Finally, a Smart Iraq Strategy

Newsweek ^ | October 16 2005 | Fareed Zakaria

[jmc1969]

I have a novel idea for the Bush administration. Let's give a medal to someone who's actually done a good job. My candidate would be Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, who has been doing yeoman service there. Last week he snatched a small victory from the jaws of defeat by getting the largest organized Sunni group, the Iraqi Islamic Party, to agree with the Shia and Kurds on amendments to the new Iraqi constitution. The effect of these amendments was to lessen the import of Saturday's vote for the constitution. The constitution can now be amended at will by the next Iraqi Parliament, which will be elected on Dec. 15. In other words, if the constitution fails, it will be rewritten, and if it succeeds, it can be rewritten.

While the cameras and media attention focused on Saturday's polls, Iraq's political parties—Sunni, Shia and Kurd—have begun organizing for the main event, the December election. Former prime minister Ayad Allawi, a smart, tough politician, already speaks mostly of that election in his public statements. October's poll ratifies words; December's poll distributes power.

The constitution as written already throws many crucial issues forward to the next Parliament. For example, it says that the oil revenues of the country are to be shared between the provinces and the central government. But it leaves the details of the revenue-sharing to be decided after Dec. 15. Ambiguities like that one—and there are dozens of them—mean that all groups have to be well represented in the next Parliament. This is especially true for the Sunnis. And even those Sunnis opposed to the constitution are organizing to gain seats in December.

[Psycho_Bunny]

*YAWN*

[EagleUSA]

NewsWEAK say it all.

[js1138]

We certainly shouldn't give any credit to a president who has reversed a century of foreign policy and taken several years of heat over this.

[FairOpinion]

While Newsweek may have intended this as a negative, it actually IS a smart strategy. You can't have everything, but you still take one important step forward.

It gets the Iraqis used to voting and working out their differences peacefully, instead of by "insurgent attacks".

========

This is part of my sig line until the CA Special Elections on Nov. 8, 2005:
McClintock's recommendations for CA Propositions
Summary of Recommendations on the CA Propositions by various organizations and parties

[kpp_kpp]

i was thinking that too. anyone heard of the "articles of confederation"?

[samtheman]

The constitution as written already throws many crucial issues forward to the next Parliament. For example, it says that the oil revenues of the country are to be shared between the provinces and the central government. But it leaves the details of the revenue-sharing to be decided after Dec. 15

Would you really want oil revenue accounting formulas to be in your constitution? What is Newsweak saying here? Can you imagine a constitution that Newsweak would like? Whatever is written, Newsweak will find fault with it, and later trace that fault back to ... Bush, and ... Haliburton.

[CFC__VRWC]

Another milestone accomplished in Iraq in spite of the pissing and moaning and rooting for the enemy of the MSM and their Dim puppet masters. Therefore it's time to move the goalposts yet again.

[driftless]

"Imagine a constitution that Newsweak would like?"

Ditto. All the lib naysayers like Newsweak and Tom Friedman are quick to call everything done by the Bush admin in Iraq incompetent as if they could have done better. I'll bet they would have no idea what to do. Apparently they believe that eradicating centuries of ignorance and despotism and installing democracy in a region that had never seen it before is an easy thing.

It would be great to put these clowns in charge and see how well they would do. Let's see. The Bush admin has ousted two Islamo-fascist governments and installed democracy in both of them in less than five years. It has also facilitated the advancement of democracy in Lebanon and Egypt. Libya has given up its wmds and Syria may fall to democratic forces soon. Not a bad record for the Bush team I'd say.

[Thebaddog]

Did you ever hear such braying when Clinton went into Haiti and Kosovo and made messes of them? Bush is winning and you will only know it when the democrats screw it up in their turn.

[pollyannaish]

I'm not sure...but I bet they LOVED the stupid one the EU bureaucrats came up with. And were stunned when the people voted it down.

[samtheman]

The Bush admin has ousted two Islamo-fascist governments and installed democracy in both of them in less than five years. It has also facilitated the advancement of democracy in Lebanon and Egypt. Libya has given up its wmds and Syria may fall to democratic forces soon. Not a bad record for the Bush team I'd say.

Not to mention real possibility of movement towards peace for Israel. Nobody mentions it --- because the subject is taboo with the UN crowd --- but Saddam was up to his elbows in inciting violence among the Palestinians. If Saddam were still around, I doubt Israel would have been emboldened to withdraw from Gaza.

[Alter Kaker]

Fareed Zakaria, who I know casually, is no man's liberal.

[MNJohnnie]

Here's an idea "Flush the Koran" Newsweek, actually REPORT the news. How come Sandrat posts dozens of real new stories here at Free Republic on Iraq daily yet you cannot even get ONE thing right. OH, I take that back, YOU do know WHERE Iraq IS, beyond that, NADA.

[ncountylee]

Did you ever hear such braying when Clinton went into Haiti and Kosovo and made messes of them?

And they still are messes. Remember the home by Christmas next year promise? Democrats can not have quagmires, I guess.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

"Would you really want oil revenue accounting formulas to be in your constitution?"


Actually, yes.

Oil revenue sharing is one of the things that shouldn't be left to ordinary laws, which are easily changed.

In Iraq, the issue is crucial. There is little oil in Sunni areas. The choices are between shutting out the Sunnis, or some sort of revenue sharing. The revenue sharing is a huge incentive for the Sunnis to compromise to avoid a civil war -- a war which would leave them with no oil revenue.

In Canada, the provinces own their natural resources -- while the federal government controls everything in or under the oceans. This is all spelled out in the Constitution Act of 1867 If the ownership weren't spelled out in the Constitution, there would be a major brouhaha about it. A regular donnybrook.

[driftless]

The fact is that whatever mistakes made by the Bush admin, Hussein is ousted (the biggest and most important achievement) and soon to be dead (I hope), and Iraq is making excellent progress towards a democratic state. While I don't dismiss small details, I look at the whole picture. And the picture of the Mideast is looking much better than it did five years previous.