Marina Ottaway and Danial Kaysi (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) maintain:
Within days of the official ceremonies marking the end of the U.S. mission in Iraq, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki moved to indict Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi on terrorism charges and sought to remove Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq from his position, triggering a major political crisis that fully revealed Iraq as an unstable, undemocratic country governed by raw competition for power and barely affected by institutional arrangements. Large-scale violence immediately flared up again, with a series of terrorist attacks against mostly Shi’i targets reminiscent of the worst days of 2006.
But there is more to the crisis than an escalation of violence. The tenuous political agreement among parties and factions reached at the end of 2010 has collapsed. The government of national unity has stopped functioning, and provinces that want to become regions with autonomous powers comparable to Kurdistan’s are putting increasing pressure on the central government. Unless a new political agreement is reached soon, Iraq may plunge into civil war or split apart.
Al Mada reports State of Law MP Salman al-Musahwi states that the issue of Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi and Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq will be discussed but outside of the national conference in a side meeting between State of Law and Iraqiya. That may be but there's no comment on the alleged side meeting from Iraqiya and they're not known for being reticent. Al Sabbah reports that the next prep meeting is supposed to take place Sunday and that one of the goals is to resolve the written plans various blocs have put forward. Kitabat notes that there's a climate of fear taking hold in Iraq as it appears that Nouri is building a dictatorship.
In other political news, Parliament is supposed to review the case of Sabir al-Issawi, Mayor of Baghdad, today. Al Sabaah reports they are supposed to consider whether or not to withdraw confidence in him. Kitabat explains State of Law's Shiran Waeli has brought forward charges of financial and administrative corruption. Parliamentary sources tell Kitabat that Parliament is expected to vote in favor of keeping al-Issawi on as mayor. On the potential targeting of politicians, Aswat al-Iraq notes, "Legal expert Tariq Harb said today that lifting immunity against the MP should be done with the majority of votes, pointing out the formation of a committee to lift the immunity is illegal and intervention in the judicial system." Lastly, CNN is reporting, "A leader of an exiled Iranian opposition group said Thursday that members living in a long-standing camp in Iraq are ready to begin moving to a new temporary site, under a plan agreed to with the United Nations."
Senator Patty Murray is the Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and her office notes:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Murray Press Office
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 (202) 224-2834
Murray Announces Tax Credit Available to Washington State Businesses for Hiring Veterans
Murray: “Another incentive to help put our state’s veterans back to work.”
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, announced important information for Washington state employers that are looking to take advantage of a new tax credit to hire veterans. As part of Chairman Murray’s VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, which was enacted last November, an expanded Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is now available to businesses, and certain tax-exempt organizations, that hire eligible unemployed veterans.
The credit can be as high as $9,600 per veteran for for-profit employers or up to $6,240 for tax-exempt organizations. Employers who hire veterans with service-related disabilities may be eligible for the maximum credit. The law allows employers one tax credit per eligible veteran hired. Other factors that affect the amount of the credit include the length of the veteran’s unemployment before hire, hours worked, and the amount of wages paid.
“This is another incentive for Washington state businesses to help put our state’s veterans back to work,” said Senator Murray. “We all know our veterans have the leadership skills, drive, and discipline to succeed in the workplace, and now businesses have one more reason to bring them on board. I am so pleased to have been able to help pass this bill, and I hope that our state’s businesses immediately begin to take advantage of this tax credit and the tremendous talents of our veterans.”
More information about this new tax credit:
The IRS has recently released the guidance and forms that employers can use to claim the newly-expanded tax credit for hiring veterans. For further details, including forms and filing deadlines visit: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=253949,00.html
###
The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.
iraq
al sabaah
alrafidayn
marina ottaway
danial kaysi
kitabat
aswat al-iraq
iraq
iraq
iraq
iraq
iraq
iraq
iraq
iraq
iraq
iraq
iraq
iraq
iraq
iraq
iraq
iraq
iraq
iraq
