IAP Political Forum

Top Iraqis Pull Back From Key U.S. Goal
Reconciliation Seen Unattainable Amid Struggle for Power

By Joshua Partlow
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, October 8, 2007; Page A01

BAGHDAD -- For much of this year, the U.S. military strategy in Iraq has sought to reduce violence so that politicians could bring about national reconciliation, but several top Iraqi leaders say they have lost faith in that broad goal.

Iraqi leaders argue that sectarian animosity is entrenched in the structure of their government. Instead of reconciliation, they now stress alternative and perhaps more attainable goals: streamlining the government bureaucracy, placing experienced technocrats in positions of authority and improving the dismal record of providing basic services.
 source (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/07/AR2007100701448.html?hpid=topnews)
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So, all we have to do is wait until the Iraq government becomes efficient and competent. Pardon us for not holding our breath...

"I don't think there is something called reconciliation, and there will be no reconciliation as such," said Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, a Kurd. "To me, it is a very inaccurate term. This is a struggle about power."

Humam Hamoudi, a prominent Shiite cleric and parliament member, said any future reconciliation would emerge naturally from an efficient, fair government, not through short-term political engineering among Sunnis and Shiites.

"Reconciliation should be a result and not a goal by itself," he said. "You should create the atmosphere for correct relationships, and not wave slogans that 'I want to reconcile with you.' "

True statements, although waving a flag of reconciliation, rather than tearing them down and speaking out against the act , might be a better first step toward "creating the atmosphere for correct relationships"

Iraq is a colonial construct. Not a nation. The sense of the commonality never went deeper into the mass than the upper layer of intelligentsia trained to think of itself as "Iraqis". My solution: local referendums in every locality determining the will of the people to live as Iraq or as Kurdistan or as Shiistan or whatever. The ethnic cleansings have already created ethnically (sectarianly) pure areas. Look at the cases of Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Karabach, Abhazia. Co-existence as one common state becomes almost impossible after such events, and divorce is inevitable (although in the cases of Karabach and Abhazia separatist statehood is not recognized internationally, it is the de facto reality).

I agree...and we should help the Iraqis decide for themselves eitherway because whatever it is that is bad for Iraq, thrives on the chaos there. I don't think drawing lines on the mideast or africa is something we should be touching with a 10-foot pole right now.

From my limited observations, Iraqis are a relatively proud people. Proud for tribal, maybe not so much for secular.

All one has to do is look at the trouble Britain had in 1921-1922 to see that reconciliation will be impossible.

I know. It's like history isn't even important anymore.

Iraq is a colonial construct but every large country (<>nation) must have a start somwhere. Every large country is a mix of different ethnicities. Look at Pakistan, India, China, or even at Germany and Italy. Who would say that these copuntries don't have cultural identity and respect today? Yet none of them are pre-industrial nations.

Today nothing forbid Iraqis to live in peace and armony in a Iraqi Union except arrogance, tribal selfishness and veneration for the AK47.

The point is that this country is unable to develop a sens of fairness and equality for all. Who care if they are divided if this fairness and peace is respected? Look at Switzerland: They are the most divided country (legaly, economicaly etc) of western europe + every man has an army gun in his house just like in Iraq. The difference is that they don't shoot at each others and respect the law and shares resources in a civilized manner.