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The wrong man in Iraq
14.2.2006
NY Times Editorial
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In selecting Ibrahim al-Jaafari
as its nominee for a second prime ministerial term,
the dominant Shiite bloc has betrayed the hopes of
all those who have wanted Iraq's first
constitutionally elected government to make a fresh
start at reunifying the country, rebuilding the
economy and putting an end to the beating, torture
and murder of civilians by Shiite militia members in
and out of the official security forces.
Mr. Jaafari has been a spectacular failure on all
these fronts over the past 10 months. He is unlikely
to do a better job if he gets the job a second time,
particularly since he owes his selection to a
political deal with the followers of Moktada al-Sadr,
a man whose own armed gang, the Mahdi Army, is very
much part of the problem.
The Mahdi Army controls the Shiite slums of Baghdad
and, with allies, controls the slums of Basra as
well, imposing fundamentalist Islamic mores, Taliban
style, on those deemed insufficiently devout.
The support of the Sadr bloc was crucial to Mr.
Jaafari's one-vote victory over a more promising
opponent. Mr. Sadr's spokesman has already made it
clear that the price for those votes will be support
for Mr. Sadr's political program, which includes
solidarity with the anti-American governments of
Iran and Syria and has inspired Mahdi Army attacks
on American and British troops.
Mr. Jaafari's nomination by the Shiite bloc is not
quite tantamount to his election by the new
Parliament. By itself, the bloc controls only 130 of
Parliament's 275 seats, while a two-thirds majority
is required to approve the new prime minister and
the cabinet.
That gives important leverage to the Kurds, with
just over 50 seats, and to various Sunni Arabs and
independents. Ideally, these groups will use their
leverage to ease out Mr. Jaafari. The very least
they should do is to counteract Mr. Sadr's
destructive and growing influence.
Sixty-four votes, half of them loyal to Mr. Sadr,
won Mr. Jaafari this nomination. That is less than
one-quarter of the new Parliament. Democracy does
not require confirming him as prime minister.
www.nytimes.com
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