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Allow Kurds & Iraqis to handle their own
political disputes, without interference from
neighbors
22.12.2006
By Amed Mamood - Opinion |
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December 22, 2006
The whole world awaited the Baker-Hamilton group's
recommendations to resolve the grim situation in
Iraq. In its report, the Iraq Study Group seeks to
strengthen the central government and weaken local
governments.
This equates to federal rule without state
representation, what we in the U.S. might loosely
define as a dictatorship.
James Baker's group suggests that national
reconciliation among Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis,
including former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath
Party, is the key to Iraq's stability.
Only one thing in the report is crystal clear: an
utter lack of any fundamental understanding of Iraqi
culture and politics. I was appalled to learn this
panel had not one expert with a working knowledge of
Iraq's complex social structure. The group made no
effort to grasp or consider the historic, religious,
cultural and ethnic complexities of the Iraqi
people.
The situation in Iraq today has unfolded largely
because leaders in Washington, D.C., also failed to
learn about Iraq's history since her creation by the
British following World War I. As reported in Peter
Galbraith's "The End of Iraq," the Bush
administration had no working knowledge of the
centuries-old differences between Shiite and Sunni.
Now Sen. John McCain has rejected the Baker report's
recommendations as a recipe for U.S. failure in
Iraq. But adding 1 million more U.S. troops will not
change the ancient bad blood between Shiite and
Sunni. They have no desire to live under one
leadership. Iraq is already dividing into three
regions: Kurd, Shiite and Sunni.
The report regards the election of a democratic
government and permanent constitution, ratified by
80 percent of Iraqi citizens, as a mark of progress
and success in Iraq.
Yet at the same time, the report's authors demand
changes to the constitution. It seems this group has
no regard for the will of Iraqis who, not unlike
ourselves, long for peace and freedom.
The study group appears to be more concerned with
appeasing neighboring governments that suddenly have
pledged cooperation to reduce the spiraling violence
in Iraq.
Tehran and Damascus could have made such efforts
long ago without dialogue with Washington. Iraq's
neighbors have their own agendas. They strive for
the demise of democracy in the region and have been
major contributors to the violence for quite some
time.
Any concession to these countries would send the
wrong message to democracy advocates throughout the
Middle East. Further, under pressure from Turkey,
the group is calling for abolishing the safe and
stable Kurdistan federal region of Iraq, the only
true friend and ally of the U.S. in the region.
Let us not forget that Kurdish soldiers fought
side by side with their American counterparts during
the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and they continue to
do so. The group instead should take a lesson from
the successes of the Kurds, who have lived
peacefully and autonomously in their own region for
15 years.
If similar federal regions were established for
Shiite and Sunni, certainly, it would be easier for
local forces to maintain security in their
territories.
Some fear the Sunni will be left out of oil revenue.
The Iraqi constitution clearly provides for equal
distribution of oil revenues to Kurd, Shiite and
Sunni region, by population. A federal system is the
best and only viable solution to finally end this
crisis and guarantee Iraq's sovereignty and unity.
Conceding to cold war mentality at the expense of
democracy is failed policy. Allow Iraqis to manage
their own political disputes without interference
from neighbors. The Baker-Hamilton recommendation to
involve Baathists in Iraqi politics is absurd. This
policy directly defies the decades-old struggle of
the Iraqi people against dictatorship.
Restoring dangerous, unpredictable Saddamists to
power is a recipe for disaster in Iraq, the region,
and eventually, our own backyards. It is an insult
to our sons and daughters who, for three years, have
fought bitterly for freedom and democracy, with
thousands paying the ultimate price.
About the author
Amed Mamood, Ph.D., is a Kurdish native of Iraq
and a former research scientist at the University of
Arizona. He owns Sunrise Cafe.
tucsoncitizen com
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