Article

2006-02-10 Iraq

Secular Sunnis join main Shi'ite coalition

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Posted by Dan Darling 2006-02-10 01:25|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 A million militant Iraqis.
All in a crowd.
What an opportunity.

---hey, a haiku!

Posted by Skidmark 2006-02-10 01:35|| 2006-02-10 01:35|| Front Page Top

#2 That would be main Sunni coalition.

Posted by Paul Moloney 2006-02-10 04:53|| 2006-02-10 04:53|| Front Page Top

#3 Sunni-secularist coalition, since it includes Allawi, himeself a Shiite and with Shiites in his party.

Significant that they are moving that way, since some had thought there the religious Sunnis might join with UIA in a pro-Sharia coalition leaving Allawi and the Kurds out in the cold. On the issue of Sharia, and on the American role, Alawi and the Sunni religious are at opposite poles.
What this shows is that the dominant issue in Iraq now, is NOT Sharia, and its NOT the American presence (despite what our misguided press and pundits think) Its the internal organization of Iraq - how federalist will it be, how centralized will it be, who will control the oil, etc. These issues, and only these issues, are the ones that bring Allawi together with all the Sunnis, secular and religious. At the other end is SCIRI. Holding the balance in between are the Kurds (who want an autonomous Kurdistan, but could live with the Rest of Iraq being united - kinda how the Quebecers are indifferent to autonomy for Alberta and BC) and the Shiite groups other than SCIRI - IE Dawa,Fadllala, and the Sadrists. Of course these latter are still joined with SCIRI in UIA. Which is why the current squabling within UIA about who will be PM is so interesting.

Posted by liberalhawk 2006-02-10 09:37|| 2006-02-10 09:37|| Front Page Top

#4 liberalhawk, only a person who understands all the splitters of the various Socialist/Communist/Marxist/Stalinist/etc flavours ;-) could give such an insightful and cogent summation. Thank you!

Posted by trailing wife 2006-02-10 11:56|| 2006-02-10 11:56|| Front Page Top

#5 as the only Right wing social democrat/left wing New Democrat with neo-conservative leanings here, i humbly accept your thanks :)

Posted by liberalhawk 2006-02-10 13:46|| 2006-02-10 13:46|| Front Page Top

#6 See? Liberalhawk, I can't even parse that statement. I tried, and as far as I can tell, you just placed yourself at a certain particular point on the plane of political somethings. I think you've added a couple extra axes to the usual xy thingy I'm used to... and I can't do n-space (nor Hilliard Space, either, Alaska Paul. Never thought I'd get that one back atcha, did you).

Posted by trailing wife 2006-02-10 18:57|| 2006-02-10 18:57|| Front Page Top

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