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| Iraq |
| What's behind Maliki's anti-Israel animus? |
| 2006-07-27 |
| by Dan Senor, Wall Street Journal During his trip to Washington earlier this week, the Iraqi prime minister again failed to condemn Hezbollah and instead focused exclusively on the "destruction that happened to the Lebanese people as a result of the military air and ground attacks." Following Nouri al-Maliki's initial one-sided and even blunter criticism of Israel 10 days ago, a demoralized friend from Jerusalem emailed me: "Iraqis need to understand that they must not jump on the anti-Israel Arab bandwagon; not for Israel's sake, but for themselves. The Arab obsession with Israel has been debilitating for the Arab world and has been the primary excuse for tolerating dictatorships and terrorism. Some brave Arabs have said this. Also, why should Iraq line up with Syria and the hardliners when even the Saudis are criticizing Hezbollah?" He's right. And it wasn't supposed to be this way. We had thought that a post-Saddam Iraqi government would be less susceptible to Arab League pressure; Israel as the old whipping-boy was to find little resonance there. This change of tone was to be a model for the region. Wasn't the road to Arab-Israeli peace supposed to go through Baghdad? Mr. Maliki--who is competent, tough and genuinely committed to a democratic Iraq--is not responding to pressure from the Arab League. The pressure is coming instead from some radical Shiites in his own country. Moqtada al-Sadr and his Sadrists, the Sadriyyun, are as powerful and destructive as ever, forcing the prime minister's hand on Israel and other issues. There's a long discussion in the article on the origins, organization, and objectives of the Sadrists, who are a lot like Hezbollah. It is important to keep in mind, however, that the vast majority of Iraqis do not share the obsession with Israel that has consumed many in the region. The Iraqi political parties that have run on a Nasserite pan-Arab agenda have performed dismally. Iraqis are preoccupied with the lack of security, jobs and electricity, none of which they connect to the old pan-Arab scapegoat. When an Iraqi cab driver is waiting in a six-hour line at the gas station--under 112-degree heat--or a family is forced to endure Baghdad's sweltering summer with only seven hours of electricity in a day, they would be hard pressed to believe that the breakdown in basic services is the fault of the "Zionists." When Iraqis are victimized in a wave of sectarian violence that has claimed sometimes a hundred lives per day, they now have access to enough free information to know that their war is with Sunni insurgents and Shiite militia--stoked by foreign jihadis--and not a result of "the Mossad." It would be impossible in Iraq today for a democratically elected prime minister to send Iraqi national revenues to fund suicide bombers in Israel--as Saddam had done with regularity--or mobilize the country to fight a reckless war. So, my Israeli friend should not be overly concerned about the anti-Israel rhetoric coming from Iraq's government. But Iraqis and Americans should be deeply concerned by what this rhetoric is symptomatic of: Moqtada al-Sadr's strength in Iraq today. We must address his potential to wreak havoc and capitalize on a weak state, much as Hezbollah has done in Lebanon. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #5 It's much deeper than discussed. It's called survival. This guy already has a target painted on him by the Sunni nutjobs. Besides, Tater & tots are about to be taken down in Baghdad |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-07-27 17:41 |
| #4 Absolutely right. This is a no-brainer. Name a Middle Eastern leader who isn't against Israel. |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2006-07-27 10:28 |
| #3 Also, during the Saddam years, Maliki spent a lot of time in Syria being protected by Assad' security detail. |
| Posted by: mhw 2006-07-27 09:14 |
| #2 Why is he anti-Israel? It goes with being a Muslim. |
| Posted by: Griper Whegum8464 2006-07-27 08:58 |
| #1 Steve called this yesterday. He's a politician talking to his constuency. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2006-07-27 08:01 |