Iraq: A Stolen Election Like Iran?

Assessing the current political impasse in Iraq, Sultan Al-Qassemi writes in The Daily Star that many in Iraq feel that their votes were stolen and believe that those who were responsible for the electoral fraud in Iran last year, also played a role in Iraqi elections. While the United States is avoiding addressing the problem, Al-Qassemi describes neighboring Gulf states as sitting on the “sidelines” since the 2003 war, a passivity that Al-Qassemi argues has opened up avenues for Iranian meddling. He compares Iraq to a “driver” and Iran to a driving “instructor” with its “foot on the brake pedal, poised to stop any forward movement at will.” Also, describing Nouri al-Maliki’s efforts to consolidate his power through non-democratic means and his display of “tendencies usually associated with Arab dictators,” Al-Qassemi argues that al-Maliki is widely unpopular with the Gulf states. While skeptical of al-Maliki’s leadership, Al-Qassemi argues that “the next government must take into consideration that two major parties won a similar number of seats and that both their representatives should be included.”