Bush's 24 hours of Iraqi sunshine
Two "gains" for the Bush folks' project in Iraq today, that I am sure will get heavily hyped by the administration and all its flaks: The reported killing of Abu Mus'ab Zarqawi in Ba'quba, and the naming and rapid swearing-in of ministers to the crucial three security portfolios there.
That latter AP report tells us:
- The new defense minister is Iraqi Army Gen. Abdul-Qader Mohammed Jassim al-Mifarji [with] Shiites Jawad al-Bolani for interior and Sherwan al-Waili for national security.
These two political "gains" for the Bush project in Iraq come on a day when two of my articles announcing the failure of this project are being published. However, my underlying analysis still certainly stands-- and primarily, my conclusion that it's no use having even the "full deck" of government ministers named and sworn in if the administrative machinery of governance is so broken that it hardly works at all.
Can a Minister for National Security deliver security? Can all of these three ministers together do the same?
Can a Minister for Water deliver water? A Minister for Agriculture deliver the services that will allow the repair of the country's many technical, financing, and marketing systems in that field? No.
(I had actually written something to that effect in my first draft of the CSM column, since I thought the three security ministers might get named between me writing it and it coming out... But that got cut out in the editing.)
Anyway, let us now see. I would be extremely happy if the naming of these latest ministers was associated with finding a significant resolution of the deepseated political issues that have come to divide the country. If that is the case-- if a spirit of "Iraqi national unity" can now spread throughout Iraq-- that would be truly be a blessing.
Given the political balance within the country, however, I don't see that any such entente, if found, would result in the emergence of a pro-US political order in the country. Therefore, whether the Maliki government "succeeds" politically-- which, I maintain, it can do only on Iraqi-nationalist terms-- or whether it fails, then the Bush project of installing a pro-US order in Iraq will have failed. Let us see exactly what kind of a "cakewalk" this turns out to be...
(And as for Zarqawi? From everything I understand about Iraq, his killing will make only a dent, at most, in the trajectory of the anti-US insurgency in Anbar and other provinces. I agree with Juan Cole when he wrote today, "Zarqawi has in my view has been less important than local Iraqi leaders and groups. I don't expect the guerrilla war to subside any time soon.")
So anyway, today will no doubt be a day for the Bush administration's leaders, flaks, and allies to have a day of public jubilation. Tomorrow, when they get back to figuring what to do with the many very difficult problems they face around the world, things won't look so different from they did yesterday. Long-term outlook for them: still gloomy.
Iraqi Army Gen. Abdul-Qader Mohammed Jassim al-Mifarji [with] Shiites Jawad al-Bolani for interior and Sherwan al-Waili for national security.
Its a same story same faces Jassim al-Mifarji claims that he jailed by Saddam for refusing of Kuwait invasion he was chosen by US early invasion as new Iraqi commanders I think the others also have their own stories about graveness from old regime.
The fact is these faces or whatever people chosen, Iraqis got sick and tired of this propaganda, my only question there are 20 Millions Iraqis suffered by old regime why every one chosen should be jailed or flee Iraq or whatever claiming he had suffer from jail or his family killed what about other Iraqis can any one denied that allmost now every single Iraqi family had at least one family member either killed jailed kidnapped, or lost from 1980 to 2006?
Aren’t their any good people in Iraq can leads or commands other than those they chosen?
Are these only people capable of command or leadership?
All the evidences give us they are not and they will be not up to the job, the time will tell.
Just before this news there is a very interesting story (Arabic Text/ Iraqi newspaper)about new plan for protecting Baghdad which is to make water ring around Bagdad the capitals by connecting those small revers and canals together to make water ring around Baghdad!! This remind me with that project of Saddam in Marsh south Iraq during Iraq/Iran war when he dried and diverted the water from the Iran boarders to prevent those Iranians to penetrates through it to Iraqi land.
I regards to “Zarqawi” what he is hoax made by media propaganda or real his death just timed for some thing coming. US did a lot of harm to Iraqis that made them all against US presence in Iraq its clear there is no need to do survey or poll to find out this.
BTW, till now from the announcement of his death there are three cars exploded in Bagdad more death?
وقال الميجر جنرال بيل كولدويل المتحدث باسم القوات الامريكية في العراق خلال مؤتمر صحفي ان الامر تطلب تخطيطا تفصيليا قبل أن تسقط مقاتلتين من طراز اف-16 قنبليتن تزن كل منهما 500 رطل على منزل في قرية تقع شمالي بغداد لتقتل أكثر الاشخاص المطلوبين في العراق.
Two 5oo LB Bombes launched on the house where Zarqawi was!!!TWO 500LB Bombes
وعرضت خلال المؤتمر الصحفي صورتان لجثة الزرقاوي الملتحي بينما كانت عيناه مغمضتين. وكانت الجثة ترقد وسط بقعة من الدماء.وكانت الدماء تملا تجويفي أنفه كما كانت هناك جروح بالغة في وجنتيه وجبهته.
His Body in blood shad and his bloods in his nose and suffer injuries in his face
What a fake Bombs these 500LB Bombs Smart Weapons Made IN USA
http://www2.swissinfo.org/sar/swissinfo.html?siteSect=121&sid=6794451&cKey=1149791713000
yea, undoubtedly Zarqawi is a hoax...similar to the fabrication that Sunni foreigners have targeted Shiite civilians...or the latest CIA plant that Zarqawi, in line with Salafist doctrine, has targeted Sunni mosques that display icons of Islamic "saints". The infidel Crusaders will stop at nothing to demonize the defenders of Islam.
"Berg said the blame for most deaths in Iraq should be placed on President Bush, who he said is "more of a terrorist than Zarqawi.""
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/june2006/090606Berg.htm
Just to see how much damage can cause dropping this amount of bombs on a house.
All we remembered this on April 7, 2003
" A U.S. bomber dropped four 2,000-pound bombs on a residential complex in Baghdad today where "extremely reliable" intelligence indicated Saddam Hussein and one or both of his sons were present for a meeting."
Saddam killed today
The result, 8house flattened, a big hole in the ground from eyewitness the hole is 5-10m diameter, and 18m deep. 3 families vanishes no one found any body for their loved ones....
Ok back to Zarqawi, 2 x 500 Pounds=1000 Pounds hits the house of Zarqawi and the got his body with injuries in his face and his body in blood path is it amazing that his body not flied in the air or burned by the heat that generated from the 1000 Pounds Bombs?
البقية بحياتك سيادة الرئيس الأميركي...قتل اخلص جنودك
البقية بحياتك ولي أمر مسلمين جهان خامنئي قتل شبيهك بالخلق والخلقة والفعل...
البقية بحياتك سيادة قائد الأمة العربية بشار الأسد... قتل فارسك المغوار
البقية بحياتكم أيها الاردنيون...قتل ابنكم البار
البقية بحياتكم ياعلماء دار الإفتاء بالسعودية...قتل تلميذكم الفكري والمادي.
البقية بحياتك أيها القرضاوي.
البقية بحياة حماس والجهاد الإسلامي وحزب الله .
البقية بحياة الاخوان المسلمين .
البقية بحياة ازارقة الإعلام بني لكن .
البقية بحياة عبد العزيز الحكيم...لقد سقطت فزاعتك أيها القرش الأسود
البقية بحياة جمعية علماء المسلمين فلقد هوت راية من راياتها.
أليس هؤلاء هم القتلة؟
أليس هؤلاء هم من صنعوا الزرقاوي وزرعوه ثم داسوه وحصدوه ويريدون أن يكون بعد هذا اللون لونا أخرا يصبغ عالمنا باللون الأحمر
Salah... five out of seven comments here??
Yesterday when my colleagues at work would ask me what I thought about the "latest development" (i.e. the murder* of Zarqawi and his companions), I responded with a big yawn and a round of snoring. My reaction is the same to anything at all that happens in regard to the so-called "government".
*Zarqawi was/is (we have been lied to so much, we have heard so much obvious nonsense about Zarqawi, and the U.S. announced they had killed Saddam so many times that I am skeptical about all their claims) a thoroughly nasty character. I have problems seeing in him any redeeming qualities at all. However, what happened yesterday was murder, plain and simple.
A few random semi-random reactions/thoughts:
The "crucial three security portfolios" are crucial mainly for domestic U.S. propaganda purposes. They are, like the rest of the "Green Zone Government", meaningless and useless to Iraqis and do not serve them in any kind of practical or real way at any level. I could be wrong, but my strong sense is that the great majority of Iraqis have stopped even trying to take this "government" thing seriously or to expect anything from them other than public posturing while they struggle to benefit themselves personally and to achieve their own goals while trying to figure out which way the Americans want them to bend over on any particular day.
"it's no use having even the "full deck" of government ministers named and sworn in if the administrative machinery of governance is so broken that it hardly works at all."
I would not say it is broken, I would say that it does not exist as anything real. It is, at best, a sham.
"Note the now apparently routinized identification of people by sect. I find that scary."
It goes beyond scary. It is deeply disturbing, and a lot more than that too. I cannot even think of a single word that can describe the reaction it inspires every time I hear it. I am sure Salah will agree with me when I say that this habit of automatically identifying every Iraqi by sect or ethnicity is an American invention and is very un Iraqi. Never before 2003 did I or any Iraqi I know ever refer to "so and so the Sunni/Shi`a/Kurdi/Christian/Sabaean/Turkmen/Yezidi/Jew" unless their religious or ethnic identity was pertinent to the point of what they were saying. People's political alliances were based, with some exceptions, not on their religious or ethnic identity, but their political ideology (e.g. Communist, Ba`thist, etc.). Now it is almost impossible to see someone mentioned except followed by their religious or ethnic identity (and where are the Turkmens, Christians, Sabaeans, Yezidis, Kurdish Shi`as - oh yes, and secular people - by the way? It seems they have completely disappeared along with everyone else who is not an Arab Sunni/Shi`i or a Kurd), as if this, and not being Iraqi were their primary identity.
In any case, I am not entirely sure what to call this "government", but the term "unity government" is completely absurd in a case where each member is identified and acts based solely not on what unites them but by what is supposed to be dividing them. What we have is politics of identity where the goals of the members - if they were allowed to pursue them - are not to advance the interests of Iraq and Iraqis, but to advance the interests of their own sectarian or ethnic group at the expense of the others. As for those who call it a puppet government, they are incorrect also. This "government" does not even rise to the level of "puppet". It is instead simply make believe, a sham, a fake, a phony, a facade.
"I agree with Juan Cole when he wrote today, "Zarqawi has in my view has been less important than local Iraqi leaders and groups..."
I would take this one step further, and say that his primary importance has been to the Bush administration as a propaganda item. That has been the case from the very beginning when they discovered him as a way to falsely link Saddam with Al Qa`eda at a time when Zarqawi had no association with either and Zarqawi saw himself as, if anything, a rival to Bin Laden.