News Analysis
By
Sama Hadad & Yasser Alaskary
November 1, 2004
Iraqi Security
After an ambush
by infiltrators that left 49 Iraqi National Guard trainees
dead, Prime Minister Allawi blamed the incident
on "major
neglect" by some of the US-led forces in
Iraq since trainees were not provided with arms. However,
negligence lies in Allawi's pet policy of re-Ba'athification,
where former Saddam regime members and members of the former
Sunni elite have been actively sought and recruited, which
has resulted in the heavy 'infiltration' of Iraqi security
forces and government. A few examples include:
- Amer al-Hashimi
(Wahabi ex-Major General in Saddam's army) who was installed
as commander of the new Iraqi army, only to be fired in
August for aiding the Wahabi/Salafi insurgency by providing
them with information and appointing some in high ranking
positions within the new army.
- Yousef Khalaf
Mahmood who was appointed by Allawi as Head of Security
for the cabinet, was arrested last week for working with
terrorist groups, supplying them with the names and home
addresses of all officials and staff in the government.
As a result, several government employees and their families
have already been murdered in their homes by terrorists.
- Talib
Al-Lahibi (served as an officer under Saddam)
who was appointed Commander of the Iraqi National Guard
for the province of Diyala, was arrested in September
for ties to the insurgency.
The idea that
Iraq can rely on members of the previous Sunni/Ba'athi elite
for its security is naïve and foolish as it is not
in their interest to see a Shia-dominated democracy succeed.
Voter Registration
In spite of
threats by terrorists against electoral staff, voter
registration has begun in Iraq, under the cover
of issuing the 2005 ration cards. The top UN elections expert,
Carlos Valenzuela, has contradicted Kofi Annan's on-going
doubts on the credibility of Iraqi elections, saying "elections
can be credible" and conducted on time.
The UN should adjust its actions to match Valenzuela's positive
remarks, as it has thus far dragged
its feet in providing any serious help to Iraq's
preparations for elections.
Politicisation
of Army
Allawi has
evinced a greater willingness than his predecessors (the
CPA and the Iraqi Governing Council) to use the Iraqi army
for internal security tasks. History has shown this to be
extremely
dangerous as the army's role in internal security
in the 1930s and 1960s led to its politicisation and eventual
involvement in repression and coup-plotting. Added to this
danger is the fact that virtually all appointments within
the nascent Iraqi Security Forces have come through Allawi's
Iraqi National Accord.
International
Summit
Iraqis are
questioning the purpose of the upcoming international
summit on Iraq, to be held in Egypt. The main
champions of the summit (who include the Arab League, France,
Russia and the Organization of the Islamic Conference) favour
an Iraq ruled by a minority Sunni-elite and opposed the
removal of Saddam's regime and continue to resist efforts
to establish a democracy in Iraq. It is questionable what
countries in the Arab League, made up of dictatorships of
one form or another, can offer Iraq in its quest for democracy.
