Lakhota
Diamond Member
Since the end of 2012, many peaceful protests have been organized throughout Iraq against the sectarian policy and continuing human rights violations committed by Malikis forces, whose crackdowns against protests became increasingly draconian over the time. Mass campaigns of arbitrary arrests became the rule rather than the exception, execution rates rose to record levels, next to an alarmingly increasing number of target killings of opposition leaders. The official justification by the government for its excessive use of force was always national security, however very soon it became clear, that the governments proclaimed fight against terrorism was mainly aimed against al Malikis opponents.
The opposition to the human rights violations committed by the al-Maliki Regimes was especially strong in the Anbar province. In order to have an official justification to act against the uprisings al-Maliki thus declared protest camps as infiltrated by terrorists even if such claims never proved to be true. Despite the obvious groundlessness of the allegations the government continued to accuse those who criticise the regime of being terrorists. In December 2013, apparently as a show-off of power in view of his decreasing popularity ahead of the upcoming elections in April, Prime Minister Maliki then increased the already high level of pressure on the protestors.
During all the Iraqi PM al-Maliki publicly vowed to eliminate "all terrorist groups" and called to fight with all means. Several times he came out on TV inciting his followers with sectarian language to support him at all means in his fight against the inhabitants of the al-Anbar province. In view of the in discriminatory attacks by the al-Maliki forces and their well known brutality the residents of the city then founded a Council and decided that the city would defend itself against a possible attack. It is therefore important to understand that those residents who are presented as terrorists are defending themselves out of fear against Malikis forces and that they are ordinary citizens, in no way affiliated to any terrorist group.
Al Malikis official portrayal of terrorists brought him the immediate support from the USA as well as from Iran and Russia. Other voices however, such as a the senior EU lawmaker Struan Stevenson, a member of the European parliament who chairs the European Parliaments Delegation for Relations with Iraq warned that Iraq is plummeting rapidly towards civil war and genocide. According to his estimation an onslaught against supposed Al Qaeda terrorists in 6 Iraqi Provinces is no more than a cover for the annihilation of those parties opposed to the increasingly sectarian policies of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Stevensons further warned that claims by al-Maliki were "utter nonsense". Still, he had convinced his allies that he is fighting a war on terror and they are pouring in rockets, drones and other military hardware which Maliki is using to bomb and kill civilian targets".
More: Stop al-Maliki brutality against civilians
While the worlds attention has been fixated on the rapid advance and conquering of territory by ISIS/ISIL in Iraq, a clear shift has taken place in the rhetoric against, and analysis of, Prime Minster Nouri al-Maliki and his government. Though he was praised up and down by Washington while US troops remained on Iraqi soil, in the nearly three years since their exit he has transmogrified into a brutal sectarian autocrat evoking the worst aspects of both Saddams regime and that of his Shia neighbors and allies in Iran. What could possibly account for such a dramatic about-face?
Today Iraq is at war, and in danger of breaking apart. With Islamist militants and Sunni insurgents fighting a war against the government in Baghdad, the country is headed for total collapse and partition. But this war did not start with ISIS conquering Mosul. It did not start with Maliki consolidating power. It began before the last US troops ever left Iraq. It began when Maliki decided that he would not be cowed by US threats and diktats. It began the second Iraq tried to assert itself independently. And for this, Iraq is paying the ultimate price.
More: The Strange Case of Nouri al-Maliki | New Eastern Outlook
This was easily foreseeable as Maliki (Shiite) and his cronies continued to brutally consolidate their sectarian power in government and military to the exclusion of other sects.
The opposition to the human rights violations committed by the al-Maliki Regimes was especially strong in the Anbar province. In order to have an official justification to act against the uprisings al-Maliki thus declared protest camps as infiltrated by terrorists even if such claims never proved to be true. Despite the obvious groundlessness of the allegations the government continued to accuse those who criticise the regime of being terrorists. In December 2013, apparently as a show-off of power in view of his decreasing popularity ahead of the upcoming elections in April, Prime Minister Maliki then increased the already high level of pressure on the protestors.
During all the Iraqi PM al-Maliki publicly vowed to eliminate "all terrorist groups" and called to fight with all means. Several times he came out on TV inciting his followers with sectarian language to support him at all means in his fight against the inhabitants of the al-Anbar province. In view of the in discriminatory attacks by the al-Maliki forces and their well known brutality the residents of the city then founded a Council and decided that the city would defend itself against a possible attack. It is therefore important to understand that those residents who are presented as terrorists are defending themselves out of fear against Malikis forces and that they are ordinary citizens, in no way affiliated to any terrorist group.
Al Malikis official portrayal of terrorists brought him the immediate support from the USA as well as from Iran and Russia. Other voices however, such as a the senior EU lawmaker Struan Stevenson, a member of the European parliament who chairs the European Parliaments Delegation for Relations with Iraq warned that Iraq is plummeting rapidly towards civil war and genocide. According to his estimation an onslaught against supposed Al Qaeda terrorists in 6 Iraqi Provinces is no more than a cover for the annihilation of those parties opposed to the increasingly sectarian policies of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Stevensons further warned that claims by al-Maliki were "utter nonsense". Still, he had convinced his allies that he is fighting a war on terror and they are pouring in rockets, drones and other military hardware which Maliki is using to bomb and kill civilian targets".
More: Stop al-Maliki brutality against civilians
While the worlds attention has been fixated on the rapid advance and conquering of territory by ISIS/ISIL in Iraq, a clear shift has taken place in the rhetoric against, and analysis of, Prime Minster Nouri al-Maliki and his government. Though he was praised up and down by Washington while US troops remained on Iraqi soil, in the nearly three years since their exit he has transmogrified into a brutal sectarian autocrat evoking the worst aspects of both Saddams regime and that of his Shia neighbors and allies in Iran. What could possibly account for such a dramatic about-face?
Today Iraq is at war, and in danger of breaking apart. With Islamist militants and Sunni insurgents fighting a war against the government in Baghdad, the country is headed for total collapse and partition. But this war did not start with ISIS conquering Mosul. It did not start with Maliki consolidating power. It began before the last US troops ever left Iraq. It began when Maliki decided that he would not be cowed by US threats and diktats. It began the second Iraq tried to assert itself independently. And for this, Iraq is paying the ultimate price.
More: The Strange Case of Nouri al-Maliki | New Eastern Outlook
This was easily foreseeable as Maliki (Shiite) and his cronies continued to brutally consolidate their sectarian power in government and military to the exclusion of other sects.
