Project on Middle East Democracy

Project on Middle East Democracy
The POMED Wire Archives


Category: al-Qaeda

Sen. McCain and Ahmed Zewail Make Strong Statements on Face the Nation

February 15th, 2011 by Naureen

Speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation this Sunday, Egyptian activist and Nobel Laureate Ahmed Zewail expressed his optimism for a rapid democratic transition in Egypt with elections possibly taking place by this summer. He also called for the immediate lifting of the emergency law. Responding to the demand, Egyptian Ambassador to the United States, Sameh Shoukry stated: “The Supreme Council has indicated its commitment to lifting the state of emergency. And I believe they will do so as soon as the conditions are appropriate.” When asked about protesters demands for the dissolution of the cabinet, Shoukry responded by stating that given the current economic and security situation the dissolution of the cabinet is difficult.

U.S. Senator John McCain, also speaking on Face the Nation, stated that “We should have seen this coming when the Egyptian government failed to move forward with a process of democratization. The last election was particularly flawed.” He also criticized President Barack Obama for failing to take a stance against Iran during protests in 2009. McCain cautions that elections are not the end of the story in Egypt, “It is the modalities. It is the education of voters. It’s all the things that go to a free ad fair elections” which will need to be addressed especially to prevent any “extremist element” from hijacking the election. McCain also stated, “this revolution is a direct repudiation of al Qaeda” and expressed concern that similar demonstrations in Iran and Syria will face severe government crackdown. He called on Iranians to “let your people have peaceful demonstrations” and expressed his optimism over the spread of democratic revolution throughout the Middle East.


Posted in Egypt, Elections, Iran, Islam and Democracy, Military, Protests, Reform, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Yemen: The “Closing Window of Opportunity”

November 16th, 2010 by Jason

Marisa L. Porges writes that there “remains a small but rapidly closing window of opportunity to rescue Yemen and, in the process, address pressing security concerns.” Noting the various economic and environmental challenges the country faces, including running out of water and oil, Porges says “[w]hat makes this dire situation all the more tragic is that Yemen was lauded as a model emerging democracy only a few years ago.” Pointing to a National Democratic Institute (NDI) report that called Yemen’s elections in 2006 “not a typical Middle Eastern ’showpiece,’” she argues that Yemen has a diverse political culture that has been “stalled” since 2007 with the renewal of hostilities between the government and rebels in the north, along with a growing al-Qaeda presence. “With threats on all sides, the regime moved to curtail political freedoms and civil liberties and began relying more heavily on tribes and patronage to hold the country together,” Porges writes. She contends that “Washington must balance near-term counterterrorism efforts with political reform and development initiatives,” including “plac[ing] consistent, coordinated pressure on (President) Saleh to advance the reform agenda.”

Update: Brian O’Neill responds: “I am not sold on political reconciliation.  I think it is important, and would be ideal, but I don’t know if you can fully reconcile the country to a central government, at least not in the short term […]  I think that trying to mold San’a into Washington ignores a lot of Yemeni history and culture […] We need to work within that system, which is in its own way considerably more democratic and egalitarian than Salih’s rule.”


Posted in Foreign Aid, Reform, US foreign policy, Yemen, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Yemen: Governance Improvement Projects are Key to Security

November 1st, 2010 by Anna

The Carnegie Endowment’s Christopher Boucek writes in the Financial Times that the recent discovery of a bomb plot originating in Yemen has generated considerable debate over how the U.S. and others should respond. While many have called for increased counterterrorism and military efforts in the country, Boucek argues that “a new, expensive and singular focus on hard security will make matters worse.” Since Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and other terrorist groups “thrive…on Yemen’s internal disarray,” he suggests that it would be more productive to focus attention on its economic situation, governance problems, and resource (mainly water) scarcities. Rather than military assistance, Boucek calls for additional humanitarian aid and capacity building projects to improve Yemen’s legal infrastructure, police forces, land reform, and education, as well as to fight corruption.


Posted in Foreign Aid, US foreign policy, Yemen, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Afghanistan: Time to Negotiate With the Taliban?

September 15th, 2010 by Jason

With parliamentary elections three days away and the beginning of a major offensive outside of Kandahar, worries about the coalition’s mission in Afghanistan are growing. Gilles Dorronsoro spotlights the deteriorating security condition in the country: “While it is still safe in Kabul, you can feel the Taliban tightening its hold around the capital.[…] The Taliban have a great deal of influence, but even where they haven’t established control, the Afghan government doesn’t enjoy any support.” Even NGOs are beginning to acknowledge the Taliban’s influence in the country: “The NGOs negotiate directly with Taliban leaders to ensure access to the Afghan people and carry out their programs. The process has become so formalized that international groups can now expect to receive a paper that is stamped and sealed by the Taliban outlining the permissions granted.” Dorronsoro concludes that it is time to begin negotiating with the Taliban and possibly bring them into a new coalition government, “…with assurances that Al Qaeda will not operate in Afghanistan again…”as part of the agreement.


Posted in Afghanistan, Elections, Islamist movements, Military, NGOs, Taliban, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Yemen: Ceasefire in the North and Military v. Develop Aid

September 2nd, 2010 by Jason

Brian O’Neill at Always Judged Guilty brings to our attention two recent articles in the Atlantic and the Wall Street Journal on developments in Yemen. The Atlantic article deals with the recent ceasefire between the Yemeni government and Houthi rebels in the north of the country. As O’Neill points out, “…the divisions are not cut-and-dried. This doesn’t fit the normal Sunni-Shi’ite clash we like to read about.” The WSJ article describes a growing gap between military assistance and civilian development assistance that one U.S. official describes as, “… tend(ing) to encourage a negative perspective in Yemen that all we care about is U.S. security.”O’Neill backs up this concern: “This seems on the face to be exactly what many are warning against- pumping in a flood of money to enhance the security services while leaving the massive underpinning structural issues untouched.” He goes on to define the “frustrating paradox of nation-building policies” as, “you can’t build a well while being shot, and the shooting won’t stop until there’s a well.”

On a more hopeful note, the National Democratic Institute has an article out describing their program to bring Yemeni youth together  to teach them conflict resolution techniques. According to NDI, “With almost half of Yemen’s population under age 15 and another one-third aged 15 to 29, a significant percentage of the population is growing acclimated to violence as the primary means to address or resolve conflict.” The program focuses specifically the resolution of tribal conflicts and has already seen some success at the local level.


Posted in Civil Society, Islamist movements, Military, NGOs, Yemen, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Pakistan: The Next Indonesia?

August 31st, 2010 by Evan

Writing in The New Yorker, Steve Coll suggests that for all of Pakistan’s problems, there is a way forward. According to Coll, Pakistan must first seek peace with India and then develop a stronger, export-based economy. Coll cites Indonesia’s experience as a potential model: “Indonesia, which, like Pakistan, has a large Muslim population and implausible borders left behind by imperialists, suffered badly a decade ago from separatist violence, Al Qaeda-linked Islamist terrorists, and poisonous civil-military relations. By riding Southeast Asia’s economic boom, Indonesia has become a comparably bland, democratic archipelago.”


Posted in Pakistan, Taliban, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Mauritania: Council Rejects Anti-terrorism Law

March 8th, 2010 by Josh

Following an appeal by 32 opposition members of parliament, a constitutional court declared that ten articles of Mauritania’s new terrorism law — instituted to combat Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb — are illegal under Mauritanian law. The unconstitutional provisions allow for, among other things, “preventive detention of terrorist suspects for 15 days and recording of telephone conversations and their e-mails and those of persons connected with them.” Although Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf defended the government’s good intentions when formulating the terrorism act, he deferred to the court and said that “we respect and abide by the decision.”


Posted in Mauritania, Terrorism, al-Qaeda | Comment »

POMED Notes: “Yemen on the Brink: Implications for U.S. Policy”

February 3rd, 2010 by Maria

The Committee on Foreign Affairs held a hearing today entitled “Yemen on the Brink: Implications for U.S. Policy,” in which two State Department officials briefed the committee on the U.S. government’s current progress in Yemen.

Chairman Howard L. Berman (D-CA) made opening remarks mentioning the Fort Hood shooting and the failed Christmas Day attack, followed by a brief overview on the current conditions in Yemen. Ranking member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) also made some remarks, focusing on al-Qaeda’s presence in Yemen. “It is no accident that al-Qaeda has found a home in Yemen.” Ros-Lehtinen said that a small group controls much of Yemen’s wealth, which relies on oil revenues, and that “al-Qaeda is now targeting the Yemeni state.” Her main question for the State Department officials was whether or not the Yemeni government has really changed its attitude toward al-Qaeda and whether the U.S. now truly has a partner in the Yemeni government.

Click here for POMED’s full notes on the hearing as a pdf, or continue reading below.

Read the rest of this entry »


Posted in Congressional Hearing Notes (House), US foreign policy, Yemen, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Afghanistan: Reconciliation, Reintegration, & Mediation with the Taliban?

February 2nd, 2010 by Jessica

Following the Afghanistan conference in London, President Hamid Karzai returned to his country optimistic, as reported in an article for The Christian Science Monitor.  Outcomes of the conference included an increase in governmental control of Western aid from 20% to 50% and NATO support for Taliban engagement, with $140 million pledged towards the dual goals of reconciliation and reintegration. The $140 million was announced by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as, “an international trust fund to finance this Afghan-led peace and reintegration program to provide an economic alternative to those who have none.”  The fund is slated to provide Taliban fighters with jobs on the condition that they renounce extremism. The U.S. has pledged to support this approach as long as the aforementioned conditions are met, in addition to embracing democracy. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have also jointly agreed to fund debt relief from major creditors up to $1.6 billion dollars.

During the conference, President Karzai called on Saudi Arabia to help with Taliban reintegration efforts. Following the London conference, Karzai met with Saudi leaders in a bid for assistance with the Taliban.  An article for the Huffington Post reports the conditions under which Saudi Arabia will act as an intermediary between the current Afghan government and the Taliban.  The Saudi position was made clear by Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal at the London conference, “So long as the Taliban doesn’t stop providing shelter for terrorists and [Osama] bin Laden and end their contacts with them, I don’t think the negotiations will be positive or even able to achieve anything. They must tell us that they gave this up, and prove it of course.” While Karzai is amenable to discussions with the Taliban, he remains adamant in his decision to expel members of Al Qaeda from the reconciliation efforts, saying that terrorists have no role in the future of Afghanistan.

The Taliban are not without their own requirements for accepting Karzai’s invitation to begin negotiations, recently reiterating their demand for the withdrawal of foreign troops before peace talks begin.  Additionally the Taliban have demanded that in return for peace talks mediated by Saudia Arabia, the U.S. must immediately halt plans to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan. Karzai maintains that these conditions are unrealistic.


Posted in Afghanistan, Foreign Aid, Saudi Arabia, Taliban, United Nations, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Yemen: Debating What the U.S. Approach Should Be

January 27th, 2010 by Maria

Following the failed Christmas day attack, analysis on how to best deal with Yemen continues in the press. The New York Times reports that some analysts worry that, if handled incorrectly, a sudden rush of aid to Yemen “could reinforce patterns of patronage that have contributed indirectly to Yemen’s culture of extremism.” The Majlis speculates that, given some of the statements U.S. officials have made about Yemen’s security situation, that the U.S. might like the Yemeni government to “increase its ability to take care of its own security threats.” The Center for American Progress’ Danya Greenfield argues for the investment of “much needed U.S. assistance in good governance, anti-corruption efforts and economic reform alongside military assistance” as the “best chance at enhancing the long-term stability of Yemen and preventing radicalization.”

Today’s conference on Afghanistan in London will include a look at Yemen and its likelihood of becoming a failed-state in the Middle East. The Majlis is skeptical about how effective the conference will prove to be, and writes that the main outcome for Yemen will be an international “Friends of Yemen” organization — as opposed to any additional monetary aid from Western countries. Mai Yamani cautions that the conference will potentially do more harm for Yemen if it choses to focus only on its al-Qaeda problem, rather than tackle issues of greater concern: its “political and social stability within the country.” Egypt says it will support Yemen at the conference, while Iran says it is boycotting the conference altogether.


Posted in Egypt, Iran, US foreign policy, Yemen, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Yemen: Necessity for Reform in the Midst of Mounting Disaster

January 26th, 2010 by Jessica

In an article for Sky News, Steve Davies reports on the Yemen Security Summit scheduled for tomorrow.  Davies remarks that international concern regarding Yemen as a security threat has escalated dramatically since the Christmas Day terror attack by Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab,  a Nigerian member of al Qaeda based in Yemen.  In response to the international concern over security and stability issues, the Yemeni government has attempted to become more proactive in prosecuting extremists, as shown by the jailing of seven terror suspects this week.  The suspects were convicted of plotting attacks on tourists and foreign interests.

Journalist Ginny Hill in a Chatham House press release for her paper entitled, “Yemen: Fear of Failure,” was quoted as saying, “Future instability in Yemen could expand a lawless zone stretching from northern Kenya though Somalia and the Gulf of Aden to Saudi Arabia.” While Yemen has recently been cast into the spotlight of the international community, as early as 2008 Hill commented on the necessity for effective regional reform as a means of ensuring stability throughout the Middle East and Africa. Hill’s paper, published by Chatham House in 2008, comments on dwindling oil supplies and the effect that this shortage may have on Yemen’s economy

At the Huffington Post, Laura Liswood echoes many of the concerns voiced in Hill’s 2008 paper. She reports on a speech given by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, presenting alternatives for economic and social reform. Clinton’s speech focused the long term goals of global peace, security, and equitable life. Clinton was quoted as  saying that development was transformative and, “an essential leg in the three-legged stool of defense, diplomacy, and development . . . Global stability depends upon all three efforts with equal commitment.” Much of the speech focused on the need for development for women and girls in Yemen’s political, social, and economic sphere.  Liswood’s article commends Clinton’s recognition of social change regarding women, commenting on the fact that while security has been widely broadcast in the media, the plight of women and girls in Yemen has been largely ignored.  A Gender Gap Index developed by the World Economic forum ranks Yemen last out of 134 countries regarding the status of women in political, economic, health, and education. Liswood’s article reports on alternative means of stimulating the economy through microfinance such as small loans and education aimed at women would aid in lowering fertility rates and moving families out of poverty.


Posted in Democracy Promotion, Human Rights, Oil, Women, Yemen, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Balancing Act: National Security and Democracy Promotion in the Middle East

January 26th, 2010 by Maria

Daniel Cassman at Partnership for a Secure America writes on the tension U.S. foreign policy meets when it tries to address national security concerns while promoting democracy in the Middle East. Cassman points to a period in the mid-2000’s when it seemed that interests in advancing democratic principles in the region and those that would safeguard against national security threats were “perfectly aligned.” As the events in the Middle East began to unfold (he cites failed and unfavorable elections in Egypt, Iraq and Palestine), however, it became quite clear that national security and democracy promotion will oftentimes be at odds.

“What happens when an autocratic nation is a crucial American ally and democratic elections in that country risk bringing power to more radical leaders?” he asks. “We grant aid or coordinate military operations with these governments, lending them legitimacy and material support. By reinforcing such governments, we deal democracy a blow.”

Cassman suggests that U.S. foreign policy should develop a framework that helps prioritize U.S. interests for times when tensions arise and “push us in different directions.” He lists four factors especially crucial in this decision-making process that include: the immediacy of the national security threat; the nature of our cooperation with the autocratic government; how U.S. aid will affect the regime; and how strategically important the country is as an ally to the U.S.

This tension has certainly been relevant to the current administration: President Obama has chosen to remain largely silent on Iran’s Green Movement in order to be able to engage the regime in a discussion about its nuclear program; it has also chosen to increase aid to an autocratic Yemen in order to counter its al Qaeda militants.


Posted in Egypt, Human Rights, Iraq, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Saudi Arabia: Long War on Yemen Border

December 23rd, 2009 by Zack

Saudi officials have reported that 73 Saudi soldiers have been killed, 470 wounded, and 26 are still missing since fighting against Houthi insurgents in Yemen began in November.  Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan claims that the majority of fighting is now over, and he gave remaining Houthi rebels 24 hours to surrender before the Saudis destroy the border village of Al-Jabiriyah, which remains under Houthi control.

However, Reuters reports that diplomats and analysts believe Saudi Arabia “faces a long mountain war” with the Houthis. At the same time, Saudi Arabia is primarily concerned with al-Qaeda attacks originating from Yemen. While the Houthis have no known connections with al-Qaeda, the fighting with the Houthis may make it easier for terrorists to enter Saudi territory. For example, the fighting has made it more difficult to build a planned fence along the border to prevent terrorist infiltration.


Posted in Mideast Peace Plan, Military, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Yemen: The Need for a Broader Perspective?

December 22nd, 2009 by Jason

Time Magazine explores the potential fallout from U.S. assistance in strikes and raids against Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen. The article quotes Gregory Johnsen who warns “you can’t just go kill a few individuals and the al-Qaeda problem will go away,” especially when such attacks result in civilian casualties. As Mohammad Quhtan of Yemen’s opposition Islamist al-Islah party explains, “Al-Qaeda will be able to recruit a lot more young people, at least from the tribes that were hit.”

Instead, Johnsen repeats his call for (see our previous post) a broader American foreign policy that will undermine Al-Qaeda. He points to a Reuters article that describes how, in addition to al-Qaeda,  falling oil income, water shortages, humanitarian crises, the Houthi conflict, and a southern separatist movement all contribute to Yemen’s instability.


Posted in Middle Eastern Media, Military, Oil, Political Parties, Public Opinion, Terrorism, US foreign policy, Yemen, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Yemen: U.S. Assisted Raids on al-Qaeda

December 21st, 2009 by Jason

The Washington Post reports that the U.S. “provided intelligence and other assistance to Yemeni forces in attacks Thursday against suspected al-Qaeda targets.”  According to The New York Times, President Obama approved the request for support from the Yemeni government for the raids which killed at least 34 militants. 

Waq al-Waq worries that the U.S. is not only providing assistance against al-Qaeda, but against the Houthis as well, which he calls a “mistake.” In addition, he questions the success of the raids given the high number of civilian casualties,the blowback in the Yemeni press, and the failure to kill the main target, Qasim al-Raymi. Instead, he urges the U.S. to do “a lot more prep work and development work to […] undermine al-Qaeda.” Finally, he points to a report by Alistair Harris and Michael Page that warns against narrowly focusing on al-Qaeda to the exclusion of the other problems that confront Yemen.

Meanwhile, a Houthi spokesman is claiming Saudi air strikes killed 54 civilians, as local tribal sources have informed that the rebel leader Abdul  Malak al-Houthi has been seriously injured. Neither of these reports have been confirmed independently.


Posted in Military, Publications, Terrorism, US foreign policy, Yemen, al-Qaeda | 1 Comment »

Iraq: Tensions Ease with Iran

December 21st, 2009 by Zack

Iranian troops have reportedly begun to withdraw from a disputed oil well in Iraqi territory that Iran occupied last week (see our post).  However, according to Iraqi officials, the Iranians have only withdrawn 50 meters and refuse to return to the other side of the border. 

Juan Cole believes the standoff could have been an Iranian ploy to either influence the border demarcations, raise oil prices, threaten the U.S. and China, or be a way for Tehran to warn Iraq away from its campaign with Syria.  The Christian Science Monitor reports that many Iraqis and the U.S. fear that Iran will fill the void as the U.S. begins to withdraw.

The NY Times has a piece profiling Sunni sheikh Abdul-Rahman Munshid al-Assi, a former American prisoner and insurgent who has established the Arab Political Council to represent Sunnis in Kirkuk.  While opposing inclusion into the democratic system, the article argues that Abdul-Rahman is using political action “to tap into the simmering rage he says is still rampant.”  The sheikh and his cousins have entered politics to exploit another “tool” in the insurgent campaign to retake Kirkuk and restore Sunni authority. 


Posted in Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Elections, Freedom, Gulf, Human Rights, Iran, Iraq, Military, Political Islam, Political Parties, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Yemen: Al Qaeda Killed, Captured

December 17th, 2009 by Jason

Al Arabiya reports that Yemeni security forces have killed 34 al-Qaeda militants and arrested 17 more , foiling several planned terrorist attacks. However, Gregory Johnsen at Waq al-Waq worries that the number of innocent people killed in the raids will “create a problem for the government with regards to retaliatory attacks in the future.” Furthermore, he observes it’s not clear that all the militants killed were, in fact, members of al-Qaeda.

Joost Hiltermann contends in Foreign Affairs that the Houthi rebellion is misunderstood, arguing the “insurgency is more a reaction to a dysfunctional government than an inspired, centralized ideological movement.” In fact, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi gained his popularity because “he voiced popular discontent about the Yemeni political system - its corruption and perpetuation of social inequalities, its allegiance to Saudi and U.S. foreign policy objectives, its support of Salafi encroachment, and its repression of Zaydi revivalists.” As such, Hiltermann warns that Saudi intervention will only exacerbate the conflict.

Yesterday, Houthi rebels accused the U.S. Air Force of cooperating with the Yemeni government in an attack that killed at least 120 people.  The U.S. has not responded to the accusation. At the same time, Human Rights Watch has criticized the Yemeni government for abusing the human rights of southern Yemeni secessionists.


Posted in Human Rights, Islamist movements, Military, Saudi Arabia, Terrorism, Yemen, al-Qaeda | Comment »

POMED Notes: “Yemen Headlined: Contemporary Myths and Empirical Realities”

December 13th, 2009 by Jason

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations hosted a panel discussion on the current political, economic, and security situation in Yemen. The panel participants included Ambassador Barbara Bodine of Princeton University, Dr. Christopher Boucek of the Carnegie Middle East Program, Gregory Johnsen of Princeton University, Ambassador James Larocco of the National Defense University, and Dr. Mustafa Alani of the Gulf Research Center. The National Council’s president Dr. John Duke Anthony moderated the event.

For POMED’s full version of the notes in PDF, please click here. Otherwise, keep reading below the fold.

Read the rest of this entry »


Posted in Congress, DC Event Notes, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, Elections, Foreign Aid, Human Rights, Military, Oil, Saudi Arabia, US foreign policy, Yemen, al-Qaeda | Comment »

Nobel: Obama’s Speech and Reaction

December 12th, 2009 by Jason

President Obama accepted his Nobel Peace Prize yesterday in Oslo, Norway. In his acceptance speech (full text), Obama affirmed that the award “speaks to our highest aspirations - that for all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice.” Throughout the speech, Obama balanced the tension between the aspiration for peace and the necessity of war.

President Obama reminded the audience that America’s historical leadership in “constructing an architecture to keep the peace” that has advanced “the ideals of liberty, self-determination, equality and the rule of law.” Through the sacrifice and service of its citizens, the United States has promoted peace, prosperity and democracy “not because we seek to impose our will” but out of “enlightened self-interest, because we seek a better future for our children and grandchildren, and we believe that their lives will be better if other peoples’ children and grandchildren can live in freedom and prosperity.”

Elaborating further, President Obama explained that peace is not simply a lack of conflict, but rather it must “based upon the inherent rights and dignity of every individual.” Therefore, President Obama promised that “even as we respect the unique culture and traditions of different countries, America will always be a voice of those aspirations that are universal.” Because that voice sometimes must be delivered directly to authoritarian regimes, Obama rejected “sanctions without outreach, and condemnation without discussion [that] can carry forward a crippling status quo.” As such, the world “must try as best we can to balance isolation and engagement; pressure and incentives, so that human rights and dignity are advanced over time.”

Read the rest of this entry »


Posted in Afghanistan, Democracy Promotion, Diplomacy, EU, Freedom, Human Rights, Military, Multilateralism, Neocons, Terrorism, US foreign policy, US politics, al-Qaeda, sanctions | Comment »

Iraq: Political Fallout After Violence

December 10th, 2009 by Jason

Secretary Gates made an unannounced visit to Iraq today to discuss the upcoming parliamentary elections in March. At the same time, the Pentagon clarified today that Iraq’s decision to delay elections until March 7th will not affect the American withdrawal timetable. President Obama has declared combat operations will end August 31, 2010, with a full withdrawal by the end of 2011.

But Gates’ visit comes as Iraq attempts to cope with a series of bloody attacks. The AP reports Prime Minister al-Maliki has replaced Baghdad’s head military commander as he called for patience amongst the angry Iraqi public.  Al-Maliki will attend a special session of parliament to investigate the security failure. According to the article, the political fallout “reveals a stark psychological shift among Iraqis who once accepted such violence as routine and are now demanding someone pay a political price.”

The New York Times reports the attacks have “undermined public faith in the government by exposing the deep divisions within Iraq’s security forces […] the public has come to view security as little more than an extension of politics.” According to security officials, many members of the “security forces are more loyal to political parties than to the state.”

IraqPundit details the disagreement amongst average Iraqis over who is to blame for the attacks. However, he contends, “one thing everyone agreed on is the parliament will be completely replaced” on the March 7 elections. Marc Santora at the At War blog  observes that determining responsibility for such attacks has become more complicated “as the American role here fades, as the regional power struggle intensifies and as the political campaign ahead of national elections scheduled for March gains momentum.” Duraid Adnan tells how the violence in Iraq has personally touched his life.

Finally, an Iraqi government spokesman announced residents of Camp Ashraf would be moved to buildings in Baghdad this Tuesday.


Posted in Iran, Iraq, Military, Political Parties, Public Opinion, Sectarianism, Syria, Terrorism, US foreign policy, al-Qaeda | Comment »