We have seen Iraqis continue working to develop a working government, even including Sunni Moslems who were part of the Ba'athist ruling group in discussions on how the government should be formed. Shi'a and Kurdish groups have to work with each other since no single group obtained the necessary majorities to dominate the government. Meanwhile terrorists (who the press still loves to call insurgents) continue to harass and attack Iraqis as they queue up outside government offices looking for jobs and police stations signing up for work. More terrorists are rolled up every day.
Yet, the most significant events from February weren't in Iraq. They were in neighboring Syria, Iran, and also in Egypt and Lebanon. Syria appears to have been behind the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Harari, who happened to be an ardent anti-Syrian. Mass demonstrations erupted in Lebanon, demanding that Syria withdraw from the country, and to take its intelligence and political groupies with them. Increasing pressure over the past few days have led to the toppling of the Lebanese government via peaceful demonstrations - with numbers ranging from 20,000 up to 200,000.
That is remarkable in and of itself. Under Hafez Assad (Bashar's father), Syria wiped out the city of Hama, killing 20,000 who dared to rise up against the Ba'athists in Syria. Bashar is not like his father, and the Lebanese are not like the Muslim Brotherhood who tried to rise up against Hafez. Of course, the little matter of 150,000 US troops stationed next door, along with diplomatic pressure under the US Syria Accountability Act and UN Security Council resolutions has a little to do with this, but the Lebanese saw what the Iraqis were able to do with their chance at freedom.
And they wanted a chance too.
In turn, the Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak demanded that the Egyptian parliment adjust the constitution to call for open elections later this year. That's a pretty telling statement on the status of Egyptian democracy. Mubarak dictates what the legislature does, who rubber stamps the decision. It is a last-ditch effort on Mubarak's part to maintain power, which could easily be toppled under the weight of popular uprising not unlike what happened in Lebanon.
On a more ominous note, the Iranians continue towards obtaining nuclear weapons, and the Europeans are unwilling or unable to head this off. The US has the same 150,000 troops stationed next door in Iraq, which is a credible threat against the mullahs, who are trying to eliminate dissent by cracking down on Iranian bloggers and stamping out any kind of popular uprising at the earliest possible moment. The Iranian public has seen what has happened in Iraq and Lebanon, and may seek the same, but the mullahs are firmly entrenched at the moment.
Go To Page: 1 2
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to lawhawk's Middle East Politics topic, please visit the Discussions page.