It looks like the Bush administration has lost trust in all Iraqi Shiites. At least that’s what U.S. troops have shown by detaining the son of top Iraqi Shiite politician Abdel Aziz al-Hakim on Feb. 23 as he was returning from Iran.
The Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), the elder Hakim’s organization, is an ally of the United States. By most accounts, it is also the most pro-Iranian of all Iraqi Shiite factions. It also has an allied militia called the Badr Organization, thought to be Iran’s main proxy in Iraq.
Ammar al-Hakim, a senior leader of SCIRI and the secretary-general of a charitable foundation the group runs, was returning from Iran via the Badrah border crossing in the southeastern governorate of Wasit. U.S. sources believe Ammar is involved in transferring money and weapons on behalf of Iran to Iraqi Shia. Moreover, he could also be spying on the United States.
In any case, Ammar’s arrest underscores the strain that seems to have set in relations between the Bush administration and its closest Iraqi Shiite ally. So far, American forces have gone after the radical al-Sadrite Bloc and its armed wing, the Mehdi Army.
An escalation of this crisis could shove SCIRI further into the Iranian camp. Furthermore, it could spur an alignment of anti-U.S. Shiite groups that have been fighting against each other.
Vice President Dick Cheney’s comments in Australia provide another insight into what could be happening. By drawing Iran closer into the Iraq conflict, could the Bush administration be intending to expose the ruling mullahs to wrath of Iraqi Sunnis? With the Iranians caught in their own Iraqi quagmire, maybe that full-blown U.S. attack on Iran might not be needed. Bush’s surge may be intended for Iran.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
The Tories’ Blair
Is David Cameron going to be Britain’s new savior? That’s what one opinion poll seems to show. Cameron, who was elected 14 months ago to lead the Tories out of a long-standing inertia, has performed reasonably well relative to his bumbling predecessors. More importantly, he has revived the image of the Conservatives, who never seemed to have the capacity to gain from Labour’s progressive decline.
An opinion poll conducted by the Guardian newspaper shows Cameron winning 42 percent support for the post of prime minister against 29 percent by Labour’s Gordon Brown.
Tony Blair’s designated successor doesn’t seem to be able to distance himself from the current government’s performance. With Blair taking his long farewell, moreover, Brown might not have enough time to emerge as his own man in time in time for the next elections.
The Tories, over the past decade, have found themselves where Labour was during the Thatcher-Major years. Until, of course, Blair came around. It might be premature to equate today’s Cameron with the Blair of 1997, but you get the idea.
The Conservatives’ 13-point lead over Labour, in the Guardian poll, represents their highest since their 1992 victory. For now, let this piece of statistic tell its story.
An opinion poll conducted by the Guardian newspaper shows Cameron winning 42 percent support for the post of prime minister against 29 percent by Labour’s Gordon Brown.
Tony Blair’s designated successor doesn’t seem to be able to distance himself from the current government’s performance. With Blair taking his long farewell, moreover, Brown might not have enough time to emerge as his own man in time in time for the next elections.
The Tories, over the past decade, have found themselves where Labour was during the Thatcher-Major years. Until, of course, Blair came around. It might be premature to equate today’s Cameron with the Blair of 1997, but you get the idea.
The Conservatives’ 13-point lead over Labour, in the Guardian poll, represents their highest since their 1992 victory. For now, let this piece of statistic tell its story.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)