Saturday, January 12, 2013

The Wives of Nouri al-Maliki

Yesterday, protests broke out across Iraq, part of three weeks of continuous protests.  Today, a different group took to the streets of Baghdad: The Wives of Nouri al-Maliki.

AP explains that "about 2,000" Iraqis paraded through the streets of Baghdad today.  Why?  To show their lustful devotion to the prime minister.  They want Nouri.  They want Nouri bad.  They're like sexually aroused for him, desperate to be in bed with him.  They are the Wives of Nouri al-Maliki.

Prashant Rao's a little more realistic.  He reports for AFP that "hundreds" were in Baghdad.  He also notes banners including "I am Iraqi, I love Maliki." Xinhua also notes "hundreds."

Looking at pictures of the protests, it does appear to be hundreds.    And it does appear to be just men present, confession their love for Nouri ("I am Iraqi, I love Maliki").  I guess we get now why these same thugs pictured are the ones who target gays and lesbians in Iraq.  They love Nouri, they sexually desire him.  They deride gays and lesbians, mock them.  But here they are, "Nouri's Puppies." 

To get those hundreds, Nouri had his lovers bussed in from Basra, Dhi Qar, Maysana, Karbala, Wasit and Babil.  Approximately 40% present were said to have been paid and some of those included Baghdad's homeless.

 Hundreds of men, publicly declaring their love and lust for Nouri.

Don't worry it was just a same-sex reach-around leaving the Nouri's boys unsatisfied.  All Iraq News notes Nouri issued a statement praising his loyalists -- specifically praising their throats.


Al Mada notes that Nouri's supporters are attempting to insist that -- despite payment and bussing the people in -- the protest was spontaneous -- just an outburst of love.  Alsumaria reports MP Baha Araji, with Moqtada al-Sadr's bloc, held a press conference today in Baghdad noting that the participants were paid and refuting the claim that the protest was spontaneous.

Since there was no crackdown on the faux-test, maybe no one should refute that it was 'spontaneous'?  After all, isn't Nouri claiming the genuine protests are illegal?  So here's a faux-test by the Wives of Nouri al-Maliki, one Nouri's government insists was spontaneous, but there were no arrests, no atttempted arrests, no objections and Nouri even praised them.

Nouri's against 'unpermitted' protests?  Doesn't sound like it.  Sounds like he's just against people speaking out against him.


Prashant Rao (AFP) reports that the real protests continued today "in Samarra, Tikrit, Baiji and Mosul" and that the highway between Baghdad and Jordan and Syria was again blocked.  He also informs that Anbar Province tribal leaders are calling for Nouri to tender his resignation and quotes Imam Abdulrahman al-Samarraie stating, "Maliki should leave, we have him many chances but he did not do anything.  He made many promises . . . but he did not fulfil these promises.  He should leave."  KUNA adds, "Iraq said on Saturday it was set to close two border crossings with Syria a few days after closing the Traibeel border crossing with Jordan." Wael Grace (Al Mada) explains Iraiqya (political slate that came in first in the 2010 parliamentary elections) states the border closing are an attempt to punish the provinces.   Alsumaria reports that today also saw cleric and movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr issue a statement calling on people to take part in Friday's demonstrations in Iraq to show solidarity with the "innocent in Quetta, Pakistan."  (January 10th, the Pakistan city was targeted with bombings.)

From yesterday's snapshot:

Alsumaria reports that cleric and leader of the Islamic Supreme Council delivered a sermon today calling for dialogue among all the parties and refusing to lay the blame on protesters.   Also weigh in?  Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani whose message today, delivered by Sheikh Abdel Mahdi al-Karbalai during morning prayers, was a call for unity and responsibility.  Alsumaria reports he stated that the political blocs are responsible for the current problems and that the politicians and the security services must exercise restraint and utilize wisdom.  He warned against attacking the protesters.  All Iraq News notes that he spoke of the need for government institutions to be independent and to preserve the independence so that no one official could exploit the powers of the government for personal gain.  Cleric and movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr also weighed in today.  Kitabat notes that Moqtada explained the popular protests in Mosul, Salahuddin and Anbar are not against government but against policies and that it is the right of the Iraqi to speak their beliefs.   He noted that there had been some early mistakes (referring to some slogans and banners in early protests -- they generally expressed the not uncommon belief in Iraq that things were better before the US invasion) but that these are cries to rally the nation.  He stated that Nouri is the one throwing out obstacles.  Alsumaria reports Minister Rafia al-Issawi and Sunni Endowment president Ahmed Abdul-Ghafoor Samarrai showed their support by attending a demonstration in Baghdad following morning prayers.  All Iraq News reports Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq issued a statement today declaring that force should not be used against the protesters.   Others went further.  For example, Kitabat reports Sunni Sheikh Abdul Malik Saadi stated that it is the resposibility of Iraq's rulers to hear the protesters' demands, that it is the right of citizens to exercise their rights, and that the security forces are to provide security and their role is not to target the protesters but to protect them.  The Iraqi people are partners in the country, the Sheikh noted, citizens, military, they are partners.  He called on the protesters to be strong and patient, not to take up arms and he called on the military to protect the protesters.

 All Iraq News notes Iraqiya issued a statement praising the religious figures who called for the safety of the protesters.

Turning to deaths, Alsumaria notes that a man and a woman  both apparently took their own lives in Sulaymaninay Province (each apparently killed themselves in their own homes).  All Iraq News notes that 3 corpses were discovered in Mosul (shot to death).

The following community sites updated -- plus Cindy Sheehan, Great Britain's Socialist Worker,  and Pacifica Evening News -- updated last night and today:





The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.





iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq iraq

I Hate The War

At Policy Mic, Kevin Coyne offers his predictions for 2013 which include "The Doomed" countries headed for deep trouble in 2013.  Topping the list?

1) Iraq: Better known to most Americans these days as "NotOurProblemAnymoreistan," Iraq is in for one rough year – which is really saying something. The federal system set up following the U.S. invasion is splitting apart at the country's regional and sectarian seams, and upcoming provincial elections in the spring will only exacerbate tensions.
In recent weeks, a national protest movement against the ineffective Shia Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has spread, but frustration with the status quo is about the only unifying element among the Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish elements taking part. In 2013, expect the rift between the cash-strapped government in Baghdad and the oil-rich autonomous Kurdish region in the North to reach a breaking point. Also, while much is said of the Sunni-Shia divide, keep an eye on rifts within the Shia majority, which may not only cast out Maliki, but also topple the regime and send everyone back to the streets to “re-negotiate” the political order…


Whatever happens in Iraq in 2013, the silence on it is appalling.  The billions US tax payers continue to have to spend on Iraq should, at the very least, result in a weekly press briefing on Iraq from the State Dept.  Instead, days go by with nothing.  The President of Iraq, Jalal Talabani, has a stroke and the State Dept doesn't even issue a statement.

If most Americans realized that the spending on Iraq didn't cease at the end of 2011, that in the midst of a so-called 'fiscal crisis' billions of US dollars were still being sent to Iraq, that the State Dept was spending more on Iraq than any other country, do you think they'd put up with the silence?

Kevin Coyne is making a prediction.  His article admits it's a prediction.  He's not claiming, "This will happen and read on for tomorrow night's winning lotto numbers."  But he's looking at what's going on around the world, looking at individual countries and, based on the information and event right now, Iraq is his pick for "The Doomed."  It's telling that, if you pay attention, what's taking place in Iraq is frightening (and the protests against what's taking place are encouraging -- the Iraqi people have tremendous strength, much more so than their appalling government).  But the coverage really doesn't capture that.

If you pay attention, Little Saddam (Nouri) gets worse and worse and worse.  And he's not called out by the White House and the White House ships more and more weapons to him and it's as though it's 1973 and Nouri is Pinochet and Iraq is Chile. Yet again, the Iraqis will suffer and, yet again, it will be the US government's fault.

Unless something's done.  But how can anything be done when the coverage just isn't there anymore? 






It's over, I'm done writing songs about love
There's a war going on
So I'm holding my gun with a strap and a glove
And I'm writing a song about war
And it goes
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Na na na na na na na
I hate the war
Oh oh oh oh
-- "I Hate The War" (written by Greg Goldberg, on The Ballet's Mattachine!)


The number of US service members the Dept of Defense states died in the Iraq War is [PDF format warning] 4488.



The e-mail address for this site is common_ills@yahoo.com.





Friday, January 11, 2013

Iraq snapshot

Friday, January 11, 2012.  Chaos and violence continue, Iraq sees another prison break,  Iraqis demonstrate around the country, clerics and political officials issue statements of support for the protesters, political leaders make it clear repeatedly that Iraq is on the wrong path, and more.
 
 
As US President Barack Obama prepares for his second term, the Cabinet faces changes.  Feminist Majority Foundation issued the following today on the departure of the Secretary of Labor:
 
 
For Immediate Release:
January 11, 2013
Contact:
Kari Ross
703.522.2214
 
Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority Foundation and Feminist Majority
Statement on the Departure of Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
 
The Feminist Majority Foundation and Feminist Majority salute Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, the first Latina to head a major federal agency, for her outstanding accomplishments in fighting for women workers and for all workers.  Solis' leadership was especially important at a time when the United States was facing the worst recession since the Great Depression and women workers were, for the first time, roughtly one-half of the nation's paid workforce.  She brought a unique Latina, feminist, environmentalist and union perspective to the Department.  Secretary Solis made sure women workers were not forgotten as she worked to fight for and support policies to create more jobs.  Never forgetting her own roots, she found passion for, believed in, and valued the common people and their struggles for advancement as well as the importance of the union movement for build the middle class. 
Secretary Solis was always on the front lines fighting for women workers.  She reinvigorated the Women's Bureau, reached out to women's organizations fighting to increase employment opportunities for women and expanded funding for community colleges that service millions of low income women.  In funding programs at community colleges, the Labor Department, as Solis has stated, expanded "employer-specific" job training for millions of people and "transformed" community colleges into an "engine of economic growth."
Ms. Magazined heralded Secretary Solis' appointment with a headline "New Sheriff in Town; the First Latina to Head Labor will Enforce Fair Treatment for all U.S. Workers."  She did exactly that.  The Labor Department, under her leadership, enforced federal contract compliance regulations and wage and hour regulations protecting workers, especially women, people of color, low income individuals, and retirees.  The Department Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs conducted an impressive number of investigations and collected a record amount of back wages for workers who had been denied overtime and leave benefits as well as pay owed them by their employers.  Moreover, the Labor Department under Solis recorded some $5 billion for retirees and their families.
Solis, a role model for equal employment, practiced what she preached.  She recruited and hired women and people of color to top leadership positions in the Department, including her chief of staff, chief economists, and as leaders of top bureaus, agencies and programs of the department.  Solis, in very difficult times, revived and greatly strengthened the Department of Labor's legacy for improving workers' rights and economic justice.  The Feminist Majority and Feminist Majority Foundation look forward to supporting her in new capacities as she continues her work and passion for working women and men as well as economic and social justice.
###
 
After announcing her decision to step down, Hilda Solis offered her thoughts on the position in a series of Tweets including:
 

As the first Latina to head a major federal agency, it has been a great honor to serve as the nation's 25th secretary of labor.

Thank you for your talent & dedication. And thank you to the organizers who ensure workers have a voice on the job and a seat at the table.

We've accomplished much over the last 4 years, but none of it would have been possible without our greatest asset: America's workers.

 
 
In Iraq, many things take place that influence the country's direction.  Also true, events outside of Iraq can impact the country as well.  For years now, the Turkish military has been using war planes to bomb northern Iraq with the stated intent of killing the PKK.  Who are the PKK?     Aaron Hess (International Socialist Review) described the PKK in 2008, "The PKK emerged in 1984 as a major force in response to Turkey's oppression of its Kurdish population. Since the late 1970s, Turkey has waged a relentless war of attrition that has killed tens of thousands of Kurds and driven millions from their homes. The Kurds are the world's largest stateless population -- whose main population concentration straddles Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria -- and have been the victims of imperialist wars and manipulation since the colonial period. While Turkey has granted limited rights to the Kurds in recent years in order to accommodate the European Union, which it seeks to join, even these are now at risk."
 
Three PKK members were killed yesterday -- as CNN Mohammed Tawfeeq noted in a Tweet.
 
 
 
 
 
Diane Rhem: Courtney, tell us about these Kurdish activists who were slain in Paris on Thursday.
 
Courtney Kube: Yeah, it wasn't -- at first -- a well publicized story and then it really started to break yesterday in the international media.  There were these three Kurdish exiles that were working in Paris.  They went --
 
Diane Rehm: Female.
 
Courtney Kube: Female.  All young women.  I was astonished, one of them was born in 1988.  I thought, "Wow, how young."  But they went missing the other night.  Their friends broke into their offices and they were found to have been executed.  In fact, the French Interior Minister showed up within hours and he said that they were summarily executed on the site.  So the problem with this is, you know, as in situations like this, there's all differenst sides and people blaming -- one side blaming the other.  The PKK is saying that they believe the Turkish government -- Turkish nationalist -- who were angry at recent talks between Turkey and the PKK who don't want the Kurds to have any additional power, autonomy or rights -- that they did this as a show to break down the talks.  The PKK is -- Or, I'm sorry, the Turkish government is saying that there's infighting between the PKK, that these people, they are the ones who are very militant who don't want talks.  I mean, whatever side ends up being correct, if one of the two, what is clear out of this is that the talks that have just began recently -- Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan just acknowledged them, that they've been speaking to this PKK leader who's been jailed in solitary confiencement for the last decade, that the Intelligence Ministry has been speaking to him to try and broker some sort of an end to the violence.  And those talks are in serious jeopardy over this incident.  
 
 
The three women killed were Sakine Cansiz, Fidan Dogan and Leyla Soylemez.  Guney Yildiz (BBC News) offers this analysis:
 
It is the first time that such a senior member of the PKK has been killed in Europe. There has been a tacit agreement between the PKK and the Turkish government that no such high-profile attacks would be carried out against either senior PKK members or senior members of the government.
During the 1980s, there were some attacks believed to be from within the Turkish state against members of the militant Armenian group Asala, but there have been no political assassinations targeting the PKK.
The Paris killings come against the backdrop of fresh peace talks between jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan and the Turkish government. Those talks have not been easy and have opponents on both sides.
The Turkish government says the previous round of peace talks was derailed because of a clash between Turkish soldiers and the PKK in June 2011.
Thursday's killings will make the current negotiations even more difficult, no matter who might be behind the attack.
 
 
Violence continues in Iraq today.  Bombings are getting press attention.  All Iraq News notes a Babylon roadside bombing targeted police officers today.  The Iraq Times, citing a police source, notes police were targeted with a Kirkuk bombing as well; however it ended up killing 1 bystander and injuring another.  Trend News Agency reports a Taj bombing has claimed the lives of 3 police officers.  In addition, Alsumaria notes that a woman's corpse (burned to death) was found dumped in Sulaymaniyah Province.
 

Today's primary focus, however, was on an escape. The Iraq Times reports there has been a Taji prison break with 12 prisoners fleeing -- some of whom are said to have been sentenced to death.  AP states the inmates escaped through cell windows.  Al Bawaba adds, "While sources agree that all of the inmates who broke out of jail on Friday are Iraqi, the number is disputed. An interior ministry official put the number at 12 while a military source claimed there were 16 escapees."  An unnamed military officer tells AFP, "They escaped from Taji prison after they got hold of the guards' weapons.  It could be there was cooperation from the guards."
 
 
Protests continued in Iraq today.   AFP's Prashant Rao Tweeted:
 

.@AFP pictures from today's #Iraq demos in Baghdad, Ramadi, Kirkuk and Najaf: http://bit.ly/ZBLn30 

 
 
 
Nouri used the extra-Constitutional Tigris Operation Command to suppress movement in Kirkuk, Alsumaria reports, and the military force prevented people from entering.  They cut off roads in an attempt to stop those marching in Hawija as well.  Demonstration organizer Banyan Obeidi tells the network that the Tigris Operation Command was not present to provide protection but to prevent the demonstrators and to block them."  In Nineveh Province, Alsumaria reports the people turned out following morning prayers and that they renewed their call for the innocent prisoners and detainees to be released and for those officials who have raped and tortured women in Iraqi prisons to be prosecuted.  Nineveh Province is where Nouri has sent the military in an attempt to stop the protests.  But the governor of the province, Atheel al-Nujaifi (also spelled Ethel al-Nujaifi) has refused to allow the protests to be stopped and declared this week, "I am not an employee of Nouri al-Maliki.  I am servant to the people of Nineveh."  al-Nujaifi is the brother of Speaker of Parliament Osama al-Nujaifi.  He is also in conflict with Nouri who, in 2011, began demanding that al-Nujaifi step down as governor.  Currently, al-Nujaifi is demanding that Nouri hand over a soldier to the province, the soldier raped a young girl.  Nouri's refused to honor the arrest warrant.  al-Nuajifi is also demanding a serious investigation into Monday's protest when Nouri's military ignored al-Nujaifi and the Provincial Council's orders that the square in downtown Mosul be opened to the protesters, the military ignored it and moved in injuring at least four protesters in the process. 
 
 
Omar al-Saleh:  It's the third consecutive week of protests and the numbers are increasing. Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets across Sunni provinces including parts of Baghdad.  But despite the heavy security presence and attempts by the army to prevent people from reaching mosques, many showed up for Friday prayers.  At  Umm al-Qura mosque, politicians and clerics called on protesters to carry on.
 
Rafiaa al-Issawi: I warn the army against being a tool to curb protesters.  I call on you to carry on until your demands are met.
 
Omar al-Saleh:  In Ramadi, the birth place of the protests, tens of thousands continued their sit-in.  They warned Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of using force against them.  In Samarra and Mosul, thousands more demanded an end to what they describe as a marginalization of Sunnis.  They also want the abolishment of an anti-terrorism law which they say targets them.  And the release of Sunni prisoners.   The government's stance is that all demands should be dealt with according to the Iraqi Consittution.  It blames foreign countries of supporting the protesters to ignite a sectarian strife.  
 
Alsumaria reports that cleric and leader of the Islamic Supreme Council delivered a sermon today calling for dialogue among all the parties and refusing to lay the blame on protesters.   Also weigh in?  Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani whose message today, delivered by Sheikh Abdel Mahdi al-Karbalai during morning prayers, was a call for unity and responsibility.  Alsumaria reports he stated that the political blocs are responsible for the current problems and that the politicians and the security services must exercise restraint and utilize wisdom.  He warned against attacking the protesters.  All Iraq News notes that he spoke of the need for government institutions to be independent and to preserve the independence so that no one official could exploit the powers of the government for personal gain.  Cleric and movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr also weighed in today.  Kitabat notes that Moqtada explained the popular protests in Mosul, Salahuddin and Anbar are not against government but against policies and that it is the right of the Iraqi to speak their beliefs.   He noted that there had been some early mistakes (referring to some slogans and banners in early protests -- they generally expressed the not uncommon belief in Iraq that things were better before the US invasion) but that these are cries to rally the nation.  He stated that Nouri is the one throwing out obstacles.  Alsumaria reports Minister Rafia al-Issawi and Sunni Endowment president Ahmed Abdul-Ghafoor Samarrai showed their support by attending a demonstration in Baghdad following morning prayers.  All Iraq News reports Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq issued a statement today declaring that force should not be used against the protesters.   Others went further.  For example, Kitabat reports Sunni Sheikh Abdul Malik Saadi stated that it is the resposibility of Iraq's rulers to hear the protesters' demands, that it is the right of citizens to exercise their rights, and that the security forces are to provide security and their role is not to target the protesters but to protect them.  The Iraqi people are partners in the country, the Sheikh noted, citizens, military, they are partners.  He called on the protesters to be strong and patient, not to take up arms and he called on the military to protect the protesters.


Of course, there are two groups of protesters in Iraq currently.  First you have the vast group of thousands of  legitimate protesters asking for a better Iraq and then you have the tiny bands of Nouri's goons who sometimes make it into the 'hundreds.'  Both were out today.

The tiny faux group registered the most in Najaf.  Let's call them the Pat Boones.   A sign of how small they are?  All Iraq News notes "dozens."  But then few want to be an ass kisser.  Visit any high school and ask for a show of hands if you doubt it.  The Pat Boones are demanding that things stay the same and that mass arrests continue.  Aswat al-Iraq adds that they are calling "for boycotting Turkish and Qatari companies.  They found support from State of Law MP Ali Mirza who called for his "government to deny work for Turkish and Qatari companies, as well as reviewing diplomatic relations in order to cut off relations with them."  Press TV notes a small turn out in Basra as well.
 

By contrast, Kitabat notes "tens of thousands" of real protesters turned out forllowing Friday prayers.   Alsumaria notes thousands marched in Salahuddin Province to show their support with the Anbar Province protesters who are demonstrating and continue their sit-in.   The outlet notes that local officials, religious scholars and tribal leaders are part of the demonstrations and that the demands include the release of the innocent prisoners and detainees, the prosecution of those who have tortured or raped Iraqi women in the Iraqi prisons and detention centers, and for the government to change its current course.  Salam Faraj and Jafia Abduljabbar (AFP) report that protests took place in Ramadi, Samarra, Mosul, Tikrit, Adhamiyah and Ghazaliyah and "Protesters also blocked off the highway linking Iraq to Syria and Jordan for a 20th day in western Anbar province, while in the northern city of Kirkuk, hundreds of protesters waved banners and raised flags".  Patrick Markey and Suadad al-Salhy (Reuters) observe, "Three weeks of mass protests reflect deep discontent among Sunnis who say Maliki's Shi'ite-led government has marginalised their minority community, increasing worries Iraq may slide back into the sectarian violence of its recent past."  The World Tribune notes, "The protesters blocked a highway to Jordan and Syria, which halted trade and passengers to and from Iraq."
In one of the more surprising moments of unity today, the KDP and PUK declared their support for the protesters.  The Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan are the two big political parties -- political rivals -- in the KRG.  Iraqi President Jalal Talabani (currently receiving medical treatment in Germany) is the leader of the PUK while Massoud Barzani is the President of the Kurdistan Regional Government (semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq) and the leader of the KDP.  Alsumaria reports the two parties came together today to make a joint declaration of support for the protesters and to insist that the course the country is on is wrong and unacceptable.

The Iraq Times reports that Ayad Allawi, leader of Iraqiya (political slate that came in first in the 2010 parliamentary elections) held a press conference today to talk about the crisis that has led to demonstrations throughout Iraq.  He noted that Iraqiya and he himself had been sounding alarms for some time about what was taking place.  He noted the policies (being implemented by Nouri) were dividing the country and he called for unity to protect Iraq.  Iraqiya won in 2010 as part of Iraq's rejection of sectarianism.  This trend could be seen in the 2009 provincial elections as well.
 
This embrace of a national identity could have been fostered, could have been encouraged.  The US government refused to do that.  There was more concern in the Obama White House that Nouri al-Maliki get a second term than that the voters in Iraq be listened to, that the Constitution be honored or that democracy be assisted.  The White House backed Nouri who threw a tantrum which lasted over eight months as he refused to allow the Iraqi government to move forward.  While he dug his feet in refusing to allow a new prime minister to be named, Barack had the US government spend their time in Iraq trying to force the various political actors to accept a second term for Nouri.  Since he didn't win the election, the Constitution couldn't allow this.  So the White House came up with the Erbil Agreement to get around the voters and the Constitution.  The Erbil Agreement was a legal contract that the White House assured political leaders was binding and that it would have the US government's full support.  In the contract, political leaders agree to allow Nouri to have a second term as prime minister.  In exchange, Nouri agrees to allow various things to happen such as he agrees to implement Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution -- a census and referendum will be held in Kirkuk to determine who has claim to the disputed area. 
 
The things he agrees to in this contract are largely things he was already supposed to do. Article 140, for example, is the Constitution and he was supposed to have implemented that no later than the end of 2007 -- it's written into the Constitution, that date.  From 2006 to 2010, Nouri had every opportunity to implement Article 140.  He refused to do so.
 
Why in the world would the Kurds (who see Kirkuk as their region) believe Nouri would now implement it?
 
Because the White House voched for the contract.  The White House swore -- US Vice President Joe Biden personally gave Iraqi President Jalal Talabani his word -- that the Erbil Agreement would be followed, the US government would insist upon it.
 
In addition to the White House insisting they would back the contract, the White House also used shame on the Iraqi politicians.  For over eight months, no government had been seated.  An election took place, no one was seated from it.  It was the record at that time.  It was embarrassing and the White House played that angle and they also told the various political blocs that Nouri had no intention of stepping down so the stalemate could go on for months more.  'Be the adult,' the other political blocs were told, 'and let Iraq move forward.'
 
So they signed this contract (November 2010) and immediately after Nouri was named prime minister-designate.  This is November.  Nouri immediately cancels the planned census for December 2010.  It's just temporary, he insists.  And these other things he's supposed to do, it's too soon, but he will do them.  Ayad Allawi and Iraqiya called him out but the press rushed to cover for Nouri.  Even when Nouri couldn't name a Cabinet in 30 days, the press covered for Nouri insisting in January 2011 that he would name a Minister of Defense, a Minister of National Security and a Minister of Interior in a matter of weeks.  Yet back in July, 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."    That's still true. 
 
Nouri didn't follow the contract.  He used the Erbil Agreement to get his second term and then trashed it.  By the summer of 2011, that was obvious to Moqtada al-Sadr, the Kurds and Iraqiya who were publicly calling him out for his refusal to follow the Erbil Agreement.  And the US?  Silent.  Forgotten and ignored were all the promises that the Erbil Agreement was a binding contract and that the White House would stand behind it.  It's not only destroyed the way political leaders see the US government, it's harmed Iraq, denying democracy, making a mockery out of the Iraqi Constitution and telling voters that they don't determine who rules, the US government does.
 
 
For more on that, you can refer to John Barry's "'The Engame' Is A Well Researched, Highly Critical Look at U.S. Policy in Iraq" (Daily Beast):



Washington has little political and no military influence over these developments [in Iraq]. As Michael Gordon and Bernard Trainor charge in their ambitious new history of the Iraq war, The Endgame, Obama's administration sacrificed political influence by failing in 2010 to insist that the results of Iraq's first proper election be honored: "When the Obama administration acquiesced in the questionable judicial opinion that prevented Ayad Allawi's bloc, after it had won the most seats in 2010, from the first attempt at forming a new government, it undermined the prospects, however slim, for a compromise that might have led to a genuinely inclusive and cross-sectarian government."
 
 
Today in DC at the US State Dept press briefing, spokesperson Victoria Nuland was asked about Iraq and we'll note this.
 
 
QUESTION: Victoria, the schism within the Iraqi coalitions and political forces and so on is getting wider. And in fact, you talked about the Sunni/Shia divide in Pakistan. It's also getting quite obvious in Iraq. Some people are calling for the government to dissolve. Some people are calling for the parliament to dissolve. Maliki's saying that he's collected 130 names from the parliament to call for a new elections or dissolve it and so on. Are these just parliamentarian machinations, or are the they the birth pangs of democracy, or are we seeing the country being split along sectarian lines?
 
 
MS. NULAND: Well, we've talked about this quite a bit over the last few weeks, if not even before Christmas. Obviously, we're concerned about increased political tensions inside Iraq. We have continually met with people on all sides, calling on them to exercise restraint, to respect the right of peaceful expression, to talk to each other, to engage in a broad national dialogue on the issues that divide them, and particularly that all parties ought to avoid any actions that subvert the rule of law or that provoke ethnic and sectarian tensions or risk undermining the significant progress that Iraq has made or the Iraqi constitution, which is obviously very carefully and delicately balanced. So we will continue the advocacy efforts in that direction that Ambassador Steve Beecroft makes every single day with Iraqis of all stripes.
 
 
Any US governemnt official pontificating about "rule of law" looks like an idiot to Iraqis because the White House disregarded the Iraqi Constitution and the will of the voters to keep Nouri prime minister.   As for US Ambassador Stephen Beecroft, All Iraq News reports he visited the office of Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, Thursday and that he and al-Hakim discussed the need to preserve calm and not escalate the current crisis."
 
 
 
 

Will the needed question be asked?

Violence continues in Iraq today.  Two bombings are getting press attention.  All Iraq News notes a Babylon roadside bombing targeted police officers today.  The Iraq Times, citing a police source, notes police were targeted with a Kirkuk bombing as well; however it ended up killing 1 bystander and injuring another.

But the big news is an event that repeats more and more often these days: an escape. The Iraq Times reports there has been a Taji prison break with 12 prisoners fleeing -- some of whom are said to have been sentenced to death.  AP states the inmates escaped through cell windows.


Back in 2001, Maria F. Durand (ABC News) reported that in the US prison escapes were on the decline.  That does not appear to be the case in Iraq.  Among the more well covered prison breaks was the September 24, 2009 escape from Tikrit:


 
The big news of the day?  Prison break. Xinhua reports that 16 prisoners have escaped from a Tikrit prison after they "broke through a ventilation duct in the prison" -- five of the sixteen were on death row. Al Jazeera cites Maj Gen Abdul-Karim Khalaf claiming six "are considered dangerous." Reuters notes  one of the escapees was captured post-escape. Qassim Abdul-Zahra (AP) adds that Tirket is now under "complete curfew" and that "The facility from which the inmates escaped was a makeshift prison, built on the compounds of one of Saddam's former palaces. Inmates were housed in a former school of Islamic studies, surrounded by tall concrete blast wallas and guard towers." Sabah al-Bazee and Missy Ryan (Reuters) report, "Mutashar Hussain Allawi, governor of Salahuddin, said an investigation had been opened into the matter and that it appeared there may have been police involvement or negligence."


Two years later, another prison break that would set the tone for future ones in that details were in conflict and were never sorted out.  From the August 9, 2011 snapshot:


Friday in Hilla, there was a clash at a prison and a prison break. Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports that four escapees have been captured with one more remaining at large. Details have changed from one day to the next. Hammoudi quotes Hilla lawmaker Eskander Witwit stating, "The incident was very well planned, there is a clear collusion and negligence by the guards of the jail. An iron saw, police uniform and a faked pistol which looks like a pistol with a silencer had been passed to the prisoners."  Let's review.  Saturday,  AFP reports late Friday there were clashes in a Hilla prison and 4 prisoners and 1 guard died (five more prisoners were injured -- and we're using the numbers reported by the medic in the article) and that up to 15 prisoners may have escaped. Al Sabaah noted a state of emergency has been called and a curfew imposed on Hilla. Dar Addustour stated 20 prisoners escaped (including al Qaeda in Iraq members and members of Moqtada's Mahdi militia) and that the armed clash on Friday lasted up to an hour. Al Mada stated that the escapees included 8 death row inmates.  Sunday, Al Mada reported today that the Ministry of Justice won't state specifically how or why but guns were in the prison with silencers on them -- guns used by prison staff (why do guards need guns with silencers?) and that some of the escapees made off with them. Dar Addustour noted that the Minister of Justice (Hassan Shammari) held a press conference in Hilla today and insisted that only one prisoner was on the loose and that he will be found.


Weeks later, another prison break.  From the September 1, 2011 snapshot:


In Iraq, there's been another prison break, this time in Mosul. Bushra Jhui (AP) reports that 35 people ar said to have "tunneled their way out" with 21 being caught and 14 remaining at large. AFP provides this recent context, "Officials said on August 6 that four prisoners and a guard were killed in clashes at a prison in the central Iraqi city of Hilla, during which eight inmates escaped. Six Iraqi police and 11 inmates were killed in a Baghdad jail mutiny in May, while 12 suspected Al-Qaeda members escaped from prison in the southern city of Basra in mid-January. At least two of the Basra escapees have been recaptured."  Alsumaria TV adds, "A similar incident occurred in Nineveh on April 3 as 23 prisoners escaped from Al Ghazalni prison in southern Mosul. On April 9 as well, 5 prisoners escaped a prison in Al Shifaa' region, eastern Mosul."    Reuters notes it was "a temporary jail" and that the prisoners are said to have made their way out via "a sewage pipe." Laith Hammoudi (McClatchy Newspapers) reports, "A senior officer in the Mosul police department said the inmates had used metal plates and iron bars to dig nearly 150 feet out of the jail. He asked not to be identified because he wasn't authorized to discuss the escape."   Aswat al-Iraq cites Abdul-Rahim al-Shimmary as stating the escapees "were charged according to the Iraqi Criminal Law's Article-4 - Terrorism."
Who was in charge of this facility?
The Ministry of the Interior -- one of three security ministries that Nouri's failed to appoint a minister too. Before December ended, Nouri was supposed to have named a full Cabinet -- all the ministers. Nearly nine months later, he still hasn't done that (Political Stalemate II). How many prison breaks will there be before Nouri's held accountable for refusing to do his job -- his Constitutionally mandated job?
At what point does his inaction result in leaving his reputation in permanent disarray?



 Nouri still hasn't nominated anyone to be Minister of Interior.  And the entire problem is on Nouri.  As we noted September 27th when yet another prison break took place:


The latest day's violence includes a prison attack BBC News reports assailants using bombs and guns attacked a Tikrit prison.  AFP quotes a police Lieutenant Colonel stating, "A suicide bomber targeted the gate of the prison with a car bomb and gunment then assaulted the prison, after which they killed guards" and a police Colonel stating, "The prisoners killed one policeman and wounded (prison director) Brigadier General Laith al-Sagmani, the gunmen took control of the prison, and clashes are continuing."  Kitabat states two car bombs were used to blow up the entrance to the prison and gain access and they also state 12 guards have been killed. Reports note the riot is continuing.  Alsumaria reports four guards have died, 1 police officer and the injured include two soldiers and the prison director al-Sagmani.  There's confusion as to whether a number of prisoners were able to escape in the early stages after the bombing and during gunfire.  Reuters goes with "dozens" escaping which is probably smarter than the hard number some are repeating. Mu Xuequan (Xinhua) reports 5 police officers killed and another two injured -- the numbers are going to vary until tomorrow, this is ongoing -- and state over 200 prisoners escaped with 33 of them already having been recaptured.  If you skip the English language media, what's not confusing is why it happened and why it was able to happen.   Alsumaria reports that there are approximately 900 inmates in the prison and that many have death sentences.  Alsumaria does even more than that.  It notes the recent prison violence throughout the country and ties it into the death sentences.  These aren't just happening at random, this is about the many people being sentenced to death -- a fact the English language press either doesn't know or doesn't think people need to know.
When prisoners escape, as some have, without being caught, it makes a lot of sense when you grasp that they are seen as persecuted.  They're not the deadly evil suddenly let loose and roaming through a town that's going to cause people to pick up the phones and call the authorities.  These are people that many Iraqis feel didn't get a fair trial or received an unduly harsh sentence.  The refusal for this part of the story to be reported goes a long way towards explaining the confusion over what's been taking place in Iraq for months with these increased attacks on prisons.
Already the English-language press is obsessed with the Islamic State of Iraq -- a violent group that may be responsible.  And they may be. July 22nd, the Islamic State of Iraq released an audio recording announcing a new campaign of violence entitled Breaking The Walls which would include prison breaks and killing "judges and investigators and their guards."  (They also threatened to attack America on US soil.)  They've had great success since then in launching deadly attacks.  And one of the reasons for their success is Nouri al-Maliki.  The Islamic State of Iraq is using violence which appalls many Iraqis but for reasons that a number of Iraqis can identify with. 
 Nouri created this.  Nouri's the reason it thrives.  Again, the English-speaking press has ignored it but there have been mass arrests all month.  Alsumaria reports 17 arrested today for 'terrorism' just south of Baghdad, another 17 arrested in Nineveh Province and another 44 in Kirkuk -- while in Diyala Province, the federal forces are said to be out of control but they insist that they have not seized control of residential areas and that they are not putting up barriers as part of their security measures or 'security measures.'  Mass arrests create a climate in which the Islamic State of Iraq's actions can garner sympathy.  You may be lucky and it didn't happen to anyone in your family but, down the street, it happened to one of your neighbors and the thing about mass arrests is that they (rightly) create distrust in the government.  And they create sympathy for responses like the Islamic State of Iraq.   You see and overhear plotting and planning, in a stable society you might call the police.  In Nouri's Iraq, you instead understand the motives and you may not take part in violence yourself but your attitude is you're not going to stop it.

 What got put off again this week?  The proposed amnesty law.  Who keeps blocking it?  Nouri's State of Law.

What's been going on for weeks now?  Protests in Iraq.  Among the demands, what are they calling for?  For the innocents rounded up in mass arrests to be released.  That's one of their demands.  An end to Article 4 and it's 'terrorism' catch-all that keeps resulting in people being arrested is another.

A prison break in Iraq today?  If you're an Iraqi, you're liable to look the other way.  It's very unlikely that you don't know someone who's been arrested at this point.

And then there's the issue of the death penalty.  2012 found Iraq setting a record for executions in the country (it may have even executed the most people of any country in 2012).  And the feeling is that Nouri refuses to honor the United Nations' call for a moratorium on the death penalty or to allow the amnesty bill to become law until he can execute as many Sunnis as possible.

This is on Nouri al-Maliki.  The western press will make excuses for him by distracting with talk of 'who helped, who aided?'  They will steadfastly avoid asking the important question: Why does this keep happening?  Or the follow up, "Why is it so difficult to recapture escapees?"

Nouri created and nurtured an environment where the only 'parole' is prison break and where the average Iraqi doesn't feel on the side of the mass arrest government.


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