Posted on 04/01/2007 8:59:57 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
BAGHDAD - Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite just back from barnstorming for support among Sunni Arab leaders across the Middle East, appears determined to make another run at the premiership.
His platform: Iraq cannot survive under the current Shiite leadership, and Sunnis must have a much larger role in government.
The Sunni-dominated Arab League believes this, as well, but the idea is opposed by the Shiite-led government in Iraq. Most Shiite lawmakers cannot abide Allawi's secular positions and it appears unlikely he could form a sufficiently large parliamentary coalition to retake the prime minister's office.
Iraq's Shiite-dominated government is heavily influenced by two powerful clerics, and its decisions are often heavily laced with Shiite religious doctrine. Some call the country a thinly veiled theocracy like the one in neighboring Iran, where many members of Iraq's Shiite power structure took refuge during Saddam Hussein's rule.
Moreover, the political apparatus that backs Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has shown almost no willingness to promote reconciliation with the minority Sunni sect that ran the country for decades before Saddam's ouster in the U.S.-led invasion four years ago.
Allawi, while Shiite through family history, rejects mixing religion and government and says Iraq can only survive through reconciliation with Sunni Muslims and building government, military and police structures that are loyal to the Iraqi people, not to one of the nation's Muslim sects.
Allawi, who trained as a surgeon and reportedly had ties to the CIA and British intelligence agency during his years in exile, was installed as Iraq's first post-Saddam prime minister. His appointed government ran the country from June 2004 until his party was routed by religious Shiite parties in the January 2005 election.
He had been put in office by L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. official who ran Iraq for a year after the invasion. Now he is seeking to de-emphasize his links with the U.S., publicly at least.
In an interview with The Associated Press last week, Allawi said the U.S.-backed draft oil law has the potential to "cause a severe backlash in society."
The draft law, designed in part to create a fair distribution of oil profits to all Iraqis, is perhaps the most important piece of legislation for Iraq's American patrons. But the measure, which would give foreign companies some access to the country's enormous oil reserves, has not yet been put before parliament.
Passage of the oil law, thought to have been written with heavy U.S. involvement, is one of four benchmarks the Bush administration has set for al-Maliki's struggling government.
But Allawi said the measure was written under time pressure and could have negative unforeseen consequences. He did not elaborate.
He was also critical of the Baghdad security operation to which President Bush has committed an additional 30,000 troops, with full deployment not expected until June.
"I seems to me even the surge, unfortunately, is not working efficiently yet," Allawi said. "Security, as you can see, is still deteriorating in the country and sectarianism is unfortunately prevailing. We are witnessing wide-scale atrocities throughout the country."
He blamed what he sees as al-Maliki's unwillingness to start a dialogue with the Sunni Arabs who ran the country under Saddam. For that reason, he said, the security drive "is not going to succeed, is going to backfire the day after" it ends.
"We don't have a political process now," Allawi said of al-Maliki's government, which — like the parliament — is dominated by Shiites. "What we have is a biased, sectarian-based political process which is damaging the country."
"I'm definitely trying to pull together an alliance of moderates in Iraq. I strongly believe that sectarianism and terrorism are both signs of extremism. And really what we need in Iraq, as well as the region, is the creation of moderate camps," Allawi said, coming as close as he would to saying whether he wanted a second term as prime minister.
He said the U.S., forced into backing al-Maliki through the democratic process Washington established in Iraq, will never achieve its objectives as long as it remains tied to the highly sectarian Shiite leadership.
But his chances of effecting change in the "current structure" are negligible unless the government falls and parliament is dismissed, on American orders, to form a national salvation government — with him as a strongman leader to restore order.
Al-Maliki aides have said they fear that could happen if the government is unable to meet U.S.-set benchmarks by June 30, when the current parliament term ends. But that would be a difficult move for the Americans, who have insisted they are determined to promote democracy in Iraq.
Allawi says the problems that exist now were of the United States' creation.
"I always thought that the first steps toward democracy were not to have elections. The first steps are (to create) the rule of law and a bill of rights for the people. That would pave the way for full-blown democracy," he said.
But Allawi's distaste for the U.S. pressure to quickly hold elections may arise from the drubbing he took from the Shiite religious parties. Now he's again placing himself in the public spotlight, particularly with his trip recently to Kuwait, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan — all predominantly Sunni countries concerned about the fate of fellow Sunnis in Iraq.
Allawi, a Shiite who is an outcast among his own sect because of his secular policies, appears to be trying to rebuild his stature on a Sunni foundation.
In this February 2005 file photo, Ayad Allawi speaks during an interview in his office in Baghdad, Iraq. The former prime minister, a secular Shiite just back from barnstorming for support among Sunni Arab leaders across the Middle East, appears determined to make another run at the premiership. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
Talibani also criticised the US in Saudi Arabia.
It seems when you are trying to make deals with Arab leaders that is the best way to start the conversation.
Except for McCain's stance for the GWOT, Allawi is almost as much a "maverick" as Sen. John....methinks.
Allawi is more pro-American then the current government in Baghdad by far. But, he is trying to make deals now with governments and politicians that do not like us at all hoping that he will end up on top.
Actually, from my perusal, it doesn't sound that critical. The only negatives I saw were that he thinks that our patrols haven't been that effective YET, and that we shouldn't have been so quick to allow democratic elections--something I'd think many Freepers would agree with.
Bad things ARE still happening in the country (not necessarily because of the way the U.S. is running things). For instance, the British have adopted a "hands-off" type policy in the south which isn't too good for our long term goals IMHO.
I'm concerned about the measurement of what is considered to be success over there. As long as a few people die over there every day the media and their allies on the left will try to call the entire operation a failure. People die by violence every day in all countries.
If our own country were covered by the media like Iraq is it would be considered a lost cause, the American Revolution has failed. We have widespread violence coast to coast with murders in all of our cities. If we are waiting for Iraq to miraculously become a utopia of peace and tranquility in the world we are never going to "win" as far as the media is concerned.
Perspective is not the MSM's forte. Being a propaganda mouthpiece is about all they have left and that serve no one well, except our enemies..
serves
Exactly....the Media and the DemonicRats feel that they need us to lose in Iraq....and they are doing their best to see that it happens....
I agree. Allawi is more critical of Maliki in the article.
a CNN twit in action.. Priceless.
ya see this one? FIDO
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1810323/posts?page=330#330
I'm turning in. G'nite
What to do?
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