Wednesday, July 24, 2013

US officials: 'Iraq is now back in a civil war'

From yesterday's snapshot:

 
"Iraq is now back in a civil war, US officials tell NBC," Richard Engel announced this morning.  And that's not surprising except for the fact that if US officials believe Iraq is "back in a civil war," you'd think they'd be addressing that and asked about it in press briefings.  Engel reported that fact on this morning's Today show.  Hours later at the White House press briefing, no one bothered to raise the issue and, even later, at the State Dept press briefing no one raised the issue.


US officials declaring Iraq is back in a civil war is major news.  It's not being treated as such.

Maybe because not enough people watch Today?  (They've bled a half million viewers since they rudely shoved Ann Curry aside.)  

 
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Richard Engel: Iraq is now back in a civil war, US officials tell NBC News.  The hard fought US surge there, the benefits of American war to stop Iraq's civil war,  are being wiped out.  In car bombs, ambushes and gun fights  more than 250 killed in ten days.  Abu Ghraib prison notorious for American abuses and humiliations that United States [. . .] remains an open wound.  On Sunday, attackers free hundreds some say up to 500 inmates in a jail break include dozens of al Qaeda fighters.

The Tripoli Post notes "around 700 people" killed in violence this month in Iraq by their count. Through Tuesday, Iraqi Body Count counts 722 violent deaths. 

The violence continues today.  National Iraqi News Agency reports an armed clash in Anbar left 2 Iraqi soldiers and 4 rebels injured, 1 person was shot dead in Baquba, a Mosul bombing claimed 2 lives and left three people injured,  a Hilla sticky bombing left one attorney injured,  and "on foot gunmen assassinated Mukhtar of the reform area near his home in western Mosul."  Alsumaria adds that 3 corpses were discovered in Baghdad (gun shot wounds) and a Tazi bombing left four Iraqi military members injured.

In addition, there's been an attack on a northern police station.  AP says it was just outside Mosul and a shoot out that left 9 police officers dead (two injured). Reuters says it was in Shura (9 dead).  AAP says mortars and a shoot out (9 dead).

Hamza Mustafa (Asharq al-Awsat) observes:
The Iraqi government has adopted a hands-off policy regarding the escalating violence, with senior officials and official media sources ignoring these incidents or downplaying their significance. Following this week’s attacks on the two prisons, only one official statement was issued, an announcement from the Interior Ministry saying it was pursuing the fugitives.
Another member of the parliamentary Security and Defense Committee, Hassan Jihad, also a member of the Kurdistan Alliance Bloc, told Asharq Al-Awsat that “it was strange that Al-Qaeda announced its responsibility for the operation within 24 hours, and that it freed 500 prisoners—some of them leaders in the organization—while the authorities did not make a move, except pointing to a conspiracy involving some guards or the clashes between the army and the terrorists.”
Jihad said: “The government and its security services should have announced, clearly and transparently, the number of escapees to stop rumors where some people said 500 prisoners escaped, while others said 1,000. The announcement of the number by Al-Qaeda was disappointing when the government should have given the people the real number.”
He added: “Our information indicates that the number of escapees is the same as that announced on Monday and confirmed by Al-Qaeda on Tuesday.” Security sources have said 150 prisoners were killed in the attack on Al-Hout prison in Al-Taji.


All Iraq News reports National Dialogue Front MP Haidar al-Mulla is calling for Nouri al-Maliki to be replaced as a result of "his failure in running the security file."  Mulla is quoted stating, "All realize well the failur of the CGAF in running the security institution in light of the continuing security breaches over the past eight years especially after Maliki dominated the management of this file without engaging any other side.  The one-sided administration of the security file proved failure, so the issue needs changing the CGAF and his strategy and plans."  Nouri should be held accountable for the security failures.  He is over the security ministries having refused to nominate anyone to head them.  Over a year ago, Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) observed, "Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has struggled to forge a lasting power-sharing agreement and has yet to fill key Cabinet positions, including the ministers of defense, interior and national security, while his backers have also shown signs of wobbling support."  These positions were supposed to be filled no later than December 2010.  They have never been filled. The Constitution requires they be filled for someone to be moved from "prime minister-designate" to "prime minister."  But the Iraqi Constitution was circumvented by the US-brokered Erbil Agreement.

The Erbil Agreement was needed because Nouri's State of Law came in second and Barack was adamant that, the will of the Iraqi people be damned, Nouri would have a second term.

Having failed at the ballot box, the Constitution couldn't rescue Nouri so Barack ordered an extra-constitutional measure, The Erbil Agreement, which would go around the law and provide cover for Nouri.  Having given Nouri a second term not by votes but by a suspect contract, the Constitution no longer applied. So it didn't matter that Nouri failed to create a Cabinet in 30 days as the Constitution dictates.

He's continued to refuse to fill those slots.  Barack has gone along with it and babied, stroked and petted his little toy Nouri and in the process he has screwed Iraq over forever.


 See, according to the Iraqi Constitution, if you can't appoint a full Cabinet, you can't become prime minister (someone else is named prime minister designate and given 30 days to build a Cabinet).  But US President Barack Obama wanted Nouri to have a second term so no rules applied then (or apply now).


The only thing more stunning than the arrogance of Barack Obama is the ignorance of Barack Obama.  You do not toss aside the Constitution in any country but you especially do not do so in an 'emerging democracy' (or whatever the US government lie about Iraq is currently).  Since the Constitution was written and approved, only one person has been prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki.  When you disregard the Constitution, as the US and Nouri have done, you set a precedent for future prime ministers.  Now, it can be argued, that anyone can be prime minister without a Cabinet because Nouri has been.  This clause was important because it required the prime minister to reach out enough to get approval (the vote in Parliament for each nominee) that would indicate the person had the ability to work with others.  Nouri can't work with others. 


Ayad Allawi is Iraq's Al Gore.  Just as the results of the 2000 US election meant Al Gore should have been president, the results of Iraq's 2010 elections meant Allawi should have been prime minister.  Allawi has been Tweeting a great deal in the last 48 hours:


  1. 4h
    We are calling upon his resignation and for parliament to support this act.
    View conversation
  2. 4h
    I am not part of the government & the seats are held in parliament. I also advised Al-Iraqiah ministers to withdraw
    View conversation
  3. 7h
    ندعو مجلس النواب الموقر للعمل على دعم مقترح استقالة رئيس الحكومة وان يساهم في الاشراف على انتخابات نزيهة وحرة، تؤدي بالعراق الى شواطئ السلام
    Expand
  4. 7h
    We call on the parliament to support the PM's resignation and assist in producing free and fair elections that will bring peace to .
    Expand
  5. 23 Jul
    من الخطوات التي تم الاتفاق عليها هي تشكيل لجنة مستقلة تضم خبراء متطوعين و إستقدام مستثمرين لتطوير قطاع الخدمات
    View conversation
  6. 23 Jul
    الامن في تراجع مخيف ومستمر وشعبنا يقدم ما يفوق الالف شهيد شهرياً، كما أن فرارالسجناء ومنهم ارهابيي دليلاً على عجز كامل لهذه الحكومة
    Expand
  7. 23 Jul
    The escape of Al-Qaeda terrorists and the martydom in excess of a thousand Iraqis monthly displays the appalling inability of the government
    Expand


 As All Iraq News notes, he is supporting the call for Nouri's resignation.



The following community sites -- plus the ACLU, Antiwar.com, Jody Watley, Susan's On the Edge and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee -- updated last night and this morning:





 And we'll close with this from the Green Party of Michigan:

Green Party of Michigan
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  www.MIGreenParty.org


**  News Release  **
**  ------------  **
    July 23, 2013


For More Information, Contact:
-----------------------------
Fred Vitale, Detroit Green Party
    freddetroit@sbcglobal.net
    (313) 580-4905

John Anthony La Pietra, GPMI Media Committee
    jalp5dai@att.net
    (269) 781-9478



Greens Stand Against Detroit Bankruptcy Filing
==============================================
Call for “Social Movement” to Support
People Ahead of Banks, Corporations


    Green Party members and leaders meeting in Ferndale Saturday
denounced the filing of Chapter 9 bankruptcy proceedings by City of
Detroit Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr.

    “The debt owed to bankers and bondholders is small compared to the
financial damage the same bankers inflicted on Detroit and Detroiters in
the financial crisis,” said Derek Grigsby, chair of the Green Party of
Michigan.  “Redlining, predatory loans, and other racist banking
practices have cost Detroit hundreds of billions of dollars. The auto
corporations took millions in tax abatements -- and instead of providing
jobs, they closed factories.  If you add it all up, the banks and
corporations owe us.”

    “Kevyn Orr was selected by Governor Rick Snyder,” observed Lloyd
Clarke, retired GM worker and member of UAW Local 688.  “Orr's planned
attacks on city workers' pensions and workers' wages in bankruptcy court
as a representative of Governor Snyder should be a warning to all
workers in southeast Michigan.

    “Snyder supported ‘right to work’ legislation in Michigan to
undermine unions.  Orr’s bankruptcy plans follow the same anti-union
playbook.”

    Fred Vitale of the Detroit Greens pointed out, “The bankruptcy plan
of Orr and Snyder is to pay bankers billions by selling Detroit assets,
deprive some neighborhoods of services and gentrify others, and take
pensions away from fellow residents, city retirees.  There is an
alternative.  We need a social movement to cancel the debt to the bankers.

    “There are many organizations and individuals active and opposed to
Emergency Managers in Detroit, including the Green Party.  We urge
everyone to expand and deepen our collaboration, engage our fellow
citizens, and take the struggle to the streets.  We must put pressure on
the federal court to resolve the bankruptcy in favor of the residents
and workers.  Not one penny more to the banks.”

    For more information see the Michigan _Citizen_’s many articles on
the Emergency Manager and bankruptcy:

        http://www.michigancitizen.com

and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) releases which document the
banks’ predatory relationship to Detroit:

        http://detroitdebtmoratorium.org

    For more information about the Green Party of Michigan, its values,
and its candidates, visit:

        http://www.MIGreenParty.org/

For GPMI's latest news, “like” the Green Party of Michigan USA Facebook
page and follow the party Twitter feed @MIGreenParty.


#    #    #


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Green Party of Michigan
PO Box 504
Warren, MI  48090-0504
    313-815-2025
    www.MIGreenParty.org

    GPMI was formed in 1987 to address environmental
issues in Michigan politics.  Greens are organized
in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.  Each
state Green Party sets its own goals and creates its
own structure, but US Greens agree on Ten Key Values:

    Ecological Wisdom
    Grassroots Democracy
    Social Justice
    Non-Violence
    Community Economics
    Decentralization
    Feminism
    Respect for Diversity
    Personal/Global Responsibility
    Future Focus/Sustainability

For the latest news,
“like” the Green Party of Michigan USA Facebook page --
and follow us at Twitter:  @MIGreenParty.



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