Can a 'smooth, behind-the-scenes negotiator' stop the violence in Iraq?

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. . . will another exile's ascendance to power be enough for Bush to bring our troops home?


IRAQ'S NEW PRIME MINISTER DESIGNATE

Can He Stop the Violence?

By Yassin Musharbash

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It happened quickly. Last Thursday, Jawad al-Maliki was in the position of announcing that his boss, Prime Minster Ibrahim al-Jaafari, had given in to the pressure mounting against him and was resigning. A mere two days later, Iraq's powerful alliance of Shiite parties presented none other than al-Maliki himself -- known as a smooth, behind-the-scenes negotiator -- as the new prime minister designate. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice promptly declared him a reliable political partner and, after weeks and weeks of waiting, Iraq's political deadlock appears to be over.

The Shiite from near the holy city of Karbala now has 30 days to form a cabinet. Aspiring ministers planning to implement policies on a religious or ethnic basis aren't welcome, he has explained, promising an inclusive government representing "all components of Iraqi society." After months of violent clashes between Shiite militias and Sunni insurgents -- clashes that have brought their country to the brink of civil war -- al-Maliki's statements provide a ray of hope to the embattled country. Al-Jaafari, after all, had proven unable to stop the violence amid Sunni accusations that some in his government were associated with Shiite death squads. Maliki, for his part, has announced his intention to integrate militias into the state's law enforcement apparatus, in order better to control them.


Like his predecessor, al-Maliki is a member of the Hizb al-Dawa party, a Shiite organization that was brutally persecuted under Saddam Hussein. The former despot even condemned al-Maliki to death for his membership in Hizb al-Dawa. Like al-Jafari, al-Maliki went into exile in the early 1980s -- first to Iran and later to Syria, where he directed the "Jihad Office," which coordinated guerrilla operations in Iraq.

After the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, al-Maliki returned safely to Iraq. He played an important role in the formation of the new government, though at first he primarily acted behind the scenes at first. He was deputy chairman of a commission formed to purge Saddam allies from political life and is considered the author of a tough anti-terrorism law intended to crush the Sunni insurgency . . .

more: http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,412928,00.html

http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,615054,00.jpg

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1. this is what they say they were waiting for

can't let them pretend like they didn't just hinge the withdrawal on the formation of the 'government' there. They said the appointment of a new prime minister would quell the violence, and it would be different from the last one.

Iraqi PM-designate: U.S. could start pullout in 18 months

Monday, April 24, 2006

The Shiite Muslim politician tapped as Iraq's prime minister said Monday that he thinks U.S. troops could begin withdrawing in 18 months or less if his country's security forces get up to speed.

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/04/24/iraq.almaliki/index.html