fredag, september 24, 2004

Elections won't stop resistance to occupation

Earlier this spring, there was hope in some quarters that the end of Iraq's administration on June 30th (well, 28th actually) would dampen the insurection.

This could have been, if only the description "new sovereign interim government" was not so much doublespeak.

The Allawi government tried to distance itself from the US, but has been forced to retract every initiative that didn't please the American ambassador ( those pleasant to the occupation authorities but of a dubious democratic nature didn't elicit any commentary, much less opposition).
This week, as Allawi was visiting the US, he didn't do much to change this impression of beeing a poodle on a tight leash by sounding like an echo of Bush's delusional statements about how safe Iraq is and only troubled by a handful of terrorists.

More importantly, his visit has put some focus on the up-coming elections in January next year:

- how elections maybe would have to be suspended in parts or the whole of Iraq

- how Iraqis won't have much choice besides a 'national unity list' of exile parties

- how the Pentagon is planning a December offensive to pacify the most rebellious areas enough to hold elections.

Personnaly, I doubt the result of the latter will be much different than the fighting in Fallujah and Najaf earlier this year. As for the elections, what is satire in America, as in Rob Corddry's "Delayed Election", will be reality in Iraq. So strangely enough, most Iraqis will continue both the insurection against Allawi and to view him as a Quisling.