Who holds the American card in Iraq?
It is not difficult for any analyst to find out how the U.S. tried to ally itself with almost all Iraqi factions with their different hues in the past five years.
The alliance with these parties has usually come as they were seen by the U.S. to be at the apex of their power. The ultimate aim has been to appease almost everybody as a means to extricate itself from the Iraqi debacle.
Initially, the U.S. implicated itself in the woes of the ethnic and sectarian strife in Iraq by siding and backing one particular group against the other. This policy continued while at least one important part of the country was burning.
And not long ago, it realized it had to extend a helping hand to opposite groups, too. So it is clear now that the U.S. is not sympathetic to one sect only. It wants to have a foot in the disparate worlds of Iraq’s uncompromising sectarian, tribal and political factions.
Even the groups resisting U.S. presence in the country have come to realize that almost everyone in Iraq now relies on U.S. assistance to maintain its share of power and influence.
Therefore, Iraqi resistance has wisely chosen to ignore the Iraqi government and any other group whose existence depends on America. If they wan to talk, these groups say, they will only talk to the U.S.
This shows that both friend and foe in Iraq see the U.S. as the common denominator. Without U.S. occupation troops, the government cannot survive. The tribes now need U.S. support to maintain the surge in their standing, influence and power.
Resistance groups need to talk to the U.S. and explore a diplomatic and political avenue to achieve their target of driving its occupation troops without shedding more blood.
This shows that the only option the parties in Iraq have including the resistance is talking to Washington on how to end its occupation and at the same time making utmost benefit from the massive capabilities of the world’s most powerful economic power to reconstruct their war-torn country.
In other words, they will need to persuade the U.S. to turn its formidable occupation army into an investment to rebuild their imploded state.
America has destroyed the foundations of Iraq and it is under moral obligation to have them rebuilt.
Source: Who holds the American card in Iraq? | Azzaman in English
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Assuming this is an accurate translation, (I have no reason to doubt it. I just feel compelled to say that because it is not in English) I think the writer has missed a point. From here it looks a great deal as if the US authorities have floundered, seeking a willing partner outside the central government. and have tried to form alliances mainly through gifts of weapons (foolish, but aimed at assuring survival of the Iraqi group) and money (always welcome.) It now appears as if they have in fact formed 3 or 4 separate partnerships.
Either a brilliant master plan or desperation, but co-opting all sides in the struggle for supremacy means none will prevail. Other than the banker, of course, but bankers always win.
Oh it is accurate - how Al Zaman in English is produced is that the English articles are highly condensed versions of Arabic ones that they translate in house - very good work. I take their opinions/analyses with a lot of scepticism but that is me - there are other team members who would agree with them. If you want a window into how a lot of the middle class Irakis see things then it is a good place to look.