Monday, May 31, 2004
Three Short Subjects
The truce engineered for Najaf and Kufa is not holding. The American commander suggests that the sadrists may not have been clear as to whether it should affect Kufa as well as Najaf. There is also a difference in interpretation. The Americans interpret the agreement to say that any armed Mahdist is fair game; the sadrists seem to think that they can have arms as long as they do not fire them first. Keep tuned.
The Times discusses at length the rise of the Sunni clergy as a force in their own right. In the absence of politicians (at least in public) the clergy have become de facto politicians who are virulent in their denunciation of the Americans. One problem is that the sunni clergy is divided into many factions, so can hardly operate as a united front (The shi'a, in spite of their divisions, have historically had more of a sense of hierarchical organization of the clergy than have the sunni, and each of the ayatollas has his own "built-in" following.
The Times continues to be bothered by the way in which the interim government is being chosen, describing today at length the loss of control of the process by the United Nations envoy, Brahimi. Supposedly, he is now letting the United States and the Governing Council call the shots. I find this a little incredible. Brahimi has been regarded as strong person with backing from the top of the United Nations, and therefore much of the world. Why he would be truckling under to the Americans is quite unclear. It may just be possible that he is still trying to put together the best candidates that will both be acceptable to Iraqis and be able to govern, and in the process he is listening to America's quite knowledgeable representatives and those of the Governing Council.
The truce engineered for Najaf and Kufa is not holding. The American commander suggests that the sadrists may not have been clear as to whether it should affect Kufa as well as Najaf. There is also a difference in interpretation. The Americans interpret the agreement to say that any armed Mahdist is fair game; the sadrists seem to think that they can have arms as long as they do not fire them first. Keep tuned.
The Times discusses at length the rise of the Sunni clergy as a force in their own right. In the absence of politicians (at least in public) the clergy have become de facto politicians who are virulent in their denunciation of the Americans. One problem is that the sunni clergy is divided into many factions, so can hardly operate as a united front (The shi'a, in spite of their divisions, have historically had more of a sense of hierarchical organization of the clergy than have the sunni, and each of the ayatollas has his own "built-in" following.
The Times continues to be bothered by the way in which the interim government is being chosen, describing today at length the loss of control of the process by the United Nations envoy, Brahimi. Supposedly, he is now letting the United States and the Governing Council call the shots. I find this a little incredible. Brahimi has been regarded as strong person with backing from the top of the United Nations, and therefore much of the world. Why he would be truckling under to the Americans is quite unclear. It may just be possible that he is still trying to put together the best candidates that will both be acceptable to Iraqis and be able to govern, and in the process he is listening to America's quite knowledgeable representatives and those of the Governing Council.
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