Iraq’s domestic and foreign policies may complicate efforts by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to secure military assistance from Washington, with diplomats, journalists, and lawmakers increasingly urging the administration to condition aid on various reforms.
October ended yesterday as the deadliest month in Iraq since 2008. There were 979 confirmed deaths – roughly 30 per days – and 1,793 wounded. Efforts by Bahgdad to put down a growing insurgency have been largely unsuccessful, and instead Sunni jihadists have consolidated their positions and even pulled off a daring jailbreak that freed hundreds of al-Qaeda affiliated terrorists.
Meeting with President Barack Obama in Washington, Al-Maliki asked for help after having spurned it for years:
For both Obama and Maliki, a new counterterrorism cooperation package represents a marked change. Until this summer, Maliki had largely spurned American involvement in his country, choosing instead to deepen Iraq’s ties to its neighbor Iran. The Obama administration defended its decision in 2011 to end negotiations with Maliki over an extension of the U.S. troop presence in Iraq, stating that the administration judged Iraq to be capable of meeting security challenges without U.S. troops on the ground.
There are, however, concers over Maliki’s foreign policy. Washington has been pressing the Iraqu leader to halt the transit of Iranian weapons bound for Syria. Secretary of State Kerry made a point of criticizing the weapons flights last April, and the Obama administration brought up the issue again this week. Iraqi reticence had not gone unnoticed:
Professor Emeritus at University of Michigan and author of “Arab Rebels and Iranian Dissidents” Raymond Tanter sat down with Fox News’ KT McFarland to discuss the meeting between al-Maliki and Obama and what’s at stake. “What is he trying to do? He’s trying to get some Apache helicopters. He’s trying to get F-16 aircrafts from the U.S.,” said Tanter. “But what is he giving in return? He’s allowing the Iranian regime to send on the ground arms into Syria.”
Tanter speculates al-Maliki is taking a charm offensive with both the Iranians and Americans. “He’s playing footsy with the Iranians,” said Tanter. “He’s not doing what he needs to do in order to take care of the Iranian opposition in Iraq.”
Congress has also taken notice of what’s being described as Maliki’s mismanagement, with top Senators blaming him for deepening sectarian tensions in the country. A Washington Post editorial yesterday called on the administration to link military aid to political reformists that military aid must be accompanied by political changes by Maliki.
[Photo: Sgt.Curt / WikiCommons ]
