News Analysis: US and Iran Find Common Ground in Iraq’s Shiite Conflict
“…When it comes to which Shiite leader Iran and the United States want to see in power, at least for now they largely see Sadr’s ascendance as a common threat - nowhere more so than in Basra, the oil-rich capital of Iraq’s most populous region, the Shiite south…”
By James Glanz and Alissa J. Rubin
Source: International Herald Tribune
In the Iraqi government’s fight to subdue the Shiite militia of Moktada al-Sadr in the southern city of Basra, perhaps nothing reveals the complexities of the Iraq conflict more starkly than this: Iran and the United States find themselves on the same side.
The causes of this convergence boil down to the logic of self-interest, although it is logic in a place where even the most basic reasoning refuses to go in a straight line. In essence, though, the calculation by the United States is that it must back the government it helped to create and take the steps needed to protect American troops and civilian officials.
Iranian motivations appear to hinge on the possibility that Sadr’s political and military followers could gain power in provincial elections this fall, and disrupt the creation of a semiautonomous region in the south that the Iranians see as beneficial.
The American-Iranian convergence is all the more remarkable because of mutual animosity. The United States says that Iran has backed thousands of attacks on American troops in Iraq, bitterly opposes its nuclear program and has not ruled out bombing Iran if Iranian policies do not change. Meanwhile, at the level of senior officials at least, Iran takes quite seriously its depiction of the United States as the planet’s Great Satan.
But the two sides are making nice on the issue of fighting Sadr, one of Iraq’s most powerful Shiite clerics. As Iraqi government soldiers took control of the last areas of Basra from Sadr’s militia on Saturday, concluding a monthlong effort, Iran’s ambassador to Iraq, Hassan Kazemi Qumi, took the unusual step of expressing strong support for the government’s position and described Sadr’s fighters as outlaws.
When it comes to which Shiite leader Iran and the United States want to see in power, at least for now they largely see Sadr’s ascendance as a common threat - nowhere more so than in Basra, the oil-rich capital of Iraq’s most populous region, the Shiite south.
Although there are many groups in Iraq - Shiite and Sunni, Turkmen and Kurd - it is a majority Shiite country, and in the end the geopolitical calculus of the United States and Iran has to do with what kind of Shiite government they want in control.
The party that Iran and the United States are backing, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, is a bitter rival of Sadr’s political movement and has managed to play to the interests of both countries. Under Iraq’s Constitution, provinces can form regions with considerable independence from Baghdad. The Supreme Council advocates a large, semiautonomous region in the south, similar to Kurdistan in the north, made up of the nine southern provinces. And because many of the council’s leaders lived in exile in Iran during the rule of Saddam Hussein, Iran has political ties to the group.
Coupled with Iran’s shared Shiite heritage, such a region would amplify Iran’s influence over the oil-rich area.
The American backing of the Supreme Council comes in part because the armed wing of the council, the Badr Organization, has never confronted American troops. As one American general said, “They aren’t trying to kill us.” The same cannot be said of Sadr’s militia, the Mahdi Army, which the United States believes is behind some of the most sophisticated and deadly attacks on American troops.
Second, the Americans have treated the Supreme Council as an ally from the beginning of the fight against Saddam. Its members were guaranteed safe passage when they returned from Iran and were made charter members of Iraq’s first governing body after the American-led invasion toppled Saddam’s regime. Since then, the United States has backed the Iraqi government, which in turn relies on the Supreme Council to stay in power in the country’s parliamentary system.
But this position could have damaging unintended consequences. It could push the United States further into the vortex of an intra-Shiite political struggle and could lead to the creation of a large, Iranian-influenced region in southern Iraq.
For the Iraqis, the battle is in part a political one over how the balance of power would change province-by-province and ward-by-ward in coming elections. The prize is control of provincial councils that have significant budgets, jobs and local power.
During the elections in 2005, Sadr’s supporters did not vote in most southern provinces, so despite having grass-roots support they were not represented in local governments.
But the Supreme Council encouraged its followers to go to the polls, and they dominated even in places where their supporters made up a comparatively small percentage of the electorate. If Sadr’s movement participates in the next elections, scheduled for October, they are sure to fare better than they did when they did not field candidates, and the Supreme Council is likely to lose some of its power.
For instance, in Qadisiya Province, the Sadr movement fielded few candidates and did not vote in great numbers; the Supreme Council was able to dominate the provincial council and control the governorship.
In contrast, just to the southeast, in Maysan Province, where the Sadr bloc did participate, it won the largest number of seats and controls the governorship.
The fight in Basra and elsewhere in the south, which appears to have weakened the Sadr movement, is also a way to make it more difficult for the organization to use its militia to coerce voters and intimidate political rivals. In turn, that puts the Supreme Council in a better political position to retain power because its armed wing is well entrenched, having held positions in the police and army for years.
But the political calculus that has landed the Americans and Iranians on the same side of the Shiite conflict in southern Iraq breaks down in the capital. The foremost example is Sadr City, the dusty, impoverished enclave of more than two million Shiites in northeastern Baghdad where Sadr has his base of power.
There, Iraqi and American forces are trying to oust essentially the same Mahdi fighters who were stalking the streets in Basra. And the stakes for the Americans are even higher, because the Mahdi Army has been using parts of Sadr City and its surroundings as a launching pad for rockets aimed at American and Iraqi government offices in the Green Zone.
But there is at least one crucial difference from Basra: in Sadr City, American troops are playing a much bigger role in the battle. For the Iranians, who have consistently opposed the American presence here, that difference comes with consequences.
Iran stridently opposes the operation against the Mahdi Army in Sadr City.
(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)You need to be a registered member to rate this post.
Loading ...Posted in Politics
abduce…
tiffany 1837 charm braceletswith winter coming,mens canada goose chilliwack parka brown why not buy Moncler now…
Its hard to find good help…
I am regularly proclaiming that its difficult to procure quality help, but here is …
Its hard to find good help…
I am forever proclaiming that its difficult to find good help, but here is …
ferry offers…
I saw a writer writing about this on Tumblr and it linked to…
Natural Swimming Ponds…
[…]what follows you can see the link to some web sites which we suspect you’ll want to head over to[…]…
Yahoo results…
While searching Yahoo I discovered this page in the results and I didn’t think it fit…
psychic abilities…
While I was surfing yesterday I saw a excellent article concerning…
Anti Wrinkle…
I saw someone talking about this on Tumblr and it linked to…
Dreary Day…
It was a dreary day here today, so I just took to messing around on the internet and realized…
Tumblr article…
I saw someone talking about this on Tumblr and it linked to…
compare business credit…
While browsing Yahoo I found this page in the results and I didn’t think it fit…
Looking around…
I like to look around the online world, often I will go to Digg and follow thru…
Tumblr article…
I saw someone talking about this on Tumblr and it linked to…
Its {hard|difficult} to find informative and {precise|accurate} {info|information} but here I {found|noted}…
I am regularly saying that its difficult to find good help, but here is …
Tumblr…
Tumblr linked to this site…
Weebly article…
I saw a writer talking about this on Weebly and it linked to…
Wikia…
Wika linked to this website…
Just Browsing…
While I was browsing today I saw a great post concerning…
News info…
I was reading the news and I saw this really cool info…
Hard Day…
It was a hard day here yesterday, so I just took to piddeling around online and found…
Useful and precise…
Its hard to find really informative and precise info but here I noted…
Yahoo News…
When checking out Yahoo News yesterday I found this…
Looking around…
I love to look in various places on the internet, often I will go to Stumble Upon and follow thru…
Weebly article…
I saw someone talking about this on Weebly and it linked to…
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really regularly saying that its hard to find good honest help, but here is …
News info…
I was reading the news and I saw this really interesting topic…
Digg…
While checking out DIGG yesterday I noticed this…
Yep….
I couldn’t have said it better myself……
Brian Tracy…
The person we believe ourselves to be will always act in a manner consistent with our self-image. …
Informative and precise…
Its difficult to find informative and precise information but here I noted…
Cool sites…
[…]we came across a cool site that you might enjoy. Take a look if you want[…]……
Sources…
[…]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[…]……
Sources…
[…]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[…]……
Sites we Like……
[…] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose […]……
Informative and precise…
Its hard to find informative and precise info but here I found…
Sites we Like……
[…] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose […]……
Recent Blogroll Additions……
[…]usually posts some very interesting stuff like this. If you’re new to this site[…]……
Sites we Like……
[…] Every once in a while we choose blogs that we read. Listed below are the latest sites that we choose […]……
Sources…
[…]check below, are some totally unrelated websites to ours, however, they are most trustworthy sources that we use[…]……
Weebly article…
I saw someone talking about this on Weebly and it linked to…
Yahoo News…
When checking out Yahoo News today I noticed this…
Yahoo News…
When checking out Yahoo News today I noticed this…
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really regularly saying that its difficult to find quality honest help, but here is …
Wikia…
Wika mentioned this website…
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really constantnly proclaiming that its difficult to get quality honest help, but here is …
Yahoo News…
When checking out Yahoo News yesterday I noticed this…
Tumblr…
Tumblr linked to this place…
Tumblr article…
I saw a writer writing about this on Tumblr and it linked to…
Just Looking…
When I was surfing yesterday I noticed a great article about…
Its hard to find good help…
I am constantnly proclaiming that its difficult to find good help, but here is …
Digg…
While checking out DIGG today I noticed this…
Weebly article…
I saw someone talking about this on Weebly and it linked to…
Tumblr…
Tumblr linked to this site…
Useful and precise…
Its difficult to find really informative and precise information but here I found…
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really forever saying that its difficult to find good honest help, but here is …
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really regularly proclaiming that its hard to find good honest help, but here is …
News…
I was reading the Yahoo news and I saw this really cool topic…
Yahoo News…
When checking out Yahoo News today I noticed this…
Iron Man 3…
If you need to see the latest trailer or info about the iron man 3 go to at our site….
Bing results…
While browsing Bing I found this page in the search results and I didn’t think it match…
Looking around…
I love to browse in various places on the online world, often I will just go to Digg and follow thru…
Wikia…
Wika linked to this website…
Looking around…
I like to look around the online world, often I will just go to Stumble Upon and follow thru…
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really constantnly saying that its hard to procure quality honest help, but here is …
News…
I was reading the Yahoo news and I saw this really interesting info…
Hard Day…
It was a hard day here yesterday, so I just took to messing around online and found…
Weebly article…
I saw a writer talking about this on Weebly and it linked to…
News info…
I was reading the news and I saw this really cool info…
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really forever saying that its difficult to procure quality honest help, but here is …
Weebly article…
I saw a writer talking about this on Weebly and it linked to…
News…
I was reading the Yahoo news and I saw this really interesting info…
Hard Day…
It was a hard day here yesterday, so I just took to piddeling around online and found…
News…
I was reading the Yahoo news and I saw this really interesting info…
Tumblr…
Tumblr linked to this site…
Hard Day…
It was a hard day here today, so I just took to piddeling around on the internet and found…
Tumblr article…
I saw someone writing about this on Tumblr and it linked to…
Bing results…
While searching Bing I discovered this page in the search results and I didn’t think it match…
Weebly article…
I saw a writer writing about this on Weebly and it linked to…
Just Looking…
When I was surfing today I noticed a excellent article concerning…
Bing results…
While browsing Bing I discovered this page in the search results and I didn’t think it match…
Tumblr…
Tumblr linked to this place…
News…
I was reading the Yahoo news and I saw this really interesting info…
Looking around…
I love to browse around the internet, regularly I will go to Digg and read and check stuff out…
Hard Day…
It was a hard day here yesterday, so I just took to messing around online and found…
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really regularly saying that its hard to find good honest help, but here is …
Yahoo News…
When checking out Yahoo News today I found this…
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really regularly saying that its hard to find good honest help, but here is …
Yahoo News…
When checking out Yahoo News today I noticed this…
It is quite hard to find good help…
I am really constantnly proclaiming that its difficult to procure good honest help, but here is …
Hard Day…
It was a hard day here today, so I just took to piddeling around online and realized…
Hard Day…
It was a hard day here today, so I just took to messing around on the internet and realized…
News…
I was reading quickly the AOL news and I saw this quite interesting and new information…
Looking around…
I love to surf around the internet, often I will just go to Digg and follow thru…
Bing results…
While searching a bit Bing and Yahoo I happily found this page in the search results and I do not think it match…
Just Looking…
When I was surfing a bit last wee end I noticed a nice post about…
Tumblr…
Tumblr just linked to this cool site…
Thanks!…
Thanks for all your insight. This site has been really helpful to me….
News…
I was reading the Yahoo news and I saw this really interesting info…
News…
I was reading quickly the AOL news and I saw this quite interesting and new topic…
Weebly article…
I saw a writer writing about this on Weebly and it linked to…
Iron Man 3 Trailer…
I enjoy you because of your own work on this web site. My aunt really likes engaging in investigation and it’s really easy to understand why. A number of us notice all concerning the powerful manner you render efficient guidelines on your website and …
Bing results…
While browsing a bit Bing and Yahoo I happily found this page in the search results and I do not think it match…
Iron Man 3 Trailer…
Thanks for all your valuable hard work on this blog. Kate really likes setting aside time for investigation and it’s really easy to understand why. All of us notice all regarding the lively tactic you present functional suggestions on this blog and as…
Hard Day…
It was quite a hard day for me yesterday, so I decided to take to piddeling around a lot on the internet and rapidly realized…
Looking around…
I love to browse a bit around the vast web, quite often I will just go to Digg and read and check stuff out…
It is really really hard to find enough help…
My friend is constantnly but annoyingly proclaiming that truly its difficult to easily procure some quality honest help, but here is …
Tumblr…
Tumblr linked to this place…
News…
I was reading quickly the AOL news and I saw this quite interesting and new information…
Hard Day…
It was quite a hard day for me today, so I decided to take to piddeling around a lot online and rapidly realized…
Hard Day…
It was quite a hard day for me yesterday, so I decided to take to piddeling around a lot on the internet and rapidly realized…
News info…
I was reading the news and I saw this really interesting topic…
Iron Man 3 Trailer…
I simply wanted to compose a message so as to thank you for all the fantastic solutions you are showing on this site. My considerable internet research has now been paid with sensible points to share with my co-workers. I ‘d assume that we readers ac…
Just Browsing…
While I was surfing yesterday I noticed a great post about…
Tom Hopkins…
“Internalization. This occurs when you’ve exploited impact, when you’ve molded the standard material to your needs and made it yours, when you’ve made your new skills strong through hard use. All of a sudden these new concepts stopped churning wit…
Tumblr article…
I saw someone talking about this on Tumblr and it linked to…
Bing results…
While browsing Bing I discovered this page in the search results and I didn’t think it match…
Its hard to find good help…
I am forever saying that its hard to get quality help, but here is …