Iraq bombings: Nouri al-Maliki is playing with fire by inflaming sectarian tensions

The Telegraph ^ | Thursday 22 December 2011 | David Blair

[MinorityRepublican]

Mr Maliki has become steadily more authoritarian, with critics accusing him of inflaming sectarian tensions

Only four days after the US departure, Baghdad has duly suffered 14 near-simultaneous bomb attacks.

President Barack Obama put Iraq's extremists on notice when he announced two months ago that America's military withdrawal would conclude in December. It was a fair assumption that he would want the troops home before Christmas, identifying this week as the most dangerous period.

The bloodshed was almost certainly designed to exploit a security vacuum after the end of the US presence.

But it also coincided with one of the most perilous moments in Iraqi politics since Saddam Hussein's downfall in 2003. A power struggle is tearing apart the country's coalition government under Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister.

This dour, charmless Shia has surprised many - perhaps even himself - by emerging as Iraq's leading power broker. Mr Maliki has become steadily more authoritarian, with critics accusing him of inflaming sectarian tensions.

[MinorityRepublican]

Saddam Hussein II? (Only this time he is Shia)

[hinckley buzzard]

Only four days after the US departure, Baghdad has duly suffered 14 near-simultaneous bomb attacks.

Asked about the delay, informed sources pointed out that "it takes time to make those bombs."

[MestaMachine]

I firmly believe in my heart of hearts that maliki has done this with the full aquiescence of obama at their WH meeting. obama has effectively handed over Iraq to Iran. Period.

[Logical me]

Iraq is going down. We should never help another Easter Muslim nation again. No aid, no troops, no nothing. Those ungrateful pieces of crap can just swim in their sewers.

[Zhang Fei]

This isn’t Saddam Hussein 2, because Maliki is an Islamist heading up an Islamist party. More like Iraq’s Khomeini. Not to worry, we’ll have a Syrian Mullah Omar in place soon, just to have a good balance between Sunni and Shiite Islamist dictatorships in the region.

[YankeeDoodleRebel]

Amen. Totally predictable.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

Could this lead to a Turkish Sunni v. Iranian Shi'a confrontation?

Though Turkey and Iran have talks and trade Iranian generals have threatened to hit Turkey with nukes and several years ago Ankara said that if Iran got nukes they too were going to get nukes.

[MinorityRepublican]

Syrian Mullah Omar

He's going to kill all the Christians in Syria.

[Iron Munro]

Quiet please! I do believe I hear singing.....

[Jim Noble]

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

[Georgia Girl 2]

Its no secret that Maliki is in the bag for Iran.

[qman]

Who didn't see this coming, Nation Building at it's finest. We have a responsibility to kill the enemy after a declaration of war not babysit them.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks MinorityRepublican.

• Iraq PM tells Kurds to hand over Sunni leader
• Iraqi PM warns Kurds they must hand over Sunni vice-president
• Sunni leaders warn of sectarian chaos in Iraq
• Iraqi Sunni leaders denounce PM Maliki
• Without Syria, Iran is headless in Iraq
• Hezbollah Terrorist Handed Over to Iraqis by U.S. May Face Only Minor Criminal Charge
• Tensions rise as Iraq seeks Sunni VP arrest

Iran:

• In UN Condemnation Sweepstakes, Iran Noses Out North Korea & Syria
• Iran envoy meets Rai, praises Syria over decision to allow in observers
• Iran says five of its citizens kidnapped in Syria
• Five Iranian Technicians Kidnapped In Syria's Homs

[Jim Noble]

Every penny spent, every drop of blood shed in "Iraq" after December 2003 was wasted.

There was never a plan (or at least not one based in reality) to prevent this outcome. The choice to kill Saddam and his sons was a choice to drown "Iraq" in blood and eventually to turn it over to Iran.

It was also a choice to avoid engaging the main body of the enemy forces which conspired to attack us in 2001. If we had conquered Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in 2002, this war would have been over long ago.

Now, we are immeasurably weaker and more vulnerable.

And the worst of it is that this terrible waste and terrible outcome isn't really Obama's fault, and trying to blame it on him sounds like partisan whining.

[RedEyeJack]

The Sunnis will fight for Al Anbar. The Kurds will fight for their homeland. Obama will vote present as the Shia unite with Iran to take both and also Kuwait. It will all be Bush's fault for going in in the first place. When the oil stops Obama will get another of his goals satisfied. $8 gallon gas will destroy what's left of our economy... Hope not but watching Obama spike the ball over his little triumph in forcing the House to pass the 60-day bill on the payroll tax is symbolic of his political agenda... “Not for country but for self”.

[denydenydeny]

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

[gargoyle]

...I guess it's too late to unhang Saddam Hussen. Oh yea, how's that nation building working out for US?

[gargoyle]

...after a declaration of war

...What DOW? Last time I checked, there was none!

[Sarajevo]

The Sunnis will fight for Al Anbar.

Some...maybe. When I left Anbar last year, every Sunni in my network had plans to bug out to Jordan or Syria.

[Sarajevo]

I would dare to push those dates back to 1990, when Saddam invaded Kuwait. We should have let him keep Kuwait and urged him to push on through Saudi Arabia also. Since the Iraqi treasury was broke from it's long war with Iran, Saddam would have sold us all the oil we wanted.

Many state that Saddam was a dictator and a despot, but that is the only thing Iraqi's can understand. They cannot comprehend western democracy, nor will Iraqi's accept or follow a weak leader like Maliki.