October 29th, 2009 by Jason

Iraq arrested dozens of security officials in the aftermath of the bombings that killed 155 people this week. Meanwhile, the  parliament once again failed to pass an election law, after a Kurdish boycott prevented a quorum from being reached.

The Kurds have been at the center of recent developments in Iraq. A new Kurdish government took office this week as officials insisted on playing a role in foreign oil deals.  Michael Rubin laments recent crackdowns by the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Kurdish leadership’s insistence on a closed-list ballot that will spur corruption and patronage. Such corruption is being addressed by the Iraqi Interior Ministry with mixed success, reports The New York Times.

All together, Joost R. Hiltermann worries the political threats to Iraq are more dangerous than bombs, specifically citing the failure to pass an election law and the conflict of Kirkuk. He asks, “Will the security forces and state institutions hold up as politicians bicker and the US troops pull out?” Robert Dreyfuss is pessimistic, contending “as US forces draw down, Iraq is perched on the brink of renewed civil war.” As is Nir Rosen, who argues “talk about a post-sectarian future is premature.”

Former Iraqi mayor Najim Abed Al-Jabouri explains “While things are far better than a few years ago, one huge task remains: getting the public to trust the Iraqi security forces.” One of the main problems facing the security forces is they “are often loyal not to the state but to the person or political party that gave them their jobs.” He also adds, “The Iraqi government also made a huge mistake by failing to find a place for the Sons of Iraq in the national government.”

Posted in Elections, Iraq, Kurds, Military, Sectarianism, Terrorism, US foreign policy |