Article

2004-01-16 Iraq

U.S. Joins Iraqis to Seek U.N. Role in Interim Rule

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Posted by JerseyMike 2004-01-16 7:03:11 AM|| || Front Page|| [4 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Only a moron like a NYT reporter couldn't see that one person one vote = civil war.

There has to be a process of accomodation over some period of time. Caucuses are the right answer and who gives a f*** whether the UN agrees or not!

Posted by phil_b 2004-1-16 8:12:25 AM|| 2004-1-16 8:12:25 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 i think the moderate Iraqis want the UN in so that when Sistani calls for immediate direct elections, and they say no, they can cite Annan for backup, which should help with the elements in the Shia community that have less trust for the US. The risk would be that Kofi would undermine them - but to do that hed have to call FOR early direct elections - which the Sunni Arabs dont particularly care for, and theyre the ones tied to the Saudis and Jordanians, and indirectly to the French et al. So Kofi cant side WITH Sistani, but to side AGAINST them helps the IGC and the Americans. Thats why he will try to avoid being brought in at all, and why WE will pressure him to get involved.

Posted by liberalhawk 2004-1-16 9:11:20 AM|| 2004-1-16 9:11:20 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Wait a minute, this looks like blatant propaganda to me. The article pretends that we are just begging the UN to get involved - but Kofi, worried about his still grieving ~~unichs~~ UN staff, will have to think about it and get back to us.

"In recent months, the administration has said it wanted the United Nations to take part in building Iraqi democracy after the transition to self-rule. But the administrationâs intention was disrupted when Ayatollah Sistani criticized as undemocratic the American plan for caucuses to select an interim government."

"There were few details of what the United Nations was being asked to do to help the caucus plan, but administration officials said it could involve helping organize and perhaps certifying the legitimacy of the meetings. "

I think what this article really says is that the Bush administration told Kofi, hey, it would be nice if you would lend a little verbal support to efforts to prevent direct elections, which will be unacceptable to the Kurds and other minorities. And then Kofi came out of the meeting and told the reporters that the Americans were begging him to get involved and without him, all was lost.

It's careful wording all based on "administration officials". There's no meat to the argument that anyone - especially the Iraqi's - really want the UN to do anything other than provide a little lip service to support their cause.

Posted by B 2004-1-16 11:37:19 AM|| 2004-1-16 11:37:19 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 I think both liberalhawk and B are correct -- the UN thing must be viewed, like everything else, as one more element in the jockeying by all parties for what they think is the best outcome for them. Or in the case of the Sunnis, the least-worst -- though I'm not sure how much they can do for themselves given the realities.

John Cullinan's occasional National Review Online columns on the internal political wrangling and strategies in Iraq have been very substantive and worthwhile, and I commend them to those interested in the topic.

I've wondered since it was announced whether/how the Rube Goldberg caucus/prov. legislature/con. convention scheme actually advanced our interest in a successful Iraqi transition. I understand buffering the pure ethnic/regional arithmetic dynamics through complexity and layers, but it's a bit ridiculous in its complexity.

Posted by IceCold 2004-1-16 12:43:14 PM|| 2004-1-16 12:43:14 PM|| Front Page Top

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