Vol. 71/No. 30      August 20, 2007

The departure of the Sunni Accordance Front from the cabinet highlights the challenges Washington faces in forging a stable client regime from among Sunni and Shiite capitalists vying for control of the country’s wealth. The U.S. military is making measured progress on the ground.

Washington’s top general in Iraq, David Petraeus, said on ABC News July 30 that large numbers of U.S. troops will be needed there for at least two more years.

Petraeus said he and his staff are working on a plan to achieve “localized security” in Baghdad and other areas by June 2008. To attain this goal the military is expanding recruitment and funding of residents in Sunni areas as local security forces. Many of those joining come from Sunni militias that previously fought the Iraqi government, U.S. troops, and Shiite militias.

The expanded recruitment plan builds off Washington’s success in securing the support of sheiks in the Sunni Anbar and Diyala provinces disillusioned with al-Qaeda.

Nouri al-Maliki, prime minister of Iraq’s Shiite-dominated government, strongly objects to the policy. But Petraeus described the development as the most important trend in Iraq that could also help force “reconciliation” among competing capitalist forces. The U.S. government doesn’t want competition between the different factions to undermine the cooperation and stability needed to further its aims.

Washington’s efforts to make progress along these lines were dealt a blow when the Iraqi parliament adjourned for the summer after the government failed to present a law on sharing oil revenues. Two days later the Front withdrew from the cabinet, accusing al-Maliki of failing to address about a dozen demands including disbanding Shiite militias. The Front’s 44 members in Iraq’s 275-seat parliament will remain however.

The Bush administration has been pressing the Iraqi government to pass “benchmark” measures. These include sharing oil revenues, holding provincial elections, and removing laws that bar former members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party from public office. They are directed at reassuring wealthy Sunnis, who ruled the country under Hussein, that they have a stake in the U.S.-backed government.

Meanwhile, on the first stop of a Mideast visit, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said every country in the region could be doing more to help stabilize Iraq.

At a press conference in Egypt, Rice pointed to concern in the region at the continued volatility in Iraq. She said tighter border controls and debt relief by regional governments would help create conditions for “reconciliation” there.

Rice also encouraged Iraq’s neighbors to use their influence to get Sunni tribal leaders more active in helping Washington. Many governments in the region, Saudi Arabia in particular, are dominated by Sunnis.

The Bush administration is preparing to ask Congress for a $20 billion aid package for Saudi Arabia. It includes advanced weaponry such as satellite-guided bombs, upgraded fighter jets, and naval ships. Administration officials said the package is aimed at bolstering the military capacities of Gulf countries as a deterrent against Iran’s growing power, reported the International Herald Tribune.  
 
 
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