Thursday, August 11, 2005

Iraqi Constitutional Divide Widens

Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, a senior Shia leader in Iraq, has renewed calls for an autonomous Shia state in southern Iraq, widening the divide between the religious power centers in the south and the secular Kurds in the north. (BBC: Iraq Shias call for more autonomy)

The balance of power between conflicting Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish communities has been a major sticking point throughout the constitutional negotiations. Further complicating matters is growing contention within the Shia ranks between secular and religious leaders. Laith Kubba, a spokesman for Iraq's secular Shia Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, underscored this divide by calling the idea of a Shia region "unacceptable".

Distrust between the various ethnic and religious groups is nothing new. Strong divisions have existed in Iraqi society throughout much of their history. Melding these three groups into a single unified, cooperative, Democratic government appears increasingly unlikely. Forging a workable constitution in the short term is simply not going to happen. Also unlikely is any likehood of reduced US involvement in the region in the short (12-18 months) term.

What the final Iraqi government will look like is anybody's guess at this point. About the only point The Grape is sure of is that the long-term viable government will not be based on a cooperative democracy. Nor, given the history of Iraq, does such a government appear to be in our best interests. The most likely result longer term is a totalitarian government. Whether that will be a secular or religious based government remains to be seen, and ultimately, that is the most critical question.

Rather than continuing to foster false hopes of Democracy in Iraq, it would be in our best interests to promote and support a strong secular goverment that is pro West. Continuing to back the democratic process may actually leave us with a worst-case scenario - a fundamentalist Shiite based totalitarian regime.

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