US Must Quit Iraq Before Vote, Say Sunnis

[kskiska]

An influential Sunni Muslim group in Iraq said yesterday it was opposed to partial elections scheduled for the summer and wanted a vote taken only when American forces had left the country.

The opposition of the newly organised Council for Sunnis in Iraq represents another dilemma for the US-led administration in Baghdad, which is already under pressure to rewrite its political programme in Iraq a second time.

Earlier this month, officials at the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) began to reconsider their idea of regional caucuses to select a new government because of criticism from a powerful Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who demanded democratic direct elections.

At the same time, the authority must balance the mounting frustration of the Sunni community, which although smaller than the Shia, has traditionally formed the ruling class and feels excluded from the political process.

more…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1131099,00.html

[expatriot]

1. What we have here.. is a failure to communicate

some men you just can't reach.
So you get what we had here last week.
Which is the way he wants it...
so, he gets it.
I don't like it anymore than you men.

[Frances]

2. We are between a rock and a hard place

If we don't have real elections, the Shites will rebel because they are the majority and they want power.

If we do have real elections and the Shites win, the Sunnis will start a civil war.

[Snappy]

3. The Sunnis

There is war now! Why are American and other troops still in Iraq?

The Admin. must have known that this would be the case. Three major factions: Sunni, Baathists, Kurds, also Sunni and Shi'ites. The Iraqi people have experienced colonization before. They won't accept it again. If Dubya's advisors didn't know this then they are plain stupid. The US and allies will not be able to ward off the civil war. It is inevitable.

[tkmorris]

4. I keep trying to make sense of this

The Bush peoples approach to dealing with post-war Iraq is puzzling to say the least. The conclusion which best fits the facts as far as I can see is that they thought they could install a puppet government and walk away. The UN would come in after the fact with it's tail between it's legs and "keep the peace" for an indefinate period of time. Dumb I know, but it seems to be the case.

Unfortunately it hasn't worked out that way. This handover of power as the Bush folk envisioned it was nothing but a sham, designed to keep the folks here at home happy while maintaining our stranglehold on power through our appointed ( I mean Iraq's elected, whoopsie ) government there. The Iraqis, especially the Sunnis, know it's a sham though and aren't having any. I am sure the Bremer people will try to negotiate something that keeps the Sunnis happy but I don't know that they can. The Sunnis will not be happy unless they are in charge. No one else will be happy unless they have enough of a role in the government to ensure the Sunnis don't just take over. The Bush people gain nothing unless they keep the real power to themselves. It's a big sloppy omelet and it's sticking to the pan.

[Dirk39]

5. Some food for thought...

"They have found the solution! Divide Iraq into three mini-states and then pit them against one another."
More:
http://globalresearch.ca/articles/COL312A.html

At least, there will be no elections, untill everything that's worth voting for or against is already decided. The sell out has to be finished before any kind of election.
Hello from Germany,
Dirk

[POed_Ex_Repub]

6. It sounds good but...

Turkey has already warned against it. They fear the reprocussions of a Kurdish state.

[Dirk39]

7. No problem:

EU membership of Turkey against a sovereign Kurdish state. A bit of multilateral imperialism instead of unilateral imperialism, a bit for Siemens here, a bit for Cheney there. As long as it's only serving corporations and banks: we're all in the same boat:-)
Dirk

[ozymandius]

10. more food: the Sunni region as a buffer zone

One idea to consider is that the Sunni region encompassing Baghdad has no real natural resources. All of the oil and natural gas fields are in the Kurdish controlled region of the north and the Shiite region in the south. The "middle third" of Iraq has nothing. So if the country were to be split into the three provinces (as it was ruled under the Ottoman empire) then the Sunnis would be so impoverished as to be incapable of making war on anyone.

The Shiites and Kurds were, traditionally, on the receiving end of Hussein's institutionalized government brutality. I doubt they would have an appetite for more war. Now - if thee were some panacea to keep Turkey out of the fray...

[ScrewyRabbit]

8. I would hazard to guess that it's civil war either way

The only question is when, and to what degree.

[Zhade]

9. Yeah. Same question can apply to our country, too.

Hope you've got your supplies ready - once Peak Oil hits harder, and the "Security State" tightens its grip, it'll get verrrry nasty indeed.

And you know that progressives won't be firing the first shot.