The Shiite Saddam!

Compare the political mindset of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki with that of his neighbour [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad, and you will find that there is no difference between the two. Furthermore, when you compare al-Maliki’s mentality to that of Saddam Hussein, you will also find that there is no difference between the two, with the exception that Saddam Hussein did not use sectarian language, however their mentality is precisely the same; and this is a mentality of “after me, the deluge!”

Rather than al-Maliki rushing to call upon all parties in the Iraqi political process to engage in a reconciliation conference, and national dialogue on the future of Iraq following the US withdrawal, al-Maliki instead immediately proceeded – after the withdrawal of the last American soldier – to pounce on his political rivals, especially the Sunnis, and has begun to pursue them one after another, with the pre-packaged charge of terrorism and affiliation to the [outlawed] Baathist Party, the same party which al-Maliki is defending in Syria! The accusations of terrorism and Baathist Party affiliation have long been repeated by al-Maliki, in an attempt to entrench the idea that his political opponents in Iraq are nothing but Sunni extremists or remnants of Saddam Hussein’s regime; however this is not true whatsoever!

[Iraqiya bloc leader] Iyad Allawi, for example, is neither a Sunni nor an extremist, and in fact his electoral bloc won more seats than al-Maliki’s coalition at the most recent Iraqi elections. Despite this, al-Maliki insists that the majority is actually governing, in the sense that Iraq is being ruled by the Shiites, rather than those who have put forward an electoral program to serve Iraq and its people!  Allawi, of course, is not the only example of an al-Maliki opponent who is not known for extremism or sectarianism. Al-Maliki’s other political opponents, even those who are Sunnis, are also not known for extremism or being agents of foreign powers, or disciples of the Saddam Hussein regime, indeed some of these Sunni’s suffered under Saddam just as much as the Shiites; the difference between al-Maliki and Saddam Hussein is that Saddam was equal in his injustice!

Thus, the problem with what Nouri al-Maliki is doing today in Iraq is that he is threatening the entire political process with failure and collapse. Is it conceivable that what al-Maliki wants is to exclude half of Iraqi society, or to rule Iraq with a sectarian regime? This is unbelievable, and the consequences would be catastrophic for the whole of Iraq. It is interesting here – despite everything that al-Maliki has done and is doing – that US President Barack Obama asserted, following the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, that America has left behind a democratic system in Baghdad. This statement is simply not true, and is reminiscent of the statement issued by former US President George W. Bush, when he declared on board an aircraft carrier that the US mission in Iraq had been completed!

There are facts, and much glaring evidence on the ground, including the statements made by al-Maliki in a recent press conference, suggests that Iraq today is on the verge of witnessing the collapse of its political process and being ruled by a purely sectarian regime. This poses a great danger, not only for Iraq internally, but also for the wider region. There is no difference today between al-Maliki in his dealings with Kuwait, against the backdrop of the Mubarak Al Kabeer Port issue, and Saddam Hussein, who often provoked such issues, with matters ultimately culminating in the occupation of Kuwait. Indeed there is little difference between al-Maliki and Saddam Hussein whatsoever, because these days the Iraqi Prime Minister has become the Shiite Saddam!