After a secure video-conference with President Bush today, Iraq's Prime Minister, Nuri al-Maliki, started singing a new and harmonious tune.
Suddenly, according to Reuters, he is says that he is willing
to improve security in Baghdad by targeting "all sources of violence", including insurgents and militias...
Not only that but he apparently
talked about his desire, and the desire of many in Iraq, for a larger core of Iraqi political leaders to come together for the common objective of stabilizing Iraq and promoting the rule of law...
This is interesting considering that Maliki has been seen as brazenly protecting Shi'ite interests in general and those of al-Sadr and his militia in particular since he took office earlier this year.
For Maliki to say that he has a "desire" to include Kurd, Sunni and Shi'ite leaders in a conference designed to target "all sources of violence" seems like a last-stand attempt to keep his job.
I hope that he is feeling intense pressure from the United States as well as from the competing political factions in Iraq to quit his partisan leadership-style and get on with the agenda of securing a secure and unified Iraq.
If it turns out that he is just spouting empty rhetoric I suspect that he will be out of office before Bush's State of the Union speech next month.
Article comments
1 - RJ Elliott
Great article.
Bush is obviously stalling for time before he announces his new strategy in Iraq (probably either right before, or perhaps even at, his SOTU speech).
Bush wants Maliki to either get his shit together and his priorities straight, or to stand aside for some other Iraqi leader who is better suited to do so.
The Pentagon seems supportive of a plan to send in up to 35,000 more troops, at least in the short-term.
Looks like the recommendations from the ISG report aren't going to be implemented...in fact, pretty much the exact opposite is likely to be made policy!
2 - Bliffle
"Looks like the recommendations from the ISG report aren't going to be implemented...in fact, pretty much the exact opposite is likely to be made policy!"
GWB has a pretty consistent record of rejecting anything originating in his fathers quarter. Sigh. Too bad we can't have a national policy that is NOT based on personal animosities.
3 - Franco
Excellent article
I hope that he is feeling intense pressure from the United States as well as from the competing political factions in Iraq to quit his partisan leadership-style and get on with the agenda of securing a secure and unified Iraq.
Amen brother.
This is not a new plan. This has been building up all year and way before the November elections. Therefor I would not like to see the new speaker of the house try and claim that this is part of “their” new direction. If that happens I will have lost what little respect, faith, and hope I have in the new speaker.
4 - Donnie Marler
Good article. Al Maliki is under Sadr's thumb, always has been, and until the Mahdi army is disarmed, along with all the rest, the carnage will continue.
When the Marines went into Sadr City after a few wanted insurgents, Al Maliki threw a fit and publicly promised Sadr it 'wouldn't happen again.' He is as much our enemy as anyone in Iraq, maybe more so.
5 - Bliffle
Franco: "If that happens I will have lost what little respect, faith, and hope I have in the new speaker."
But you never did have any "... respect, faith, and hope ... in the new speaker."
So, you will lose...nothing???
6 - Zedd
uhm... I believe that al-Maliki has said this before.
al-Maliki has actually been courting the world community saying if the U.S. wont help, will you? We need to get this thing done whatever the U.S. does or doesn't do.
He actually said that we started this mess and we need to be serious about fixing it. What you propose as Bush's proding is what al-Maliki was saying needs to happen among other things in order to make things happen.
Stop the flag waving and get a better new source. Try BBC world news.