Tuesday, January 6, 2004
At first sounding slightly alarming - the Sunnis? organizing? uh oh... - this is, in fact, a deceptively positive sign. Rather than working outside the system, which would result purely in frustration and violence, the Sunnis are continuing their moves toward political organization. They feel as though they'd better move, or they're in danger of being left out, and that's exactly right. Welcome to democratic pluralism - where the fittest organizers survive.
Feeling Besieged, Iraq's Sunnis Unite (washingtonpost.com)
Founders of the shura, or consultative, council said its establishment a week ago is unprecedented in the history of Iraq's Sunnis, reflecting their dramatic reversal of fortune following Hussein's ouster. By forming a body representing a cross-section of Sunnis, they said, they hope to offer the U.S. government a central interlocutor for discussing their future and that of Iraq...
An interesting tidbit:
"A political vacuum in the eyes of Sunnis is more despicable than an unjust ruler. The state we are in right now confirms the truth of that," said Dhari, who played a central role in establishing the shura council. "Before, we had a government that gave us law and order. After the American occupation, each group in Iraq is pursuing its own interest and trying to secure its own welfare."
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, p.44
That last paragraph sounds like:
1) an Italian longing for the trains to run on time, again;
2) A German hungering for a return to the certainty of a final solution; or
3) A denizen of the former CCCP bemoaning the fact that although he nows earns more, he doesn't have the guarantee of a lifetime of mind numbing employment and long lines for
TP.
Each group pursuing it's own interest anmd welfare, eh? Damned Imperialists.
Heh. Doesn't it just? Now that there *is* a political vacuum, there's finally the hope that, with a little help and guidance, it at least stands a chance of being filled with something good - or at least less harmful.