tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post124367491204628457..comments2024-02-29T12:38:32.191-08:00Comments on MUSINGS ON IRAQ: Inside The Surge An Interview With Prof Peter Mansoor Former Executive Officer To Gen PetraeusJoel Winghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09611810110771744360noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post-9889846140399671492014-01-03T11:17:58.113-08:002014-01-03T11:17:58.113-08:00Thanks for the comments. Thanks for the comments. Joel Winghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09611810110771744360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post-33075217057656370972014-01-03T11:15:57.169-08:002014-01-03T11:15:57.169-08:00Good points - thanks for the banterGood points - thanks for the banterAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post-1936870119343600402014-01-03T10:01:54.760-08:002014-01-03T10:01:54.760-08:00Yes Barzani called Maliki a dictator after the 201...Yes Barzani called Maliki a dictator after the 2010 elections, but before he was opposed to Maliki having a 2nd term. The Kurdish Coalition faced a lot of pressure by the Americans to join the national unity govt and eventually became more interested in gaining ministries and gave up on all its opposition to Maliki. <br /><br />As for providing military aid, that's because AQI is having a resurgence in Iraq and the country is deteriorating so they decided to help them out. <br /><br />The U.S.'s goal has not changed. It still wants national unity governments' that includes all elements. It's not happy with Maliki's actions in the last few years. The major problem is that Pres. Obama doesn't care about Iraq or really foreign policy that much at all, and therefore hasn't put in much effort to influence things in Iraq anymore.Joel Winghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09611810110771744360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post-31930517740643827292014-01-03T07:03:08.053-08:002014-01-03T07:03:08.053-08:00But - Barzani didn't call Maliki a dictator un...But - Barzani didn't call Maliki a dictator until 2012-after two years of promise breaking. Allawi waited it out, made concessions, then really got the raw end of the deal. But, what doesn't make sense to me is that the U.S. continues to support Maliki with Hellfire missiles & drones- despite the fact that he didn't follow through with the power-sharing agreement. My only thought is that the U.S. government wants to empower the Shi'ia, appease Iran and derail the Sunnis. Which-I think only helps Iran and maybe, Saudi Arabia? I'm still bewildered. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post-45713878420571510682014-01-02T12:51:54.935-08:002014-01-02T12:51:54.935-08:00Ambassador James Jeffrey who was in Iraq at the ti...Ambassador James Jeffrey who was in Iraq at the time has said that he didn't think Allawi had the right to be premier just because he won the most votes in 2010. It seems like Jeffrey and the U.S. decided to support the Iraqi Supreme Court ruling that it wasn't the biggest vote getter that had the right to form a new government, but the list that was able to put together the biggest coalition AFTER the election that could do it. After that decision the Americans top priority was to assure that both Maliki and Allawi would be included and that there would be some sort of power sharing deal. That came about with the Irbil Agreement that was supposed to limit Maliki's power and put Allawi in charge of a national council that would deal with policy. Maliki never followed through with it however after he became prime minister again. That was a huge mistake by the U.S. because then Maliki went on to break all kinds of other promises to the other parties and that caused the deadlock that we've seen since then. <br /><br />It must also be said that the Iraqis themselves have a lot to blame. Barzani of the KDP and Iraqiya besides Allawi all went from being Maliki's biggest critics, Barzani called Maliki a dictator for example, to wanting a piece of the government pie. They therefore agreed to let Maliki be the temporary Defense and Interior Ministers even though they knew he had used the security forces against his opponents. They became more interested in gaining ministries, which means patronage and corruption and power, and so they are more to blame for the problem than the U.S.Joel Winghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09611810110771744360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1953410733493889728.post-41092004006332990302014-01-02T07:11:48.733-08:002014-01-02T07:11:48.733-08:00"The wheels started to come off the bus after..."The wheels started to come off the bus after the presidential election of 2010, when the United States backed Maliki’s candidacy for another term as prime minister instead of supporting the winner of the elections, Ayad Allawi." <br /><br />This is the first person in an official position I've heard say such a thing -- but I've felt this was the case for several years. Do you have any idea why the U.S. supported Maliki in 2010 vice Allawi? Strategically, I find its a great miscalculation...???Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com