Iraq breaks record for longest time with no government

[sabra]

Source: WP

BAGHDAD - Iraq on Friday will surpass the previous record for the country that has gone the longest between holding a parliamentary election and forming a government, experts say.

The Netherlands had held that unfortunate honor after a series of failed attempts left the country without an elected government for 207 days in 1977, according to Christopher J. Anderson, director of the Institute for European Studies at Cornell University.

Iraqis have now spent 208 days with no new government and, while the Dutch weathered their storm, Iraq's weak institutions may not hold up against mounting pressure and a steady level of violence.

As politicians jockey for positions and broker deals in backroom meetings, many Iraqis now say they wonder why they risked their lives to vote on March 7. U.S. officials are increasingly concerned that the lack of an elected government has limited Iraq's ability to make national decisions and could eventually eat away at hard-earned security gains. The most optimistic of Iraqi politicians expect the process to take at least another month, if not much longer.

"There is no difference with the Iraqi case, except that the Netherlands had strong, functioning institutions and a caretaker government that continued to govern," said Joost Hiltermann, a Dutch national and an expert on Iraq at the International Crisis Group. "Iraq has very weak institutions and a caretaker government that can do very little. This makes for a potentially highly unstable and precarious situation."

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/30/AR2010093006546.html?sid=ST2010093006672

[Diclotican]

1. sabra

sabra

There you have "democracy" in the midle east... Given you by your US tax money, and a couple fo houndred of thousands of dead Iraqis...

I would not be suprised if the "stabilization forces" in the end, want to get a dictator type of government for Iraq.. As long as they are friendly to US interest in the area, its okay I guess, to have a dictatorship

Just wait, in less than 2 year time, Iraq would be ruled again, by a general, with all the strappings of a dictatorship, but at least a dictator who are friendly to US, and therefore are no danger for the area

Democracy on the tip of a bajonet seldom work....

Diclotican

[KansDem]

2. What happened to the democracy we spread to them?

Didn't we dump a whole shitload of geld on them to see that they got democracy?

I'm confused! :crazy:

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

5. Just a little more freedom dust sprinkled on them and they'll be well on their way. nt

[doc03]

3. That explains their $52.1 billion budget surplus n/t

[Amonester]

4. They have a government, but it sits in Tehran.

Like everything else, it being in Iran doesn't count (officially).

http://www.costofwar.com/

Me thinks it would have been better to just give each Iraqi, every single one of them, 30 grand, cash, each.
($750,000,000,000 / 24,000,000 people, approx.).

That would have had a better chance to win their hearts and minds. :sarcasm:

[Arctic Dave]

6. No government = The easier to loot them.