The following is an archived copy of a message sent to the CASI Analysis List run by Cambridge Solidarity with Iraq.
Views expressed in this archived message are those of the author, not of Cambridge Solidarity with Iraq (CASI).
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[ This message has been sent to you via the CASI-analysis mailing list ] Dear Peter, Thanks for a very good overview of the transfer of “whatever-it-may-be” to “whoever-he-may-be” in Iraq... It is unfortunate that this mailing list lacks a clear focus to policy. Signs of this were already evident at the end of 2002 and the beginning of 2003 and the list seems to have lost its spirit after the occupation. Did we ever function as a “group”? I don’t think so. Even our opposition to sanctions lacked a clear focus, with some supporting the so called “smart sanctions”, while others saw them as an excuse to continue sanctions indefinitely. Some supported the sanctions and advocated the war at any price. Some based their views vis a vis sanctions and Iraq on their hatred to the regime of Saddam Hussein; some basing their views on the less-than-honest views of Amnesty International and Human Rights watch and similar organizations. Now that the list has changed its objectives, it has also changed course. This is no longer a discussion group; it is a billboard, where articles and news are posted. Because of the slow pace of the moderation, some of the articles take days before they are posted, by which time they lose their importance as fresh news and they would be available from other sites. News become stale. And if discussion of an urgent subject is not done immediately, it becomes obsolete.. I have personally stopped turning to the list for information, even though I continue sending articles which I believe good. CASI was an excellent source of information and a place for discussions. It is unfortunate that we have not been able to continue in the same spirit. I have one comment. You write: “But the interim constitution (which gives any three provinces a right of veto) has given a right of veto over the final constitution – and hence over the appearance of a democratically elected government - to the Kurds. In this way, the thorniest problem facing any government in Iraq - the Kurdish demand for an autonomous state which would include Kirkuk and Mosul - has been raised as a barrier to the establishment of democratic government.” There is another side to this, and what the Kurdish leaders have planned may also backfire. For the Kurds to get an autonomous state which would include Kirkuk and Mosul, they would need the approval of all Iraqi Governorates. Thus any three governorates would have the same right of veto and stop any Kurdish attempts towards that objective. Then the Kurds can not blame anyone but themselves; after all the interim constitution was drafted by a committee headed by a separatist Kurd and a follower of Barzani; Fouad Ma’soum. The Constitution was drafted by the Kurds to suit their separatist aspirations, but it overlooked the fact that Arabs of Iraq may fight back with the same weapon; the VETO... Personally, I don’t think the Americans did not see that. I believe they were very conscious of it and purposefully did it, knowing that the result would be a stalemate; thus delaying the departure of the US forces from Iraq until a final constitution is approved. The Americans would never allow the Kurds to get a state, because they know that Turkey would oppose it even militarily. With that formula in mind, no constitution would ever emerge that would be accepted by all Iraqis. And once again the Kurdish leadership would be taking the Kurdish people through another of the continuing conflicts that have been going on for over eighty years. And the sad thing is that the Kurdish people have not learned from history: they have always been used by this side and that against their real interests in a unified Iraq. HZ __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Photos: High-quality 4x6 digital prints for 25¢ http://photos.yahoo.com/ph/print_splash _______________________________________ Sent via the CASI-analysis mailing list To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-analysis All postings are archived on CASI's website at http://www.casi.org.uk