Iraqis call for five-man junta to end the anarchy

[ECH1969]

IRAQ’S fragile democracy, weakened by mounting chaos and a rapidly rising death toll, is being challenged by calls for the formation of a hardline “government of national salvation”.

The proposal, which is being widely discussed in political and intelligence circles in Baghdad, is to replace the Shi’ite-led government of Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, with a regime capable of imposing order and confronting the sectarian militias leading the country to the brink of civil war.

Anthony Cordesman, an influential expert on Iraq at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said there was a “very real possibility” that Maliki could be toppled in the coming months.

“Nobody in Iraq has the military power to mount a traditional coup, but there could be a change in government, done in a backroom, which could see a general brought in to run the ministry of defence or the interior,” Cordesman said.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2404311,00.html

[bemildred]

1. With what force do they intend to "impose order"?

Whose army? This gets more bizarre all the time. Someone needs to explain to these dickheads that the problem is not that we haven't gritted our teeth hard enough yet. It is a matter of the proper means being applied to the appropriate problem. A new general in charge will still not have the means to stop the civil war, in fact he will just become another party to the civil war.

[BootinUp]

5. Presumably

the new government will enter into pacts with the strongest militias and support them directly with money intelligence etc.

[bemildred]

6. I.e. it will pick a side in the civil war. nt

[TheMadMonk]

10. It may not be as silly an idea as you seem to think.

There is no one person that all factions will support, however with three major heavily polarised factions, roughly proportioned in the populace at 2/2/1 a 5 man junta/collective president/whatever might be Iraq's one hope of survival as an entire nation rather than 2 autonomous districts and an Iranian "protectorate" hell bent on civil war.

The armies would be the collective peoples of the Sunni, Shia and Kurdish peoples, enforcing their rules on themselves.

The problem in Iraq (even being most charitable to Bush and his Cronies) is that there is absolutely no way that a supermajority will accept/tollerate, let alone support a simple majority (or worse a proportionally representative) candidate/cabinet.

A 2/2/1 representative quincux (term?) may well be more likely to succeed than a President plus Cabinet. Particularly when you consider that (all else being equal) no president can have garnered even a simple majority and the cabinet will be a hotbed of factional warfare.

Five men, representing three heavily polarised factions in those proportions is about as stable as it gets. Any alliance of two against the third is vitually guaranteed to leave one faction ascendant. Therefore, simple self-presevation should ensure that moderation and compromise be the order of the day in a climate of extremism. A larger number of seats just opens up the door to corruption and polarisation of government to the detriment of the majority. Any majority.

[bemildred]

11. Well put Sir.

Your logic seems sound to me, let us hope you are correct.

[chefgirl]

2. Is it civil war yet?

:eyes:

-chef-

[Eugene]

3. Strongman rule. How innovative!

Generals gain power hoping to gain credibility by restoring order by force.
This is a new version of Saddamism that promises not to play favorites among
Iraq's ethic groups. Suuuuure.

At this point, can we all agree that the mission in Iraq is FUBAR?
The BushCo model of a new Middle East state will:
a) Dissolve into an all-out civil war.
b) Revert to authoritarian rule.

[w4rma]

4. Saddam Hussein 2.0 (nt)

[yellowcanine]

7. How will Bush spin this as "democracy"? You know he will try.

Could this be a pre-democracy transitional government?

[magellan]

8. Tyranny is freedom

How tragic that Iraq have had to join us in Bush**'s Orwellian designs for the world.

[ckramer]

9. So what's the point invading Iraq and toppled Saddam?

Duh!