Analysis
As Obama Talks Peace, Many Iraqis Are Unsure
Anthony Shadid (The New York Times)In his speech [last] Monday, Mr. Obama called the Aug. 31 deadline for the military to bring the number of troops down to 50,000 the closing of a chapter.
To an American audience, it might resonate that way. Less so to Iraqis. Unlike last year, Iraqi officials, mired in disputes often more personal than political, are not trumpeting the withdrawal as an assertion of an Iraqi authority. …
Saud al-Saadi, an eloquent and informed teacher in Sadr City, was aware [of the
The Premiership
Sean Kane, program officer for Iraq programs, Center of Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations, U.S. Institute of Peace (Peace Brief)In 2006, government formation took almost six months. It is difficult to predict a timeline for the current process, but Iraqis characterize the present situation as more complex than 2006 due to a combination of internal and external factors.
The first source of increased complexity is the nature of the electoral coalitions and hence the election results in 2010. In 2006, the grand Shiite electoral alliance won 47 percent of the parliamentary seats and it was clear that this entity would
Iraq, the Region’s Prized Bull
Jamil K. Mroue, publisher and editor in chief, The Daily StarYears after Saddam Hussein’s long and bloody reign over Iraq and former U.S. President George W. Bush’s brutal invasion of the country, a general election earlier this year held the potential to set the country on a course away from sectarianism and toward stability.
Yet politicians have since been unable to form a coalition government and plant the seeds of stability in their country, preferring to take their citizens hostage in their political rivalries, rather than to come to terms with
Heard on the Street
An Evolving Relationship
James F. Jeffrey, U.S. ambassador to Iraq designate, former principal deputy assistant secretary of state for the Near East, senior adviser to the Secretary of State for Iraq, U.S. deputy chief of mission and U.S. chargé d’affaires in Iraq; testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, July 20, 2010:
“There will be ongoing military cooperation as our relationship with Iraq evolves. For the time being, Iraqi security forces still require certain assistance with logistics and meeting some other operational requirements. While the remaining U.S. forces will continue to provide training and mentoring until their departure by the end of 2011, the hard work of maintaining security and stability is an Iraqi responsibility, and Iraqi forces are showing they are increasingly able to meet that responsibility. …
“We now look to Iraq’s leaders to take the steps that will complement the gains made in security. At the top of that list, in my view, is government formation. It has now been more than four months since the people of Iraq voted in national elections, and still no successor government is in place. This is an Iraqi matter, and I want to emphasize that the United States is not taking sides in the negotiations underway among the various parties. We are, however, stressing to political leaders that they must get on with the job. That means they must make compromises even if that requires giving up personal ambitions or partisan agendas. This process must result in the formation of a truly representative government that enjoys broad acceptance and meets the needs and aspirations of all Iraqis.
“While it is unsettling to see this government formation process drag on, it is an encouraging sign that Iraq’s political leaders are engaged in earnest discussions. The Iraqi people want movement on the major problems that still bedevil them in their daily lives, like electricity and water shortages, lack of employment opportunities, and corruption. There is a need for decisive government action across a broad range of national problems. But the Iraq of 2010 is not the Iraq of 2006, the last time we had a prolonged government formation process. Unlike in 2006, the dangerous power vacuum and violent instability that some predicted have not developed. The caretaker government continues to provide basic services and salaries, and the security forces continue to maintain stability on the streets. Iraq is better off than when I left it in 2005 and the elements necessary for Iraq’s success are present.”
Background Basics
U.S. Administration Efforts Toward Middle East Peace, March-July
Top-Down Track
Proximity Talks
Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell is concluding his sixth round of talks this week, which have included meetings with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan, Qatari Prime Minister Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. Plans for proximity talks were announced in March, but the first round did not begin

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