From One Dictator to the Next

BAGHDAD, April 12 (IPS) — Many Iraqis have come to believe that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is just as much a dictator as Saddam Hussein was.

“Al-Maliki is a dictator who must be removed by all means,” 35-year-old Abdul-Riza Hussein, a Mehdi Army member from Sadr City in Baghdad told IPS. “He is a worse dictator than Saddam; he has killed in less than two years more than Saddam killed in 10 years.”

Following the failed attempt by the U.S.-backed al-Maliki to crack down on the Mehdi Army militia of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, the situation in Iraq has become much worse. Iraq appears to be splintering more widely under this rule than under Saddam’s.

Fierce fighting has broken out between Sadr’s Mehdi Army and Maliki’s army and police forces in Baghdad, which comprise mostly the Badr Organisation militia, the armed wing of the political group, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC).

According to statistics compiled by the U.S. military in Baghdad, there has been a sharp increase in attacks against U.S. and Iraqi security forces, from 239 in February to 631 in March. Most of these attacks are believed to have been carried out by the Mehdi Army.

The Mehdi Army is known to have substantial control of the streets of Baghdad, Basra, and many other predominantly Shia areas in southern Iraq.

But there is also considerable Shia support for Maliki’s effort to disarm the Mehdi Army. “Those who shout loud against Maliki and his legally elected government are all thieves and murderers and must be executed,” says Aziz Mussawi, a resident of Hilla, 100km south of Baghdad, who fled for Baghdad when the clashes started there last month. “These militias will destroy Iraq if left unleashed.”

Many Iraqis feel caught in a cross-fire in what they see as a battle for power between the Shia factions. “Over a thousand Iraqis got killed and more than that number wounded just for a game of chess between warlords,” Mohammad Alwan, a lawyer in Baghdad told IPS. “All of them call for dissolving militias while they keep militias of their own. Most of those in power in the government are militia leaders.”

Sadr and his followers are calling for unity, in an attempt to bring as many Iraqis as they can, Sunni and Shia, to their side. The rival Fadhila Party, that is powerful in many Shia provinces and in cities like Basra where it holds the governorship, has also called for unity.

It is widely believed in Iraq that parties who call for unity are using the issue to get public support against federalism, seen to be supported by the U.S. and Iranian backed parties such as the SIIC and Maliki’s Dawa Party. Many in Iraq see federalism as the break-up of the country.

After five years of occupation and suffering, with no end to it in sight, many Iraqis have become skeptical of all political and religious leaders.

“Sadr is another face of the Iranian project, despite their pretending to be a national movement,” Jassam Hady, a colonel of the former Iraqi army in Baghdad told IPS. “All those in the Iraqi government in the so-called Green Zone have militias that have killed Iraqis under one flag or another.”

Hady, like many Iraqis, believes that the current spasm of violence will worsen as the two main Shia groups, the Sadr Movement and Maliki’s affiliations, continue to vie for power ahead of the provincial elections slated for October.

Division has broken out also within tribes; many have now come to back Sadr, not because they like him, but because they hate the Badr militia of Hakeem’s SIIC and Maliki’s Dawa party.

“Our problem in the southern parts of Iraq and other Shia dominated areas is that all options are bad,” the chief of a major tribe in Basra who fled for Baghdad, told IPS on condition of anonymity. “Iranian controlled militias killed so many chiefs of tribes because they refused to support these division projects concealed under the flag of federalism.”

Several tribes in the south have formed unions to fight the separation project, but some sheikhs have formed counter unions to support the Badr and Dawa agenda.

Most people seem to oppose any federalism that would separate Shia from Sunni Muslims.

“We will be weak without our Sunni brothers,” says Shamil Mahmood from Sadr City, the east district of two million in Baghdad. “The whole of the south will be swallowed by Iran, that will humiliate us and treat us like animals.”

Ali al-Fadhily, IPS correspondent in Baghdad, works in close collaboration with Dahr Jamail, IPS U.S.-based specialist writer on Iraq who has reported extensively from Iraq and the Middle East. Read other articles by Ali al-Fadhily, or visit Ali al-Fadhily's website.

8 comments on this article so far ...

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  1. evie said on April 13th, 2008 at 7:21am #

    “It is widely believed in Iraq that parties who call for unity are using the issue to get public support against federalism, seen to be supported by the U.S. and Iranian backed parties such as the SIIC and Maliki’s Dawa Party.” … Sadr is another face of the Iranian project, despite their pretending to be a national movement,” Jassam Hady…”Iranian controlled militias killed …” and “The whole of the south will be swallowed by Iran,…”

    — Iranian backed parties, Iranian project, Iranian controlled militias … guess Bush the smirking Boy Blunder is correct when he claims Iran is dicking around in Iraq?

  2. hp said on April 13th, 2008 at 3:36pm #

    The Ayatollah Sistani is Iranian.

  3. evie said on April 13th, 2008 at 3:44pm #

    Yes, but Sadr is issuing orders from Qom, Iran.

  4. hp said on April 13th, 2008 at 6:28pm #

    You don’t think Sadr takes his orders from Sistani?
    The Grand Ayatollah of Iraq, who replaced Sadr’s father.

  5. evie said on April 13th, 2008 at 9:21pm #

    No, I don’t think Sistani is giving orders. At almost 80 y/o and in failing health since 2004 the word is his aides write his press releases and edicts. I believe Sistani followers remain moderate but more of them are going over to the young gun Sadr now.

    Sadr should not have the following and power he does b/c he has yet to reach the level of religious study required to lead but given the circumstances of the invasion, Sadr’s militancy, and that Iraq has a huge population of youth …. the young turn to Sadr.

  6. Shabnam said on April 14th, 2008 at 3:36pm #

    This paper is inaccurate, misleading, and leaves the main factor, the occupation forces, US-Israel-Britain, out of the loop and is presenting Iran, incorrectly, as a country which pulls ALL THE STRINGS in her favor to rise as “Persian empire”, as Walid Jumblat an Israeli puppet painted Iran, a phony term created by William Safire 12 years ago to deflect attention from Israel. You write:

    “It is widely believed in Iraq that parties who call for unity are using the issue to get public support against federalism, seen to be supported by the U.S. and Iranian backed parties such as the SIIC and Maliki’s Dawa Party. Many in Iraq see federalism as the break-up of the country.”
    This is misleading. Iran is against federalism because they know federalism is a pretext for nationhood. Everyone is familiar with Israel’s plan to divide the Middle East except the above writers who misrepresents Iranian’s position.
    Raghida Dergham, an Egyptian columnist … wrote:
    “According to Gelb, this suggestion is based on a strategy to divide Iraq, aimed at strengthening the Kurds and Shiites, and weakening the Sunnis.”
    http://www.raghidadergham.com/archive/arich11_28_03.html

    She wrote that officially, the U.S. administration opposes the division of Iraq. …
    But in 2008, Raghida Dergham tries to paint Iran a threat in the region, repeating the occupation forces’ rhetoric about Iran and leaves Israel, the designer of divided Iraq off the hook.
    Iran is trying to play a positive role to bring stability to Iraq and the region in order to prevent another disastrous war. It is the Kurds who are spying for Israel for the past 50 years and are receiving military training by Israel to carry out Israel’s agenda and work with the US and Israel against other groups. You even do not listen to other Arabs who are writing about the reason behind Iraq division on basis of ethnic and religious divide which is not supported by any one except Kurds.
    Abdul-Aziz Al-Hakim has recently raised the same vision …
    http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/634/op2.htm

    Israeli-Kurdish clandestine partnership gained momentum following the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, with the blessings of the neo-conservative architects of the war. It is an open secret that Dick Cheney’s Israeli-backed strategists planned the partition of Iraq.
    You write: “Our problem in the southern parts of Iraq and other Shia dominated areas is that all options are bad,” the chief of a major tribe in Basra who fled for Baghdad, told IPS on condition of anonymity. “Iranian controlled militias killed so many chiefs of tribes because they refused to support these division projects concealed under the flag of federalism.”
    This is NOT TRUE AT ALL. The only group who has done everything to push the division of Iraq and neighboring countries is Israel and Kurds. Why Iran should support Israel’s plan that is targeting Iran’s own integrity? Iran has many minorities, including Kurds, Azeri; Baluch who are encouraged to form secessionist movement among them to create allies for Israel against Arabs to strengthen her position. Iranian people never would allow that to happen. This plan covers Sudan as well. Writers are repeating the line of the “moderate Arab states” where have positioned themselves on US side. Everyone in the region sees Kurdistan as ANOTHER ISRAEL and is against such a development. Everyone in the region is for UNIFIED IRAQ except Israel and its lobby in the US Kissinger, Gelb, Lieberman and Joseph Bidon. You write:
    “The real battle is over the fate of Arab-Iranian relations in the light of Iran’s insistence that it has the upper hand, allowing it to finally export its model to the rest of the region.”
    This is not true. Iran never forced anyone to copy its political model anywhere in the region. Iran has difficulty to sell its model to its own population forget about others. … Iran is a target not a threat.
    In short, Iran has signaled its readiness to contribute to stabilizing the region, which is a crucial precondition for any sane approach to U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq.

  7. evie said on April 15th, 2008 at 8:32am #

    Whie I don’t buy that Iranians (pols/clerics) are actively seeking to contribute efforts to stabilize the region, not yet, I agree Iran is not capable of exporting its model in the region.

    Iran, as Venezuela and Russia, have profited immensely off oil revenues – thanks to War on Iraq. If and when the “ruling class” around the world are sated with profit – then “peace” treaties and deals will be signed.

    Eggheads and statesmen worldwide will diagram and explain the whys and wherefores, eloquently of course. Each claiming his nation/group had only the best intentions.

    The “peacemakers” will praise themselves for their hard work, over dinner in Paris, Brussels, London …. they will receive global awards, honors, prizes … their middle class/affluent followers will call them wise men, and will call the disgruntled little people backwards and “bitter.” Rebels will fade away/backoff, pulling the occasional act of terror to remind Joe Blow danger is out there.

    As always, the little people hang a flag, bury their dead, and try not to dwell too long on all the lies and b.s. their “leaders” tell them.

  8. Shabnam said on April 16th, 2008 at 1:30pm #

    Stability in Iraq is beneficial to everyone in the region except US and Israel who want to continue the status quo in order to implement their plan of dividing the Middle East to create allies for Israel and to have permanent military base in, at least, North of Iraq, to control the resources and strengthen Israel’s position against others, Arabs and Iranians. The authors of this post have ignored these facts known to everyone in the region and are repeating the “Arab moderate states” position since they cooperate with the occupational forces on “war on terror”, a phony construct of the West. Those who comment:
    “Iran, as Venezuela and Russia, have profited immensely off oil revenues – thanks to War on Iraq.” are not familiar with elementary history of the region. Iran and people of the region do not want wars and destruction of their societies. Most of the “profit” from Iraq is pocketed by Israel, Russia and the Kurds on expenses of others in the region, not Iran.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shaOZnhHuQw&feature=related
    Bush who sold the WMD story to ignorant Americans and took the nation based on lies to war and has killed more than 1.2 millions Iraqi people feels he has no options except to continue his terror in cooperation with Israel and the Kurdish terrorists who are trained by Israel for a long time and expand their terror to destabilize Iran and Syria by the Kurds, to stay in Iraq indefinitely on a pretext that if we leave “a civil war” will erupt. In fact all the “sectarian fights” is encouraged and manipulated by the US, Israel and the inputs from the Arab puppet States that is called “Arab Moderates.”
    When the US and Israeli regards Hezbollah who are engaged in self defense against an aggressive state as “terrorists” but support and train PJAK (Party for free life in Kurdistan) an arm of the PKK, to kill Iranians to destabilize Iran and Syria, this is a double standard policy which benefits Israel’s vision of “the greater middle east” which is based on partition of the regional states.
    The plan has been documented by the Center for Research at the Kurdish Library in New York. According to the plan, US and Massoud Barzani made a deal to follow the Israeli plan where was masterminded by Leslie Gelb, to divide Iraq to create allies and oil resources available to the apartheid state, Israel.
    http://video.aol.com/video-detail/inside-iraq-is-israel-helping-iraqs-kurds-09-nov-07-pt-2/167989877
    There is a long history of cooperation between Israel and Kurds against the interest of Kurds themselves and the region for the past few decades. A number of Israeli companies have won contracts with the Kurdish government in northern Iraq to train and equip Kurdish security forces and build an international airport, Yedioth Ahronoth reports. Dozens of Israelis with a background in elite military combat training have been working in northern Iraq where they train and equip Kurds for military activities.
    In addition to Motorola and Magalcom, a company owned by Israeli entrepreneur Shlomi Michaels is in full business partnership with the Kurdish government.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTt84I3bxF4&eurl=http://payvand.com/news/