In spite of major advances in life and the appearance of dozens of
children oriented cable channels, the traditional and class
Iraqi police graduate: Is Iraq's biggest
problem its security
forces, or its politicians who've been
squabbling since March
over the formation of a new government?
Kitabat, Iraq
Iraqis Need Patriotism,
Not American Troops!
"The media has focused on how badly-prepared Iraq's security forces are after the bombings of recent months. But the root of the problem is the crisis over forming a new government and divisions among political blocs that can't agree on a way to clear the bottleneck. Every political party without exception is responsible for this situation."
A voter shows her colors: With bated breath, despite all that has gone wrong, Americans and people around the world watch and hope that the Iraqi people can pull things together.
Yesterday, the U.S. withdrew
its last combat group in Iraq (the Stryker Brigade that was stationed at Abu
Ghraib) in accordance with the security
agreement between Iraq and the United States, leaving a force of 50,000 troops
to train, supervise and advise the Iraqi Army. And these are to be withdrawn by
the agreed date, at the end of 2011.
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Such news, in almost any
country occupied by foreign troops, would be greeted with celebration as a
historic turning point - and a cause for joy for anyone concerned with the
security of his homeland, since this means that part of the nation's sovereignty
is being returned. Sadly, however, the U.S. withdrawal has come to pass without
any real interest on behalf of Iraqis.
There are a number of reasons
for this.
The first reason is the crisis
over forming a new government among Iraq's opposing political blocs, which began
after the March elections. After the voting, a political struggle ensued over
who will occupy the prime minister's office. That issue would require an editorial
of its own, particularly regarding the endless squabbling of politicians who seem
unconcerned about the potential of a radical solution to forming a new
government.
The strange thing is that a
number of political blocs, which were recently calling for the withdrawal of American
forces from Iraq, and even campaigned across the country on the issue, are no
longer calling for the U.S. to depart. On the contrary, they have now begun to
question the capacity of Iraqi forces to maintain security. And even stranger -
they are calling for America to review and postpone its schedule for withdrawal
for some time to come.
Add to this the fact that before
being an American demand or the implementation of an agreement between Iraq and
the United States, the withdrawal is first and foremost a popular and patriotic
demand. The occasion of the withdrawal was a moment for patriotic unity, and
all political parties should have set their differences aside to confront a new
phase of Iraq's history, which requires anyone with a sense of patriotism to stand
firm and focus on building up our nation.
The other reason is economic.
The suffering that Iraqi citizens are forced to endure due to a lack of
essential services like electricity, water and many other resources are heaped
atop other problems, like the high cost of living and the lack of commitment
and broken promises of the political blocs that rule the country. This has frustrated
Iraqis, causing them to tune out what is happening in the country. The lack of
interest among Iraqis in the U.S. withdrawal comes despite the long-running
popular demand for the Americans - or any foreign army - to leave, as anyone in
any country would have wanted.
In addition to this, there's
another reason: in light of the failure to form a new government, the media,
both in and out of Iraq, has depicted the situation in such a way as to make it
seem that Iraq needs to lean on the Americans. At great length, the media has
focused on how ill-prepared Iraq's forces are to maintain security after the
bombings of recent months and other events.
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WORLDMEETS.US
But it should be said, the
situation isn't due to a lack of readiness on the part of Iraqi forces (although
there is no question that it will take time to prepare to defend Iraq from
foreign aggression), but to the political situation. The root of the problem is
the crisis over forming a new government and divisions among political blocs that
can't agree on a way that will clear the bottleneck. Every political party
without exception is responsible for this situation.
