The future of Iraq
Friday, 1 October 2010
M. S. Haque
THE American troops would completely be leaving Iraq not after sorting out its political problems or reconciling its various sectarian differences. As it is, a government could not be formed in Iraq after its elections last year. A make-shift government is in power mainly with the backing of the Americans. The Sunni Muslim population of Iraq, though a minority, were, otherwise, in dominant positions in Iraq before the coming of the Americans. But their role has largely been eroded under the American occupation. However, the majority Shia Mulims in Iraq are also now in a disarray and their factional leaders are still vying for key positions. On their part, the long-standing previous overlords in Iraq's affairs, the Sunnis, have never accepted their loss of power.
This situation is most likely to further worsen following the complete withdrawal of US forces. The Shia-Sunni feud could then revive with full force destroying whatever stability it has at the moment. Apprehending this as well as the still formidable armed presence of Saddam loyalists and Al-Qaida groups in Iraq, the Chief of the Iraqi army expressed sometime back his deep scepticism about the ability of his forces to maintain order in Iraq after the departure of American troops.
Thus, the Iraqis could be pushed from the frying pan to the fire, as the saying goes, if the complete US withdrawal -- though a desired one -- leads to such developments. First of all, their country was done a great wrong through its occupation. No weapons of mass destruction was found in Iraq after the invasion which was cited as the justification for it. But the foreign invasion and subsequent turmoil in that country led to a large-scale destruction of its assets and resources and did not bring anyway an end to long-lingering terrible miseries of ordinary citizens.
Secondly, the question arises at this stage whether the US from pulling out all its troops from Iraq and leaving the country in deeper political troubles without any positive sign yet seen about those problems being sorted out, will throw Iraq afresh into anarchic conditions of internal strife and violence or not.
THE American troops would completely be leaving Iraq not after sorting out its political problems or reconciling its various sectarian differences. As it is, a government could not be formed in Iraq after its elections last year. A make-shift government is in power mainly with the backing of the Americans. The Sunni Muslim population of Iraq, though a minority, were, otherwise, in dominant positions in Iraq before the coming of the Americans. But their role has largely been eroded under the American occupation. However, the majority Shia Mulims in Iraq are also now in a disarray and their factional leaders are still vying for key positions. On their part, the long-standing previous overlords in Iraq's affairs, the Sunnis, have never accepted their loss of power.
This situation is most likely to further worsen following the complete withdrawal of US forces. The Shia-Sunni feud could then revive with full force destroying whatever stability it has at the moment. Apprehending this as well as the still formidable armed presence of Saddam loyalists and Al-Qaida groups in Iraq, the Chief of the Iraqi army expressed sometime back his deep scepticism about the ability of his forces to maintain order in Iraq after the departure of American troops.
Thus, the Iraqis could be pushed from the frying pan to the fire, as the saying goes, if the complete US withdrawal -- though a desired one -- leads to such developments. First of all, their country was done a great wrong through its occupation. No weapons of mass destruction was found in Iraq after the invasion which was cited as the justification for it. But the foreign invasion and subsequent turmoil in that country led to a large-scale destruction of its assets and resources and did not bring anyway an end to long-lingering terrible miseries of ordinary citizens.
Secondly, the question arises at this stage whether the US from pulling out all its troops from Iraq and leaving the country in deeper political troubles without any positive sign yet seen about those problems being sorted out, will throw Iraq afresh into anarchic conditions of internal strife and violence or not.