May 20th, 2010 by Josh

Michael Wahid Hanna of The Century Foundation has a piece up on the Middle East Channel surveying Iraq’s political landscape in the wake of a reassuring recount and the just-resolved de-Ba’thification battle. The good news? The preliminary post-election stage may be nearing a “merciful end” with the prospects for a coalition government looking better than at any point since the elections. The bad news? “The election results and post-election maneuvering offer a grim reminder that ethno-sectarianism is still the organizing principle of political division despite tentative moves toward cross-sectarian politics.” These forces, Hanna says, have inflicted “long term damage … on the country’s supposedly neutral institutional superstructure and the political process.” Insofar as Iraq can achieve a long-term stability, it will require a “consensual and inclusive national compact.”

While the Christian Science Monitor senses similar progress in recent days, it predicts that impasse over participation in the governing coalition will continue for months. To that end, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Chris Hill told reporters that “Our concern is that they do it sooner rather than later and that they understand there is much to be done to rebuild this country.” But earlier today, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki accused rival political bloc Iraqiyya of delaying the political process and rejected Ayad Allawi’s right to form a coalition, raising fears that Iraqiyya’s exclusion from the government could reignite violence.

Posted in Diplomacy, Elections, Iraq, Political Parties, Sectarianism |