Thursday, July 22, 2010
Al Sadr Surfaces
OMG. Today I watched Moktada Al Sadr speaking on television and thought he actually made sense. The dude was on Al-Sharqiya, which is clearly supportive of Ayad Allawi. Mookie spoke with his usual speech impediment and his sleepy manner as though he just smoked something. Nevertheless, the guy explained some recent happenings.
First, he said he had met with no members of the State of Law party as was reported in the media. He had indeed met with Allawi in Damascus, and he said he hoped the results of the meeting would be "fruitful." He said the Sadr movment continues to oppose a second term for Maliki, and they are not about to change their position. He said no deals were made to release the prisoners.
Mookie criticized Maliki's government. He spoke against the random arrests of Iraqis. He said the detentions were not based on law. He said he couldn't accept a government that provides no services. And he said the security in the country is basically a picture, not real.
I don't know about you, but I see Mookie as a buffoon. He obviously was coached well. Any Iraqi listening to him would have to agree that services are nonexistent, and that security at times can be an illusion. So there you have it. The situation here is so lousy that even Mookie looks good.
Of course part of the reason security is an illusion is that his gangsters are all over the streets. The Sadr gangs include three separate outfits who go about terrorizing Iraqis. Naturally Mookie can call off the thugs, and security would improve.
Nobody knows what kind of deal, if any, was made with Allawi. The people here are desperate for a functional government. Who knows how long the wait will be? The lawmakers certainly are capable of dragging this out forever. The pox on all their houses.
____________
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Maliki to Stay Prime Minister
Here's a possible theory about who will be the next prime minister. The guy who told me this story has a good government job. The story he tells turns out to his advantage. It could be true, and it could be total nonsense. This is after all the Middle East where everyone and his brother are well-connected and swear the president himself gave them this information over coffee and cigarettes because he trusts them so much because their cousins went to elementary school together and their brothers-in-law play soccer each week.
The story, according to my friend, is that Maliki will be the next prime minister. He says the reason he will have a second term is rather complicated. Maliki, you see, was not wanted by Iran. But Maliki saw that the United States was taking a hands-off approach to Iraq, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.
Maliki was unable to succeed in forming a coalition with the Shiite alliance because the Iran-backed Sadrists did not want Maliki. The prime minister then began chatting with Allawi over a possible coalition. This was Maliki's strategy to make Iran uncomfortable. Iran hates Allawi and would do anything to prevent his success, according to this friend's sources. Maliki, this theory goes, pressured Iran so much that it was forced to support his candidacy. Maliki, in Iran's eyes, is the lesser of the two evils. That is, the ayatollahs would rather see Maliki as prime minister instead of Allawi.
The latest reports say the Sadrists, who were vehemently opposed, would now accept Maliki in the prime minister's seat. Sure Bahaa Al Araji denied the news, but everyone knows the guy is just talking. So there you have it. Maliki will be Iraq's prime minister for another term. Or should I say 3 and a half years considering they wasted half a year already. Sure it goes against the people's wishes. but they might accept it because they want stability so badly. As I said, my friend gets to keep his pretty decent job with this scenario. Let's see if his sources are accurate.
http://iraqpundit.blogspot.com/
