For Maliki, Retaining Power Trumps Iraqi Unity
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki tours military posts in the outskirts of Baghdad on August 6. Can Maliki rise above sectarian divisions to finally unite Iraq?
By Charles Recknagel
August 10, 2013
After almost eight years in power, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is showing signs he never wants to leave.
During his time in office, he has increasingly concentrated authority in his own hands by fostering a patronage system of high-level civil servants and security officials who owe their positions to him. The appointments provide him a loyal power base but are raising mistrust between him and his political partners.
"Considering the ongoing political struggle, Maliki, by concentrating most powers in his hand, has put himself in an unenviable position. The Defense, Interior, and National Security ministries as well as the Intelligence Agency and secret service are all in his hands," says Wasat al-Hashimi, head of the Iraqi Group for Strategic Studies in Baghdad.
"The man does not have sufficient military experience to run such difficult portfolios. Lack of trust may be another important reason. Due to a deep crisis of confidence between Maliki and leaders of the other political factions, he trusts no one."
The perception that Maliki may be less interested in power sharing than in retaining power has grown as the country heads toward parliamentary elections due in March 2014.
Maliki's supporters quashed a bill in parliament early this year that sought to limit prime ministers to two terms in office. The bill would have forced Maliki, now in his second term, to stay out of the next elections.
Now, Maliki's supporters are reportedly planning to push back with a proposal to extend his current term in office by another eight months. The extension would be in compensation for the eight months lost in political wrangling after the 2010 legislative elections before the prime minister was named.
Widening The Sectarian Divide
Analysts say the rising distrust on all sides has a heavy cost. It further complicates efforts to build national unity just as the country suffers an upsurge of sectarian-based terrorist attacks.
In July, more than 1,000 people died in terrorist attacks across the country -- the most since 2008, when Iraq began to emerge from sectarian conflict. Most of the attacks are attributed to a resurgence of Al-Qaeda and similar groups that recruit among Sunnis who feel marginalized by the country's Shi'a-dominated government.
Crispin Hawes, head of Eurasia Group's Middle East and North Africa program, says Maliki has never made good on promises to reintegrate minority Sunnis after they were banished from power with Saddam Hussein's ouster.
"He has very little interest in securing mass support within the Sunni Arab communities, largely based in western, northwestern Iraq, although he has done a very effective job of from time to time co-opting different political parties that represent elements of that community," Hawes says. "His main goal is to be prime minister of a large, somewhat amorphous Shi'ite coalition, which he can continue to dominate through a divide-and-conquer approach and he has proven exceptionally capable of doing this."
Maliki has angered Sunnis by targeting several of the community's most-powerful political leaders with arrest warrants on terrorism charges. They include former Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi in 2011 and former Finance Minister Rafia al-Issawi in 2012. The prime minister portrayed the moves as nonsectarian judicial proceedings but Sunnis saw them as decapitating their leadership.
Within the ruling Shi'ite National Alliance, which includes all major Shi'ite religious parties, Maliki has maintained power by continually changing allies. The strategy has allowed Maliki, whose own Al-Dawah Party is one of multiple players, to retain leadership longer than many expected when he took power nearly eight years ago.
A Shaky Throne
But while Maliki has shown staying power in becoming the Republic of Iraq's longest-serving prime minister -- each of his two predecessors lasted just a year -- it is unclear whether he can yet deliver the stable and secure Iraq he promised.
Many analysts see Maliki as locked into a game plan that today prevents him from rising above being a nimble sectarian leader to become a trusted national leader. So long as he fails to make the transition, they warn, Iraq will continue to suffer sectarian violence that ebbs and flows but never disappears.
Neil Partrick, a regional expert with the London School of Economics' Gulf Studies Program, notes that violence in Iraq is not merely terrorism. It is also a means by which the country's various political players -- many still equipped with militias -- demand a share of power.
"You can argue that when there has been violence on different sides it has to some extent been part of a bidding war for one community to put pressure on another to concede or to accommodate," Partrick observes. "And so I wouldn't necessarily see [the current upsurge of violence] as any different. The extent to which al-Maliki will be prepared to make substantive shifts, to actually move toward not just an inclusive government but a more inclusive state, that I am not sure about."
Partrick adds that the current regional situation around Iraq only compounds Maliki's difficulty in transcending his sectarian identity to become a national leader. The Iraqi prime minister supports the regime of Bashar al-Assad -- whose Alawite community practices an offshoot of Shi'ism -- against Syria's Sunni-led uprising, and regards Shi'a-led Iran as an important ally. All are positions that sit well with Iraqi Shi'a but not Sunnis, and increasingly complicate his country's relations with its key Western partners.
Written and reported by Charles Recknagel, with contributions by RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq correspondent Abdelilah Nuaimi
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki tours military posts in the outskirts of Baghdad on August 6. Can Maliki rise above sectarian divisions to finally unite Iraq?
By Charles Recknagel
August 10, 2013
After almost eight years in power, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is showing signs he never wants to leave.
During his time in office, he has increasingly concentrated authority in his own hands by fostering a patronage system of high-level civil servants and security officials who owe their positions to him. The appointments provide him a loyal power base but are raising mistrust between him and his political partners.
"Considering the ongoing political struggle, Maliki, by concentrating most powers in his hand, has put himself in an unenviable position. The Defense, Interior, and National Security ministries as well as the Intelligence Agency and secret service are all in his hands," says Wasat al-Hashimi, head of the Iraqi Group for Strategic Studies in Baghdad.
"The man does not have sufficient military experience to run such difficult portfolios. Lack of trust may be another important reason. Due to a deep crisis of confidence between Maliki and leaders of the other political factions, he trusts no one."
The perception that Maliki may be less interested in power sharing than in retaining power has grown as the country heads toward parliamentary elections due in March 2014.
Maliki's supporters quashed a bill in parliament early this year that sought to limit prime ministers to two terms in office. The bill would have forced Maliki, now in his second term, to stay out of the next elections.
Now, Maliki's supporters are reportedly planning to push back with a proposal to extend his current term in office by another eight months. The extension would be in compensation for the eight months lost in political wrangling after the 2010 legislative elections before the prime minister was named.
Widening The Sectarian Divide
Analysts say the rising distrust on all sides has a heavy cost. It further complicates efforts to build national unity just as the country suffers an upsurge of sectarian-based terrorist attacks.
In July, more than 1,000 people died in terrorist attacks across the country -- the most since 2008, when Iraq began to emerge from sectarian conflict. Most of the attacks are attributed to a resurgence of Al-Qaeda and similar groups that recruit among Sunnis who feel marginalized by the country's Shi'a-dominated government.
Crispin Hawes, head of Eurasia Group's Middle East and North Africa program, says Maliki has never made good on promises to reintegrate minority Sunnis after they were banished from power with Saddam Hussein's ouster.
"He has very little interest in securing mass support within the Sunni Arab communities, largely based in western, northwestern Iraq, although he has done a very effective job of from time to time co-opting different political parties that represent elements of that community," Hawes says. "His main goal is to be prime minister of a large, somewhat amorphous Shi'ite coalition, which he can continue to dominate through a divide-and-conquer approach and he has proven exceptionally capable of doing this."
Maliki has angered Sunnis by targeting several of the community's most-powerful political leaders with arrest warrants on terrorism charges. They include former Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi in 2011 and former Finance Minister Rafia al-Issawi in 2012. The prime minister portrayed the moves as nonsectarian judicial proceedings but Sunnis saw them as decapitating their leadership.
Within the ruling Shi'ite National Alliance, which includes all major Shi'ite religious parties, Maliki has maintained power by continually changing allies. The strategy has allowed Maliki, whose own Al-Dawah Party is one of multiple players, to retain leadership longer than many expected when he took power nearly eight years ago.
A Shaky Throne
But while Maliki has shown staying power in becoming the Republic of Iraq's longest-serving prime minister -- each of his two predecessors lasted just a year -- it is unclear whether he can yet deliver the stable and secure Iraq he promised.
Many analysts see Maliki as locked into a game plan that today prevents him from rising above being a nimble sectarian leader to become a trusted national leader. So long as he fails to make the transition, they warn, Iraq will continue to suffer sectarian violence that ebbs and flows but never disappears.
Neil Partrick, a regional expert with the London School of Economics' Gulf Studies Program, notes that violence in Iraq is not merely terrorism. It is also a means by which the country's various political players -- many still equipped with militias -- demand a share of power.
"You can argue that when there has been violence on different sides it has to some extent been part of a bidding war for one community to put pressure on another to concede or to accommodate," Partrick observes. "And so I wouldn't necessarily see [the current upsurge of violence] as any different. The extent to which al-Maliki will be prepared to make substantive shifts, to actually move toward not just an inclusive government but a more inclusive state, that I am not sure about."
Partrick adds that the current regional situation around Iraq only compounds Maliki's difficulty in transcending his sectarian identity to become a national leader. The Iraqi prime minister supports the regime of Bashar al-Assad -- whose Alawite community practices an offshoot of Shi'ism -- against Syria's Sunni-led uprising, and regards Shi'a-led Iran as an important ally. All are positions that sit well with Iraqi Shi'a but not Sunnis, and increasingly complicate his country's relations with its key Western partners.
Written and reported by Charles Recknagel, with contributions by RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq correspondent Abdelilah Nuaimi
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Today at 7:35 am by Bama Diva
» utube 11/5/24 MM&C MM&C News Report-ICC-Investors-RIYADA BANK-Port of Faw-3 Presidents Seated-Removi
Today at 6:52 am by Rocky
» utube 11/2/24 MM&C Report-Iraq 3 Presidents-National-Constitutional Entitlements-Open Market Operati
Today at 6:51 am by Rocky
» With the document.. Cancellation of the suspension of the agricultural plan in the Iraqi "breadbaske
Today at 5:13 am by Rocky
» Economist criticizes government's neglect of tourism, agriculture and dependence on oil
Today at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The development path will be an artery linking most countries in the region
Today at 5:11 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary bloc: Popular Mobilization Forces retirement law ready for voting
Today at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Al-Kadhimi: Financial costs and government insistence will force Americans to withdraw militarily
Today at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Committee Rejects Inclusion of Public Money Thieves in Amnesty Decision
Today at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Al-Mashhadani directs to resolve differences over draft laws before submitting them to Parliament
Today at 5:07 am by Rocky
» Emaar: Launching the housing loan application form in early 2025
Today at 5:04 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Health: The environment needs 2.6 billion dinars to operate air purification stations
Today at 5:03 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: We faced major challenges in implementing the “Greater Iraq” project
Today at 5:02 am by Rocky
» Iraqi Ports reveals in numbers the percentage of completion in the Grand Faw Port projects
Today at 5:00 am by Rocky
» More than $300 million.. Central Bank sales increase in today's auction
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» Faw Port prepares to receive the first commercial ship
Today at 4:57 am by Rocky
» Service Effort of {Sabah}: Completing all projects with high implementation rates before the end of
Today at 4:57 am by Rocky
» Government agency for digital transformation
Today at 4:55 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Committee: Final version of the National Day Law
Today at 4:54 am by Rocky
» Al-Imar to {Sabah}: Launching the housing loan application form at the beginning of 2025
Today at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Iraq looks forward to a new phase after Trump's victory
Today at 4:52 am by Rocky
» Training workshops to help the unemployed in Kirkuk
Today at 4:51 am by Rocky
» Nineveh to open oncology hospital in early 2025
Today at 4:50 am by Rocky
» Service Effort: Completion of all projects that exceeded 80% completion rates.
Today at 4:49 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Health: The environment needs 2.6 billion dinars to operate air purification stations
Today at 4:48 am by Rocky
» Transportation: 20 public transport lines to be launched this month
Today at 4:47 am by Rocky
» Al-Emaar to {Al-Sabah}: Launching the housing loan application form in early 2025
Today at 4:46 am by Rocky
» The most prominent achievements of Al-Sudani's government in the youth care and sports sector files
Today at 4:45 am by Rocky
» Planning: The percentage of women in the workforce does not exceed 13 percent
Today at 4:43 am by Rocky
» Baghdad is the capital of Arab tourism
Today at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The Grand Faw Port is Iraq's largest project
Today at 4:39 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee to NINA: This is what is delaying the selection of the list
Today at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary lawsuit to challenge the contract with the International Finance Corporation
Today at 4:37 am by Rocky
» Minister of Justice issues directive regarding foreign lawsuits file
Today at 4:35 am by Rocky
» How will Trump's victory affect Iraq?
Today at 4:33 am by Rocky
» State Administration Coalition holds meeting with Al-Sudani and Al-Mashhadani in attendance
Today at 4:31 am by Rocky
» Formation of the regional government.. How much influence does the new US administration have on the
Today at 4:30 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani announces the receipt of the five berths that represent the backbone of Al-Faw Port
Today at 4:29 am by Rocky
» Despite its global rise... Iraqi oil returns to the red zone
Today at 4:27 am by Rocky
» Iraq Counts on the Grand Faw Port, and an Expert Says: It Will Change the Economy - Urgent
Today at 4:25 am by Rocky
» Rafidain Bank expands comprehensive banking system to include 48 branches
Today at 4:23 am by Rocky
» "The reference" indicates the seriousness of the situation... and the political forces "shuffle the
Today at 4:22 am by Rocky
» Criminal wanted by Iraqi judiciary.. Rashid and Al-Sudani’s congratulations to Trump spark widesprea
Today at 4:21 am by Rocky
» State Administration Coalition holds meeting with Al-Sudani and Al-Mashhadani in attendance
Today at 4:19 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Security and Defense: There are “fake” security companies run by “suspicious” figures
Today at 4:18 am by Rocky
» Fares Issa meets the Czech Ambassador to Iraq
Today at 4:17 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani issues several directives to lift the ban on Iraqi Airways
Today at 4:16 am by Rocky
» Makkia: Iraq is heading towards a major investment marathon
Today at 4:14 am by Rocky
» Al-Fatlawi: The population census enumeration and numbering process exceeded 98% throughout Iraq
Today at 4:13 am by Rocky
» Ministerial Council: Talk of using Iraqi territory as a launching pad for false pretext attacks
Today at 4:12 am by Rocky
» Türkiye: Our relationship with Iraq is witnessing positive development and we are keen to strengthen
Today at 4:10 am by Rocky
» Basra Gas Company announces the return of production and export operations to normal
Today at 4:08 am by Rocky
» Former Minister Reveals “Exciting” Details Concerning Leaks... What’s the Story of the Electronic Fl
Today at 4:05 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani receives the five berths of Al-Faw Port from the Korean company
Today at 4:02 am by Rocky
» Implementation of judicial memoranda of understanding on the table of the meeting between Faeq Zidan
Today at 4:01 am by Rocky
» List of dollar prices in Iraqi markets today, Thursday
Today at 3:59 am by Rocky
» It will include smaller areas and eliminate the sponsor.. Insistence on legislating the “Housing Fun
Today at 3:58 am by Rocky
» Prime Minister: We are facing a new Iraq and the path of development will be an artery linking most
Today at 3:56 am by Rocky
» Completion rates have increased fivefold in two years.. “Amazing” information and scenes from Al-Faw
Today at 3:54 am by Rocky
» Central Bank: Importance of cooperation and money transfer to facilitate trade with Azerbaijan
Yesterday at 7:19 am by Rocky
» Iraqi Businesswomen Council: A safe environment to support women’s entrepreneurship and develop skil
Yesterday at 7:15 am by Rocky
» Economist: The value of the dinar will decrease and the financial deficit will increase
Yesterday at 7:12 am by Rocky
» American website: Iraq's budget suffers from a deficit of $49.3 billion
Yesterday at 7:11 am by Rocky
» Good news for journalists and writers.. The "financial grant" will be launched on this date
Yesterday at 7:09 am by Rocky
» Iraq is the third Arab country in gold reserves
Yesterday at 7:06 am by Rocky
» Wanted by Iraqi judiciary.. An "Iraqi-American" diplomatic crisis with Trump's victory in the US pre
Yesterday at 7:04 am by Rocky
» Central Bank of Iraq sells more than $280 million in auction today
Yesterday at 6:59 am by Rocky
» Trump's victory... will it be a lifeline from the "judicial guillotine"?
Yesterday at 6:57 am by Rocky
» After winning the presidential race, Trump talks about a “strong mandate”
Yesterday at 6:57 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani chairs meeting with IATA delegation
Yesterday at 6:54 am by Rocky
» Central Bank Governor stresses need for cooperation to facilitate trade with Azerbaijan
Yesterday at 6:53 am by Rocky
» utube 11/6/24 Donald Trump's full victory speech
Yesterday at 6:50 am by Rocky
» Deep State Confronted by Trump.. Will Elon Musk Lead America, the World and “Mars”?
Yesterday at 6:43 am by Rocky
» Alsumaria Noon Bulletin Files: Trump's Victory and Objections to the General Amnesty Law
Yesterday at 6:40 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary bloc explains reasons for demanding extension of legislative term
Yesterday at 5:11 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani discusses with an international delegation lifting the ban on Iraqi Airways
Yesterday at 5:09 am by Rocky
» Axios: Washington warned Baghdad that Israel may attack Iraq if it does not prevent the Iranian atta
Yesterday at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Trump declares victory in US elections: I will not start wars, but I will end them
Yesterday at 5:06 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Foreign Affairs: Trump is wanted by the Iraqi judiciary, but the country's interest co
Yesterday at 5:03 am by Rocky
» "Al-Eqtisad News" publishes the full decisions of the Cabinet session
Yesterday at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Bitcoin Hits All-Time High in Early Trading
Yesterday at 4:58 am by Rocky
» Iraq tops the list of countries importing Arab products related to construction activity
Yesterday at 4:56 am by Rocky
» 2025 Strong national economy and sound banks
Yesterday at 4:53 am by Rocky
» Government stresses the need to secure petroleum derivatives for energy production
Yesterday at 4:52 am by Rocky
» Anbar: The second phase of the electricity connection with Jordan has reached its end
Yesterday at 4:51 am by Rocky
» Iraq's gold holdings rise to more than 152.5 tons
Yesterday at 4:50 am by Rocky
» Al-Alaq stresses to Azerbaijani ambassador the importance of cooperation in transferring money to fa
Yesterday at 4:49 am by Rocky
» 7 decisions on the general population census
Yesterday at 4:47 am by Rocky
» The world awaits the new US president
Yesterday at 4:45 am by Rocky
» Sudanese demands stopping the Zionist aggression
Yesterday at 4:44 am by Rocky
» Wasit: Distribution of seeds among farmers with a support rate of 70 percent
Yesterday at 4:43 am by Rocky
» Trade: Central markets {hypermarkets} to officially open in 2025
Yesterday at 4:42 am by Rocky
» Civil Service Council: Controls for appointing land donors
Yesterday at 4:41 am by Rocky
» Baghdad Municipality: Measures to avoid damage from oil spills in the Tigris
Yesterday at 4:39 am by Rocky
» The Board of Trustees discusses a number of topics related to developing the work of the media netwo
Yesterday at 4:38 am by Rocky
» Sovereign guarantees boost labor market
Yesterday at 4:36 am by Rocky
» Mazhar Saleh: No impact of oil price drop on operating budget
Yesterday at 4:35 am by Rocky
» Iraq's share in the IMF
Yesterday at 4:35 am by Rocky
» Trump's "Historic" Victory: World Leaders Congratulate Him
Yesterday at 4:33 am by Rocky