February 14, 2005
THAT'LL TEACH THEM TO READ THE NY TIMES:
Sunnis admit poll boycott blunder and ask to share power (Rory Carroll, February 15, 2005, The Guardian)
Iraq's Arab Sunnis will do a U-turn and join the political process despite their lack of representation in the newly elected national assembly, Sunni leaders said yesterday.Many Sunnis protested that the election was flawed and unfair, but in the wake of Sunday's results, which confirmed the marginalisation of what was Iraq's ruling class, their political parties want to lobby for a share of power.
"Our view is that this election was a step towards democracy and ending the occupation," said Ayad al-Samaray, the assistant general secretary of the Iraqi Islamic party. He said unnamed Sunni leaders blundered in depicting the election as a deepening of the occupation.
The dominoes just keep falling.... Posted by Orrin Judd at February 14, 2005 8:26 PM
Until the various factions start self-identifying as Iraqis -- unlikely to happen -- and stop identifying as sectaries or tribalists, it's going to be next to impossible to form a workable national government.
The election was not too interesting. People have elections lots of places without being capable of self-government.
Posted by: Harry Eagar at February 14, 2005 11:56 PMWhere?
Posted by: oj at February 14, 2005 11:58 PMHarry,
Multiparty coalitions across interest, religious and ethnic groups work in Italy, Holland and Belgium, why not Iraq?
The notion that the Sunnis, who boycotted the election, should share power is hilarious. That may be the next claim from the DNC and their enablers in the MSM. 'We got 48% of the vote that means we should get half the cabinet and judicial appointments.'
Posted by: Bart at February 15, 2005 7:15 AMI forgot to add Switzerland, Spain and Malaysia.
Posted by: Bart at February 15, 2005 7:16 AMThis is the typical Arab response: provoke people, do everything possible to defeat them, and if you lose ask for a do-over.
Posted by: Chris Durnell at February 15, 2005 10:46 AMWell said Chris
Posted by: Bartman at February 15, 2005 11:41 AMOne wonders how capable of self-governance a nation of twenty four million Harrys would be.
Posted by: joe shropshire at February 15, 2005 1:48 PMThere'd have to be twenty four million states.
Posted by: oj at February 15, 2005 2:06 PMEach on its own island.
Posted by: joe shropshire at February 15, 2005 2:17 PMoj and joe,
Is there room for a UN in this "Harry's World" scenario?
Posted by: Bartman at February 15, 2005 9:45 PMGod would exercise his nuclear option and vaporize "Harryworld."
Posted by: Dave W. at February 17, 2005 1:19 AM