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Loose Canons
Allawi’s Lament
He feels he, not Maliki, should be forming the new Iraqi government — but does it matter?
(Page 2 of 2)
Mr. Allawi has it precisely backwards. Iraq’s future cannot be stable or secure unless and until the outside influences – the nations, such as Iran, — which sponsor terrorism and threaten Iraqi independence – are forced to end their interference. And the same is true for the other “flashpoint” issues in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. From Israel to Pakistan, from Iran to Syria to Saudi Arabia, the wars we fight and may in the future cannot be won without correctly defining the enemy as the state sponsors of terrorism. Only then can we derive a strategy that can end the threat to America.
President Obama is compounding the same mistake in Afghanistan by combining nation-building (for which the military term is “counterinsurgency”) with a too-short timeline. Just last week, Gen. Stanley McChrystal said that the critical campaign in Kandahar Province is much-delayed, implying that the president’s July 2011 deadline is impossible. To that, a New York Times report adds that — according to the director of the Afghan intelligence chief who resigned this month — Afghan President Karzai has lost faith that the U.S. and NATO will win in Afghanistan.
The two great rivers of the Middle East — the Tigris and the Euphrates — combine in Iraq to form the Shatt al Arab, which flows into the Persian Gulf. But the flow of water in the Shatt is so weak that the seawater from the Gulf is now flowing backwards into Iraq, damaging agriculture and wildlife.
The problem, you see, is that Syria and Iran have dammed the Tigris and Euphrates, keeping much of the water for themselves. Unless they release more water, the agriculture of southern Iraq will continue to fail.
No matter what we build in Iraq, it won’t put more water in the Shatt al Arab or democracy in Baghdad. No matter how briefly or how long Gen. McChrystal pursues counterinsurgency in Afghanistan without pursuing the terror-sponsors beyond its borders, he won’t defeat the Taliban there or prevent it from conquering Pakistan.
Neither effort will bring us closer to ending the threat Islamic state sponsored terrorism poses to our way of life.
About the Author
Jed Babbin served as a Deputy Undersecretary of Defense under George H.W. Bush. He is the author of several bestselling books including Inside the Asylum and In the Words of Our Enemies. You can follow him on Twitter @jedbabbin.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (20) | Leave a comment
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Ret. Marine| 6.14.10 @ 7:17AM
I cannot say that I disagree with much of this article Mr. Babbin. The whole of Iran is in shambles and is willing to take down the entire middle East in it's apparent attempt of hegomony and the resources of all the States outside of it's borders. We have a very weak so-called president, an even weaker State Dept. run by his ideological counterpart, the great hildabeast of the West and this is suppose to be a suprise to who?
Time for playing nice with our enemies, and for that matter the enemies of this world, is over. I don't care if the other Nations don't like us, or do not agree with our sticks, they must fear us in order to play nice with all of the world. They only understand brute force as an alternative to chaos. The Iraqi gubmint is no different. What I fear is they donot understand fully what is going to happen to their neighbors, and maybe themselves, if they continue to try our patience with all of their " the enemy of my enemy is my friend" mentality. The American people one day are going to wake up and realize the Iraqi gubmint has played us for fools, obama is an idiot, and our safety is not assured without the full cooperation of all peace loving Nations to stand up to the evil that surrounds us all.
Playing politic's will only work for so long before the realization become apparent the need to turn their desert into one big glass parking lot will look better than the alternative, the loss of the civilized Nations.
Ken (Old Texican)| 6.14.10 @ 8:34AM
We occupied West Germany for years and years. Many thought that the Germans would have to let a tainted generation die off before democracy could survive there. (Just a reminder)
Nevertheless, Agree with him or not, W deposed Saddam and gave a people a chance at a decent life. All Obama is going to do is let any chance for them just "slip-slide away".
Question:
Did Obama grow up Sunni.....or Shia? What were his two "daddies"?
Eisenhower| 6.14.10 @ 10:48PM
"All Obama is going to do is let any chance for them just "slip-slide away"."
I wasn't aware that it was the President of the United States of America's job to make sure that Iraqi democracy doesn't slip away. Benjamin Franklin once said that “We’ve given you a republic, if you can keep it.”, we can't be their Safety Net forever, they have to learn how to stand up on their own.
Something else to consider: "The U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement (official name: "Agreement Between the United States of America and the Republic of Iraq On the Withdrawal of United States Forces from Iraq and the Organization of Their Activities during Their Temporary Presence in Iraq") is a status of forces agreement (SOFA) between Iraq and the United States. It establishes that U.S. combat forces will withdraw from Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009, and all U.S. forces will be completely out of Iraq by December 31, 2011, "
This agreement was signed on November 17, 2008, the Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari and U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker signed the agreement.
"The Security Agreement addresses our presence, activities, and withdrawal from Iraq, two years ago, this day seemed unlikely - but the success of the surge and the courage of the Iraqi people set the conditions for these two agreements to be negotiated and approved by the Iraqi parliament." - President George W. Bush
The fact is we were going to leave anyway. So what do you want President Obama to do exactly? Break our arrangement, overthrow the Iranian Friendly Shitte majority, and put the Sunnis back into Power? That would be counter-productive, not to mention there are too many other problems to deal with right now, without interfering in the affairs, of what should be an "Independent" Government. They have their freedom, now let them endeavor to keep it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S.–Iraq_Status_of_Forces_Agreement
Curly Smith| 6.14.10 @ 9:11AM
Nation-building only works when the interested parties realize that they'll get more loot from the built nations than the failed states. Consider the quintessential failed state - Palestine... the chaos may be bad for the people but it's very, very profitable for those causing the chaos.
We could send some advisors to the region to talk about how a free market economy increases wealth for all parties, how lower taxes raise government revenues, and that wealth does not exist in finite quantities but there are no such advisors in Washington, nor have there been for 20 years.
Alan Brooks| 6.14.10 @ 10:31AM
"Palestine... the chaos may be bad for the people but it's very, very profitable for those causing the chaos."
Blame it on the Jews-- they use the blood of Palestinian children to prepare their matzoh.
Ryan| 6.14.10 @ 12:57PM
How wealthy is the rest of the Muslim world? How much has been stolen from the regular people of Palestine by the PLO, Hamas, or Hezbollah?
Which side uses civilians as cover?
Ryan| 6.14.10 @ 12:59PM
It's hard to argue that ridding the world of Saddam was a bad idea; that being said, the people of Iraq need to finally take responsibility for themselves and learn that there are ways to govern peacefully and that compromise isn't necessarily a bad thing in government.
The US should pull back and protect the oil in Iraq, and let the rest have at each other.
Eisenhower| 6.14.10 @ 10:50PM
I couldn't agree more.
JP| 6.14.10 @ 3:23PM
It's all a matter of demographics. The Shiites are the majority (55%, followed by the Sunnis 35%, the Kurds 20%, Christians 5% and falling fast). The Shiites religiously are tied to Iran, while the Sunnis have ties to Syria and Jordan. The Kurds are surrounded by enemies. Most of the oil fields are in close proximity to the Kurds in the north.
When are out, look for the Turks to make a move against the Kurds. Iran will form an alliance with the Shiites, and all heck will break out. The only thing the unites these people is thier hatred of Isreal and the US. But even that is shallow compared to the hatred these people have for eachother.
maverick muse| 6.14.10 @ 5:05PM
After pocketing $1Billion, Allawi laments?
Allawi, aka Saddam without the mustache, tortured every bit as much as Hussein did, and oversaw the filching of $1BILLION US Tax Dollars meant to train Iraqi's own security forces. Of course he'd like the US to maintain his/Iraq's security perpetually; no skin off his nose that way.
Allawi and al-Maliki share Shia with Iran.
2002: Through an Iraqi officer linked with Allawi, the report claiming that Iraq could deploy weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes is passed to British Intelligence.
"The Iraqi National List was represented in the coalition government led by Nouri al-Maliki, but Allawi himself did not take a Cabinet post. The party eventually boycotted the government in 2007. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/200.....ng-as.html In preparation for upcoming national elections, Allawi formed a new coalition with leading Shia politician Iskander Witwit (one of the leaders of the 1991 uprising against Saddam), Shia tribal Sheikh Hussein al-Shalan, the deputy Prime Minister Raffi al-Essawi, Sunni politician Saleh Mutlaq and Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi called the Iraqi National Movement." http://english.aljazeera.net/p.....65619.html In preparation for the next parliamentary elections that took place in Iraq in December 2005, Allawi formed an alliance between many groups, including secular Sunni and Shia groups and the Iraqi Communist Party under one electoral list (the Iraqi National List). While Allawi's CIA connections helped get him a seat on Bremer's Governing Council, in opinion polls, Allawi got some of the lowest scores among Iraq's emerging leaders.
WHAT COULD GO WRONG?
What couldn't with nine lives Allawi?
ATL Media| 6.14.10 @ 5:08PM
Good points JP.
The criminal enterprise that was Saddams' Iraq, is now a criminal enterprise of a "democratically" elected kleptocrats. Based on what they saw Haliburton, Parsons & others get away with, the current leadership is following in our footsteps.
O' & it only cost the US taxpayers 1/2 a trillion $
for this brilliant transformation
Heck of job Neo-con(victs)
Jeffry| 6.15.10 @ 4:46AM
President Obama has established Democracy in Iraq, something that Bush never could have done. Bush wanted the oil as everyone knows, but thankfully, we have President Obama who has a much cooler approach to Iraq, knowing that they need their oil in order to provide for democracy.
If the Jews had their way, Iraq would be under brutal Israeli occupation, like Palestine and there would be no free elections. Again, we can thank our President Obama for keeping the Jews in check. As long as President Obama is in the White House, Iraq will remain our friend, our only friend in the Middle East.
vmx| 6.16.10 @ 1:18AM
Israel has never attacked the US is good for business, whereas the arab nation are more trouble than they're worth. It's finally time to start playing by the same rules as the mullahs, team up with Israel and drive Islam into the sea.
Ryan| 6.15.10 @ 8:13AM
Under whose presidency were the first post-Saddam elections held in Iraq? What year?
Does Israel undergo random attacks against Palestinian civilians?
ccc| 6.16.10 @ 1:13AM
Allawi or Maliki , it doesn't make a difference. Iraq will collapse into chaos shortly after the US stopps pumping billions in aid and military into the country. 1, 5 or 20 years from now the end will be the same, but at least everyone had some fun.
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