trapped cars in public markets, to get more Iraqi lives.
Every day we hear unbelievable, incredible stories from the various Iraqi cities, about violent events, killings, and bloodshed.
And the elected Iraqi government; is it supposed to perform all the magical acts to stop all these calamities? What capabilities do they have?
They have an Interior and a Defense Ministries, for which the names of ministers aren't named till now. And even if they were named, what miracles will they do?
First of all; they need to cleanse these ministries from the disasters that befell them during the last three years. The occupation used to be responsible for these two ministries, and here comes the elected government to reap the corruption, devastation, and ruin that was planted by the occupation in the two most important ministries in Iraq.
The security agenda was in the hands of the occupation forces, and what have we reaped? A police force and an army made up of mostly unqualified, insincere, sectarian people, killers, and enemies of the Iraqis.
All these are challenges to the elected Iraqi government, by God, I feel sorry for them, and pity. I mean- for the honest among them.
Because even in this elected government, there are poisons snakes who came with the occupation, implemented its policies, and still do. Snakes that ripped Iraq apart, poisoned it with sectarianism and different hatrids. And are still striving to carry out the occupation's dream in dividing Iraq into federalisms, plundering its wealth, and dividing it among those snakes, and the American oil companies.
************************************
Inside this elected Iraqi government there are totally different wills; different in their outlook to many things, some of which are: the outlook at the occupier, the resistance, federalism, the new constitution, the relation with the Arab neighbors, Israel, or even America. There is a big and deep difference between the two viewpoints. Between a deep, genuine Iraqi viewpoint; nationalistic, loving to its land, its people, heritage, history, and culture, possessing an Iraqi will, and high self-trust. And, the viewpoint of a faction of thieves, with not a trace of "Iraq" in their hearts, blood, or minds, who want the occupier to remain to protect them, who hate the history of Iraq and its culture, hate the "Arabism" of Iraq, and its "Islam". These want to build a new Iraq along with the occupier; an Iraq wearing the American flag, eating hamburger, drinking coca cola, and thinking in terms of dollars, and all that comes along with it, of business, deals, free markets, and global trade. A prostrate Iraq, submissive to the instructions of the American white House.
This is the new "Iraq" the occupation wants, and those who came long with it.
And the challenge will remain facing the Iraqis, and the conflict will remain for tens of the coming years.
And we shall see, which is the tide that will win.
********************************
It is obvious, after all these events, that the present elected government is not a National Unity government, but a sectarian and ethnic shares government, no more. This is a deformed government, its measures laid down by a foreign occupier.
A National Unity Government: is one that has a joint viewpoint, an agreed-upon work program, to save the country from the disasters in which Iraq is drowning. And what is happening in Iraq now is- that inside the present government there is a big rift in the viewpoints, in the dealing with the complicated issues like disbanding the militias, the outlook at the Iraqi resistance and how to deal with it, and what the presence of foreign troops on the Iraqi land means. There are also some Parties in the government who have militias involved in acts of killings, violence, and crimes, but wouldn't admit it.
There are some honest nationalists in the government, by they aren't the stronger tide now. The strong tide, the one controlling the parliament with a majority, is the sectarian-ethnic tide; one with militias, a doubtful position, an involvement in the administrational corruption and sectarian violence, walking hand in hand with the occupation, and implementing the occupation's agenda.
But the wager stays- that the majority of the Iraqi people are still rejecting sectarianism, the militias, the occupation, and federalism.
I have a hope; that the majority's dreams are the ones that will be fulfilled, and Iraq will go back one day to being free, independent, and united.
*****************************
The occupation forces, ah! The occupation forces…
What are they doing on the land of Iraq?
What have they done to stop the Iraqi bleeding?
What have they done to unite the Iraqis?
What have they done to make us believe they came for the good of the Iraqis?
I don't know…
* * *
Good evening…
like many others, follow up the changes in the situation in the Iraqi field, and, like many others, I get confused, puzzled, and frustrated, especially after the forming of what is called a – National Unity Government, for two weeks now. But there are no positive developments on the ground of reality.
Why?
Of course, the innocent question jumps in front of my eyes.
I want to go back to reading the reality once more, especially after the events of Basra; the violence there, the killing, looting, the dislodgement of the Sunnie Iraqis, the city filling with different Shia'at militia, who fight over the illegal export of oil. There are also many stories of an Iranian intervention. And of course; there is the on-looking British force, who has nothing to do with the scene, except to remind us that miserable Iraq is still under foreign occupation….
**************************
Cards got mixed up for people inside or outside, so they do not understand what is really happening. The foreign media, and the parrots of the Arab media behind them, keep repeating the fears of a sectarian civil war devastating Iraq.
And once more I go back to ask: What does a civil war mean?
In more than one specialized reference, I read: The civil war is one in which the number of conflict victims are more than one thousand people.
So then, the number of Iraqi victims exceeded tens of thousands, perhaps more, for three years. So, is what is happening there really a civil war? And did Iraq really get a national unity government?
The poor, miserable Gondoleezza Rice, and with her the staff of the American administration; Bush, Rumsfeld, and Cheney, are trying to explain everything that is happening in Iraq as a great victory.
But the truth is; what is happening in Iraq now is a peak, in misery and failure to the American policy…
This isn't a national unity government; this is a sectarian shares government, fighting over interests. And the events in Basra said all that, and exposed it…
*****************
The new Prime Minister, with the new Vice-President, with all my respect to them, went, with personal bodyguards and a big delegation, to Basra, to solve the problem on the ground, instead of sitting in the green zone, and issuing statements.
We always used to say: how can a government enforce its control over unknown gunmen, militias, death and assassination bands in the streets of Baghdad, while that government has no direct control over the street?
The government has no authority over any policeman in the Iraqi street, doesn't know if he is with or against her, it has no control over the security check points on the streets of Baghdad, so how can she control Basra, and the other Iraqi cities?
This isn't a challenge, or a mockery, but the painful reality in Iraq now; this is an elected government, permanent for the next four years, but look with me- how potent and active it is on the ground?
The answer is: nothing- so far…
************************
The Prime Minister, went to Basra, and issued fiery statements; he said– we shall hit with an iron fist all the powers that are tampering with the security of Basra. They schemed a security plan to control the situation; they enforced a state of emergency on the city, spread the army, and had talks with the leaderships of the various militias, that they should withdraw, and reduce their presence in the city…
But by the passage of days, it seems that the security situation in Basra didn't get better; for the acts of violence went on, and this means there is a challenge for the government, and there are some problems that cannot be solved by way of enforcing force, and the army. Because the police force in Basra, and all over Iraq, is not totally nationalistic, meaning- penetrated, containing a lot of the criminals who work as mercenaries, having sectarian, non-nationalistic loyalties…
I didn't understand fully what is happening… but on a website on the Internet I found an interview with a leader of a Shia'at Party, a Party with an active militia in Basra, one that is involved in the acts of violence and the smuggling of oil from the port of Basra.
I remembered that that Party was within the Shia'at Coalition, which contained 7 Parties or groups, most of which have militias, (Al-Da'awa Party, Al-Fadeela Party, Al-Sader Group, Al-Hakeem Group, and others..). These Parties entered the elections as one coalition mass, and won seats in the parliament, but went thought a struggle for Ministries. One Party wanted the Oil Ministry but didn't get it. And now, for instance, after announcing the governmental allotment, the events of Basra rose clearly. I understood from the interview that the leaders of this Party were angry because they were marginalized, and it is as if they were announcing in Basra their revolution against the new government, it being unfair in allotting shares, so, they chose to behave their way, "to obtain the people's robbed rights of the country's wealth". And the spokesman of the Party said; that the government should solve the conflict by way of negotiation and debate, not by force.
And here, I comprehended a part of the true story. There are conflicts for power and for the investment of oil money, which could be interpreted -on the surface- as acts of riot and sectarian violence, but in truth, below the surface- it is a story of financial and political interests of one or more Parties. The interests collided, and the civilian victims from the miserable Iraqi people fell, to pay the price of the hatred, greed, and cupidity of the corrupt leaderships that entered Iraq after the occupation.
Still, the occupation and the American administration are evaluating the political process in Iraq as going in the right direction.
Where is the right direction? And what are the indications?
This violence and daily random killings are a sign of failure, there is no Zarqawi or any other nonsense in the story…
*****************************
I want to look at the presence of the occupation forces, and understand what are the priorities for them? And how do they behave on the Iraqi lands.
Now, Basra is witnessing acts of violence, killings, chaos, and the illegal export of oil. No one of the occupation forces interferes- neither British nor American, to rectify the situation. The cities of Baghdad, Diyala, Basra, Karkook, and other cities are witnessing acts of violence, sectarian or ethnic dislodgment, the destruction of mosques, trapped cars in Sunnie and Shia'at neighborhoods alike, and the daily kidnapping, torturing, and killing of innocent people, and the occupation forces do not interfere to stop any of this daily bloodshed, but they do beat the drums that they are going to bring in extra forces from Kuwait, to besiege Ramadi and cleanse it from the resistance, or the insurgents, as they call them.
Why?
Which is the priority?
Stopping the daily Iraqi bleeding, or eliminating the resistance against the occupation?
Of course, eliminating the resistance is a top issue for the occupier.
As for the Iraqi bleeding, who cares about it?
The new government?
Yes; let us say they do care about it, but, what authority have they to stop the bleeding?
Even the allegiance of the new Iraqi Army and the Police force to the government is dubious, for some have a sectarian loyalty, and are involved with criminal militias, erecting checkpoints to kill people according to their ID cards. The death bands are killing people randomly- school and university students, random families, civilians in mini busses on their way to work or home. There are also death bands responsible for trapped cars in public markets, to get more Iraqi lives.
Every day we hear unbelievable, incredible stories from the various Iraqi cities, about violent events, killings, and bloodshed.
And the elected Iraqi government; is it supposed to perform all the magical acts to stop all these calamities? What capabilities do they have?
They have an Interior and a Defense Ministries, for which the names of ministers aren't named till now. And even if they were named, what miracles will they do?
First of all; they need to cleanse these ministries from the disasters that befell them during the last three years. The occupation used to be responsible for these two ministries, and here comes the elected government to reap the corruption, devastation, and ruin that was planted by the occupation in the two most important ministries in Iraq.
The security agenda was in the hands of the occupation forces, and what have we reaped? A police force and an army made up of mostly unqualified, insincere, sectarian people, killers, and enemies of the Iraqis.
All these are challenges to the elected Iraqi government, by God, I feel sorry for them, and pity. I mean- for the honest among them.
Because even in this elected government, there are poisons snakes who came with the occupation, implemented its policies, and still do. Snakes that ripped Iraq apart, poisoned it with sectarianism and different hatrids. And are still striving to carry out the occupation's dream in dividing Iraq into federalisms, plundering its wealth, and dividing it among those snakes, and the American oil companies.
************************************
Inside this elected Iraqi government there are totally different wills; different in their outlook to many things, some of which are: the outlook at the occupier, the resistance, federalism, the new constitution, the relation with the Arab neighbors, Israel, or even America. There is a big and deep difference between the two viewpoints. Between a deep, genuine Iraqi viewpoint; nationalistic, loving to its land, its people, heritage, history, and culture, possessing an Iraqi will, and high self-trust. And, the viewpoint of a faction of thieves, with not a trace of "Iraq" in their hearts, blood, or minds, who want the occupier to remain to protect them, who hate the history of Iraq and its culture, hate the "Arabism" of Iraq, and its "Islam". These want to build a new Iraq along with the occupier; an Iraq wearing the American flag, eating hamburger, drinking coca cola, and thinking in terms of dollars, and all that comes along with it, of business, deals, free markets, and global trade. A prostrate Iraq, submissive to the instructions of the American white House.
This is the new "Iraq" the occupation wants, and those who came long with it.
And the challenge will remain facing the Iraqis, and the conflict will remain for tens of the coming years.
And we shall see, which is the tide that will win.
********************************
It is obvious, after all these events, that the present elected government is not a National Unity government, but a sectarian and ethnic shares government, no more. This is a deformed government, its measures laid down by a foreign occupier.
A National Unity Government: is one that has a joint viewpoint, an agreed-upon work program, to save the country from the disasters in which Iraq is drowning. And what is happening in Iraq now is- that inside the present government there is a big rift in the viewpoints, in the dealing with the complicated issues like disbanding the militias, the outlook at the Iraqi resistance and how to deal with it, and what the presence of foreign troops on the Iraqi land means. There are also some Parties in the government who have militias involved in acts of killings, violence, and crimes, but wouldn't admit it.
There are some honest nationalists in the government, by they aren't the stronger tide now. The strong tide, the one controlling the parliament with a majority, is the sectarian-ethnic tide; one with militias, a doubtful position, an involvement in the administrational corruption and sectarian violence, walking hand in hand with the occupation, and implementing the occupation's agenda.
But the wager stays- that the majority of the Iraqi people are still rejecting sectarianism, the militias, the occupation, and federalism.
I have a hope; that the majority's dreams are the ones that will be fulfilled, and Iraq will go back one day to being free, independent, and united.
*****************************
The occupation forces, ah! The occupation forces…
What are they doing on the land of Iraq?
What have they done to stop the Iraqi bleeding?
What have they done to unite the Iraqis?
What have they done to make us believe they came for the good of the Iraqis?
I don't know…
* * *
# posted by Faiza Al-Araji @ 5:07 pm 
