tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21995284.post116843081279166306..comments2023-10-25T12:49:50.074+01:00Comments on The Old Socialist Unity Blog - we have moved: Iraq - can America win?ANhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05901425044840795347noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21995284.post-1168550335134289862007-01-11T21:18:00.000+00:002007-01-11T21:18:00.000+00:00and AdamI see in Patrick cockburn's article in tod...and Adam<BR/><BR/>I see in Patrick cockburn's article in today's Independent (the least likely person to be reporting "coalition propaganda")<BR/><BR/>"There is no doubt that the mehdi army includes death squads targetting Sunni - but this is [also] true of Badr [brigades]"ANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901425044840795347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21995284.post-1168529547991063292007-01-11T15:32:00.000+00:002007-01-11T15:32:00.000+00:00And AdamThe elecdtion result was a defeatb for pro...And Adam<BR/><BR/>The elecdtion result was a defeatb for pro-occupation parties. Agai, as I wrote at the time:<BR/><BR/>" the party most strongly associated with the US occupation, the Iraqi list of Iyad Allawi received just 1.16 million votes (13.9 per cent), despite a very well funded campaign, emphasizing reconstruction and the need to restore security. Even more significantly the Shia list also known as the Unified Iraqi Alliance (UIA) won 4.75 million votes (48.7%). The largest components of this coalition are the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, and the Islamic Dawa party. Both of these parties are sharply critical of the US occupation, and the Dawa party has in the past strongly criticized the deployment of the Iraqi National Guard against Iraqi insurgents. The Shia list campaigned on the policy of asking the Americans to set a timetable for withdrawal. Although there was a call for the elections to be boycotted by Moqtada Al-Sadr, the leader of the Shia Mehdi army who fought the Americans last year, his supporters also contested the elections as the Independent Nationalist Cadres and Elites, (Kawadir wa Nukhab) and won 65,000 votes.<BR/>"ANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901425044840795347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21995284.post-1168529328185782922007-01-11T15:28:00.000+00:002007-01-11T15:28:00.000+00:00Hi AdamI am prepared to accept the correction that...Hi Adam<BR/><BR/>I am prepared to accept the correction that I should not have specifically identified the Mehdi army as being involved in secatraian violecne, as i have not specific evidence of this.<BR/><BR/>However, the exercise of sectarian violence by shia militias seem uncontrovertible, and is confirmed to me by iraqis I know here who regularly telehone home.<BR/><BR/>The fact that the Americans may have orchestrated sectarian viloence does not disprove the coontention that the sectarian violence has a momentum and dynamic of its own.<BR/><BR/>The strongest evidence that Iraqi civil society has split along sectraian lines was from the leat elections, as i analysed here:<BR/>http://www.socialistunitynetwork.co.uk/news/iraqiresults.htm<BR/><BR/>As I said at the time:<BR/>"The Peoples' Unity List of the Iraqi Communist Party fared much worse than anticipated, securing just 69,000 votes, and winning two seats. To their credit they admitted in their newspaper that the result was bad - and observed that their potential supporters voted along religious or ethnic lines -- the Kurds voted for the Kurdish list and the Shia for the United Iraqi Alliance. This is one of the most important aspects of these results, the fracturing of the electorate according to ethnicity or faith. The parties who stood on ideological platforms, such as the broadly liberal Independent Iraqis for Democracy (led by the high profile figure, Adnan Pachachi) got just 23,000 votes; and the Constitutional Monarchists won just 13,000 votes. In contrast the Kurdish list - appealing directly for votes on ethnic lines - secured 2.17 million votes (26.2%), whereas only between 15% and 20% of the population are Kurdish: the anomaly being explained by the higher turnout in Kurdish areas."ANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05901425044840795347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21995284.post-1168528725753329832007-01-11T15:18:00.000+00:002007-01-11T15:18:00.000+00:00Also Andy, I question your rose-tinted view that I...Also Andy, I question your rose-tinted view that Iraq is a democracy or the current government a legitimate force. Genuinely democratic elections cannot take place under occupation.<BR/>The people of Fallujah - the city of resistance - were denied the right to take part in your elections.<BR/><BR/>What powers does the Iraqi Parliament actually have? Slightly less than the Welsh Assembly. All real power remains in the hands of the occupiers.<BR/><BR/>The elections were to an assembly to draw up a constitution. When the Iraqis first drew up a constitution it committed Iraq to a social-democratic economic system and posited the gradual withdrawal of troops. After a meeting with the US ambassador, the constitution suddenly called for a free market economy (with heavy US interference) and mentioned the construction of 14 economic bases. Iraqis were ordered to vote on the constitution without even seeing it.<BR/><BR/>Actually only up to 58% of registeded voters in Iraq took part in the elections. The US and UK refused to publicise how many people were actually registered to vote, but it is clear that turnout waslow for example when compared to the first elections in South Africa. If these elections had taken place in Zimbabwe they would have been denounced by the Western liberal intelligentsia and elite.<BR/>Opponents of the occupation while united on seeing the election process as flawed were divided on whether to participate (so members of the Sadr movement boycotted and participated in the elections)<BR/><BR/>Consider the current Prime Minister. The United Iraq Alliance who won the elections with almost half the votes cast called for a timetable for withdrawal. When they selected a candidate for Prime Minister the American government threatened to withhold 3 billion dollars of aid to the Iraqi government, they backed down and chose Al-Maliki a candidate more favourable to their masters.<BR/><BR/>I also question your characterisation of the Iraq as a democracy or that the government has true legitimacy. There were no international observers (well, there were - but they were stationed in Jordan - another country!) and according to most authorities they wouldn't meet the criteria of genuine free and fair democratic elections<BR/><BR/>There are over 100,000 US soldiers in Iraq. They are not answerable to the Iraqi parliament, if they commit war crimes or ordinary crimes they cannot be tried by an Iraqi court.<BR/><BR/>Iraqi oil revenues - the key to the Iraqi economy - are controlled by a 11 man committee (with only one Iraqi on it) handpicked by US Viceroy Paul Bremer in 2003.<BR/><BR/>A country that doesn't control it's borders or economy is not a democracy or a colony<BR/><BR/>Consider:<BR/><BR/>In order to stand candidates had to be vetted by a commission appointed by the Coalition.<BR/><BR/>The Coalitionbanned candidates from standing who had links with militia (though this was only applied to anti-occupation resistance forces not to pro-US militia). <BR/><BR/>The US/UK channelled millions into pro-occupation parties election campaigns.<BR/><BR/>The electoral process in Iraq has been heavily manipulated and warped by the Occupiers.<BR/><BR/>You also don't draw attention to the fact, the US/UK seek to impose a confessional system on Iraq, or the bizarre list system which seeks to force people along sectarian lines. Why does the Coalition's model of democracy in Iraq look to Lebanon and Northern Ireland (in the past) rather than the systems of Europe or the US?<BR/><BR/>Iraq has a democracy, but all the strings are pulled by the Occupying forces, hence the epithet - "puppet" is entirely appropriate.<BR/><BR/>Adam JAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21995284.post-1168527123545317002007-01-11T14:52:00.000+00:002007-01-11T14:52:00.000+00:00Andy,You repeat what is effectively coalition prop...Andy,<BR/><BR/>You repeat what is effectively coalition propaganda that the Mahdi army is involved in ethnically cleansing Sunni's from Baghdad. This would be very odd. as the Al-Sadr movement has organised demonstrations with the Sunni Association of Muslim. Leading figures in the Al-Sadr movement have denounced sectarian violence, it seems strange then for them to engage in it?<BR/><BR/>But a more critical point is that the media coverage of much of the sectarian violence doesn't hold up to critical scrutiny, a comrade of mine, Max Fuller (A member of the Colombia Solidarity Campaign & BRussels Tribunal) has highlighted the inconsistency and contradictions in reports of sectarian violence.<BR/><BR/>His website is quite illuminating:<BR/><BR/>www.cryingwolf.deconstructingiraq.org.uk<BR/><BR/><BR/>He has also identified the parallels between previous dirty wars and use of the death squad tactic in central america and the current use of the tactic in Iraq.<BR/><BR/>http://www.brusselstribunal.org/Fuller.htm#Balad<BR/>http://www.brusselstribunal.org/Fuller.htm#Adhamiya<BR/><BR/>Adam JAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21995284.post-1168432629731205752007-01-10T12:37:00.000+00:002007-01-10T12:37:00.000+00:00Yes, and the great oil rip-off as well. Oil compan...Yes, and the great oil rip-off as well. Oil companies will be making mega profits from the Iraqi oil.<BR/><BR/>The very little, for instance, is spoken about the civil resistance, for example, the Southern Oil Workers' Union.Louisefeministahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08279991897445225597noreply@blogger.com