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[The Thunder Run] The Thunder Run: From the Front: 03/01/2010: Vote Seen as Pivotal Test for Both Iraq and Maliki - A few months ago, building on genuine if not universal popularity, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki appeared poised to win a second term as Iraq's prime minister. Now, as Iraqis prepare to vote in parliamentary elections on March 7, his path to another four years in office has become increasingly uncertain, his campaign erratic and, to some, deeply troubling.

[Command the Raven] Iraq's New Political Elites: A Dream Come True? | Command the Raven: These close relations were particularly salient when compared to the relatively independent Kurdish leadership, which lacked an external patron directly involved in their political decisions and behavior. In addition to the special bond with Iran, the Shi’a elite differed from their Kurdish counterparts in the following respects: the decentralization of the Shi’a leadership, the abundance of leaders, the existence of a religious authority that dictated to the political leaders, and the power struggles that occasionally deteriorated into violence.

[Enduring America] The Latest from Iran (19 February): Finding the Real Stories ...: I wish that you were there to advise them and be a voice of calm, but I can see how given the principles the defenders of America go by, there’s only one way they’re going to calculate this out, and the only point I’m trying to make is that it’s not based on being puppets for Israel or some hidden motive like that, it’s just how they will inevitably perceive this situation, as an unacceptable uncertainty for American safety. They’re not trying to pursue some covert agenda, they’re actually worried about what they see as a threat.

[Antiwar.com Original] Iraqi Christians Seek Return, Sense Extinction by Kelley B. Vlahos ...: Before the war, Christians were a learned, professional class that enjoyed civilian jobs and some deference from former dictator Saddam Hussein. But like Kassab himself, many fled during the 1980s to avoid conscription into Saddam’s Ba’ath Party, and the dictator’s treatment of Christians became increasingly erratic and brutal as he became more paranoid and unstable through the 1990s.

[Shadow Government] Iraq, a war we are winning; Afghanistan, a war we can't win By ...: While Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen (and to a lesser extent General Petraeus) have appropriately "lowered expectations" on what the military can do to help in Afghanistan, there is still and undercurrent to "Win" this thing. Afghanistan lacks: 1) a tradition of central government, 2) a semi-modern infrastructure, and 3) a committment to (or at least an appreciation of) higher education to name three differences with Iraq in addition to your points about corruption.

[At War] John Burns Q and A: Ending the War in Iraq - At War Blog - NYTimes.com: Many thousands (if not a million) of other families were destroyed during the genocidal Anfal (’Spoils’) Campaign of 1986-88, the Halabja gas attacks of 1987, the suppression of Shia and Kurdish rebellions in 1991, the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-88, and, of course, during the thirty years of uninterrupted state terror that was inflicted on people all over Iraq and Kurdistan in order to sustain and solidify the reign of Saddam’s crime family.

[truthout] t r u t h o u t | Worst Three Months for US in Iraq Since War Began: The goal was to curb the violence so Iraq's Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders can strike agreements .A Sunni political party said Friday that four Sunni Cabinet members will refuse to attend government meetings to protest the way Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki handled legal proceedings against the fifth Sunni minister.

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[SWJ Blog] 1 March SWJ Roundup (SWJ Blog): A few months ago, building on genuine if not universal popularity, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki appeared poised to win a second term as Iraq’s prime minister. Now, as Iraqis prepare to vote in parliamentary elections on March 7, his path to another four years in office has become increasingly uncertain, his campaign erratic and, to some, deeply troubling.

[The Agonist - thoughtful, global, timely] Iraq & Afghanistan Update/ Nov 17 | The Agonist: Another American journalist who has written extensively about Iraq, Seymour Hersh of the New Yorker, said: "The notion that the newly organised government of Iraq would not understand the basic tenets of press freedom makes a mockery of the sacrifice of the soldiers and the journalists who have lost their lives or been injured doing their jobs there."

[Shadow Government] Eikenberry's leaked cables are turning the Karzai challenge into ...: Committing US troops to provide security in urban areas had a much greater effect on Iraq than the proportionally small increase in troops lauded as the "surge." That said, the Anbar Awakening and the decision by Sadr to have his militia cease-fire was far more important to reducing the violence and providing some modicum of security. It gets very tiresome to continually see the canard that the "surge" saved Iraq offered up like a talisman in this blog.

[SWJ Blog] SWJ Interview with Bing West (Part 1) (SWJ Blog): The major unknown variable is Maliki, who often appears resentful and dismissive of the pesky Americans. What concerns our senior officers is his erratic impulsiveness, combined with secretiveness, distrust and overconfidence based upon ignorance of the fundamentals underlying the fragility of the current stability.

[Making Maps: DIY Cartography] Mapping the Failure of the Iraq “Surge” « Making Maps: DIY Cartography: Furthermore, the nighttime light signature of Baghdad data when matched with ground data provided by the report to the US Congress by Marine Corps General Jones and various other sources, makes it clear that the diminished level of violence in Iraq since the onset of the surge owes much to a vicious process of inter-ethnic cleansing.

[AlterNet.org: Health and Wellness] Iraq: Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics | World | AlterNet: "They are using this number because they want to show that Maliki is succeeding," said Salim Abdullah, a lawmaker and member of the largest Sunni bloc, known as the Accordance Front. Manipulation of public sentiment has been a central element of the White House's entire Iraq war enterprise.

[Syria Comment] Syria Comment » Archives » EU postpones Syrian accord; Ignatius on ...: For several years, the United States has wanted him to be a strong leader who could assert Iraqi sovereignty. But Maliki's erratic behavior in .

[Buzzle: What's the Buzz?] ICG Report, Turkey, Iraq, 'Kurdistan', and the Nefarious, Age-Old ...: The law’s final section, "Necessitating reasons", states: "This Law was issued to develop the petroleum wealth of the Region in a way that achieves the highest benefit to the Kurdistan people and all Iraqi people, using the most advanced techniques of market principles and encouraging investment, in a manner consistent with the provisions of Articles 111, 112, and 115 of the Federal Constitution, to promote and adhere to the highest standards of transparency, accountability, and fairness in the petroleum sector, to provide special petroleum revenue allocations for all citizens of the Region, for the future generations of the Region, for those who suffered as a result of the previous regime in Iraq[;] for the natural environment of the Region; and to facilitate cooperation on petroleum management with the Federal Government[,] provided that revenue is shared equitably, as required by the Federal Constitution".

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