Election of Obama a Chance to 'Offset' Iranian Influence: Kitabat of Iraq

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In 1964 the British Labior Party won the elections and some Arabs were overjoyed and partied to celebrate the end of Eden and

BARACK OBAMA STANDS NEXT TO A CAR LABELED 'IRAQ.'

POINTING TO THE CAR, A MAN ASKS OBAMA:

'THAT IS WHAT YOUR PAST GOVERNMENT DID. WE'VE

BEEN SUFFERING FOR FIVE YEARS. CAN YOU FIX IT?!'

[Sotal Iraq, Iraq]

Kitabat, Iraq

Election of Obama a Chance to 'Offset' Iranian Influence

"Obama's commitment to withdraw U.S. forces within 16 months means that the priorities for U.S. foreign policy - including in Iraq - have been altered by the world financial crisis and the new administration’s desire to internationalize the Iraqi problem. All of these are positive signs for Arab countries, which will at last be able to offset, if not eradicate, Iranian influence."

By Akil Al Azrak

Translated By Nicolas Dagher

November 5, 2008

Kitabat - Iraq - Original Article (Arabic)

[The Telegraph, U.K.]

BBC NEWS VIDEO: The planet - including Iraqis - reacts to Obama's victory, Nov. 5, 00:04:09

The two most influential players on the Iraqi scene are the United States and Iran. Regarding Iran, all evidence on the ground indicates that this party has benefited greatly from the execution of President Bush's Iraq policy and the administration of the Green-Zone government. This has led to a situation in which Iran is the big winner whether the new administration is Republican or Democratic, whether U.S. forces withdraw or not, or whether the Security Agreement is signed or not.

With considering how the change in the U.S. after the election victory of Democratic candidate Barack Obama might affect Iraqis, we should remember that the United States is a country of institutions, and the institution of the Presidency only possesses 20 percent of the government's decision-making power. So policy doesn't necessarily change when a new president is elected. But that doesn't imply an absence of change in foreign policy and a new direction in dealing with the problem of Iraq. American history is the best proof of such transformations in foreign policy, as occurred under previous presidents Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.

The emergence of such a change during Obama’s presidency is more than justified by the facts on ground - both at home and abroad. Obama’s campaign appeal for change - as a campaign slogan and a keynote for the policies that the new administration intends to pursue - was embraced by American voters. Moreover, beyond voting for Obama, the election served as a referendum on the policies of Bush and his party. Republicans suffered not only the defeat of its presidential candidate, but further losses in the Senate and House of Representatives, which one might argue is even more significant than losing the presidency.

We shouldn’t be overly optimistic about this change, but even worse conditions would prevail with a continuation of Bush’s policies toward Iraq and his unswerving support for the Green-Zone government. All U.S. opinion polls show that America's foreign policy priorities have changed. According to surveys, less than ten percent of people consider Iraq or combating terrorism - topics that were used by Bush as a justification for his Iraq policies - to be pressing issues.

Obama's commitment to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq within 16 months means that the priorities for U.S. foreign policy - including in Iraq - have been altered by the world financial crisis and the new administration’s desire to internationalize the Iraqi problem through global and regional organizations. All of these are positive signs for Arab countries which will at last be able to offset if not eradicate Iranian influence.

The Green-Zone government hasn't hidden its anxiety over the future that these changes will bring. That was made clear by the government's congratulatory press releases. In addition to pleading for continued American support and trying to shackle the new administration with the burden of responsibility for the Iraqi government, it also reflected that fear.

[The Times, U.K.]

This fear will translate within the next few days into the rushed signing of the Security Agreement by the Iraqi government, which will again reveal the absence of any clear vision or government policy that will lead Iraq away from foreign support - be it American or Iranian. The timetable that this government has submitted regarding increasing the capabilities of the security forces makes it clear that Iraqi forces will be unable to confront domestic dangers on their own before 2011, and that the Iraqi army will be unable to repel any threat from external aggression before 2020.

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

Among the changes that are casting a shadow on the Iraqi arena, there are many positive signs. If Iraq's politicians can take advantage of these circumstances by organizing a united Iraqi national movement aimed at ending the occupation and rejecting sectarian quotas, this could form the basis for translating the intentions of the new American administration into acts that would be in the interest of our nation and its people and once and for all, bring an end to the Iraqi crisis.

Akeelradi2000@yahoo.com

CLICK HERE FOR ARABIC VERSION

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Election of Obama a Chance to 'Offset' Iranian Influence

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