Accept it or not, but the fact is the present leadership in Iraq is becoming more like a lame duck government. Despite the billions of funds and the manpower that the U.S. government poured into Iraq, it seemed nothing much had transpired, but observations of intensive bombings and sectarian violence that already killed thousands and maiming countless innocent civilians. In short, life is unbearable for most Iraqis. Those who wanted to leave must take the risks crossing the borders to safety. But even the porous borders are not safe enough for refugees, whose only dreams are to get out from the chaos as soon as possible.
Many are wondering as to whether Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki can still wield his influence over those who are supposed to follow his orders. If he does, how come he finds it doubly difficult to tighten the rein on Iraq’s steering wheel. It appears Iraq is like a boat that is sinking slowly. With religious and other political leaders whose noses smell the flow of black gold should Iraq be subdivided into three parts? Surely, everybody is banking on the idea that oil will further fan the flame of more violence once the government succeeds in pushing through with its plans to subdivide Iraq, just to satisfy the wishes of those who are behind the unrest.
With billions of funds overflowing to Iraq, government officials couldn’t care less of what is happening inside the country. Because while the war is going on, it is self-explanatory that money that is used to fund its infrastructures and other expenditures will continue to come in, aside from the billions of dollars that are generated from the huge oil exports. The scenario can be compared to a desert where hungry vultures feast on the carcass. But with the impending pull out plans being waged by the democrats in U.S. Congress, Iraq can only hope that it should not push through because President Bush had already resisted the move by attempting to veto the bill once it lands on his table at the White House. If it does, we can see an Iraq that will be in total chaos once the troops pull out of the embattled country.
Perhaps, what the Iraqi government needs at this time while the idea of troop withdrawal is still in the offing is to exert much efforts to somehow find independence, free from the external interventions of foreign powers in so far as decision-making is concerned. With a Shia leader in power, Iran sees something promising in the horizon. It could be a blessing for Iran, who is allegedly dipping its hands on the murky waters of politics in Iraq by extending support to the Shia insurgents there. And Saudi Arabia is not happy at the turn out of events, especially on the issue of Sunni civilians being killed by suicide bombers. Political analysts see an Iraq that is comparable to a cockpit arena where foreign cockfighters come in to join in the domestic derby of violence.
In this kind of situation, intellectuals have nothing else to understand but say that Iraq is a banana government that is surviving on the dole outs of foreign powers at the expense of surrendering its policy and decision-making powers at the hands of the powers that be. Otherwise, the Iraqi leadership can only prove one thing, and that is to free itself from the dictates of opportunists, whose only mission is to take advantage of Iraq’s huge oil deposits.
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