Two days after U.S. troops pull out, Iraq’s prime minister seeks to imprison Iraq’s vice president

Sage McLaughlin writes:

Subject: Well, that didn’t take long

The headline from The Hill reads, “Biden calls Iraqi prime minister after reports of renewed sectarian tensions.”

Apparently a disagreement between the (Shiite) Iraqi Prime Minister and the (Sunni) Vice President has devolved into the issuance of an arrest warrant for the latter, on what Sunni lawmakers are calling “fabricated charges.” According to the article, VP Joe Biden has

emphasized the need for an “inclusive partnership government” and the importance of acting within the Iraqi constitution. He stressed the need for the prime minister and leaders of the other major blocs to meet and work out their differences.

So, in the budding constitutional democracy we’ve established in Iraq, the elected leadership doesn’t yet understand the importance of small things like acting within the constitution, and having meetings and stuff, to work out their differences. I can hear it now: “So what you’re saying is that whenever I would normally send the security services to imprison my opponents in a dank dungeon somewhere, what I should do instead is set up a meeting? Before anybody’s even been shot, we’re supposed to be making deals and such? How are we supposed to know who won?”

The article goes on to cite hand-wringing by the usual Republican hand-wringers, to the effect that Obama should’ve kept forces there indefinitely until Iraqis were ready to act like Western democrats.

In a related exchange last month, Ken Hechtman was baffled that you think of elections in Egypt any differently from the Iowa primary. What he said was: “I say that in a sane world we would consider an election in Egypt or Libya or Tunisia to be just as real and meaningful and worth paying attention to as one in England or France or Germany.” To be fair, though, Mr. Hechtman makes his points, as well as his point of view, perfectly plain. He’s a worthier adversary in these discussions than any ten Republican enthusiasts for Muslim democracy.

Here is the story from The Hill:

Biden calls Iraqi prime minister after reports of renewed sectarian tensions
12/20/11

Vice President Biden spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Council of Representatives Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi on Tuesday, as sectarian tensions in the country rose after U.S. troops pulled out Sunday.

An arrest warrant was issued Monday for Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi, a Sunni, who then accused al-Maliki, a Shiite, of issuing “fabricated charges.”

The dust-up has raised concerns that the Sunni-Shiite relations will unravel in Iraq without U.S. troops there to keep the peace.

Republican senators hammered President Obama on Tuesday for allowing U.S. troops to leave, blaming the renewed tensions on the lack of a U.S. deterrent. Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called for the administration to re-open negotiations for a small U.S. military presence in Iraq.

Biden told the Iraqi leaders Tuesday that the United States was monitoring the situation closely, according to a White House readout of the call.

The vice president emphasized the need for an “inclusive partnership government” and the importance of acting within the Iraqi constitution. He stressed the need for the prime minister and leaders of the other major blocs to meet and work out their differences.

Posted by Lawrence Auster at December 21, 2011 10:02 AM | Send