BONDLADY 11/24/12

[idplzr]

[bondLady] malikis popularity with the people has increased now

[bondLady] it was 77%

[bondLady] now its 85%

[campdav] wow

[campdav] Thats huge

[bondLady] i'm tellin you if they don't pass the PM law limiting the terms he will run again and win

[bondLady] and it'll be a majority government this time

[bondLady] a chance for him to truly excel in rebuilding iraq and passing much needed laws

[bondLady] what should have happened this term but the stupid power sharing doomed it to fail and keep them constantly fighting

[DogzNova] but can it work long term.. If they can't share

[bondLady] yes

[bondLady] a pm has to be able to choose their own gov

[bondLady] if they can't you saw what this term did

[bondLady] absolutly nothing

[bondLady] or very little

[bondLady] so busy fighting over power they won't see the peoples needs

[bondLady] just like the infrastructure law

[bondLady] which would do so much for the people and give over 1 millon jobs

[bondLady] make people feel worthwhile again give them pride in bringing home a paycheck to support their homes and familys

[bondLady] building 1000's of much needed schools to get the young people in instead of joining terrorist groups

[bondLady] educate the people away from religious cleric fanatics

[bondLady] give them a future

[bondLady] but the power sharing now stopped that as they used it for a bargaining chip

[bondLady] pass the amnesty law in its current form and free the majority of terrorist sentenced or waiting to be sentanced

[bondLady] or you won't get to have the infrastructure law and help the people

[bondLady] its such bs

[bondLady] and even in a majority gov they still have parl and fed gov to ride shot gun over it all so its still power sharing but just giving the rightful right of the one who won PM to set his own gov

[bondLady] this is true democracy

[bondLady] not the farce of power sharing

[bondLady] in a fairy tale world far far away from the middle east

[bondLady] then a power share would work

[DogzNova] oh.. I see... It's like when our pres comes in.. he brings his own peeps in.. Sure I understand

[bondLady] or maybe 50 yrs down the road when all these old school one's have long died

[bondLady] then maybe

[bondLady] but now no way

[campdav] BondLady Like you say u have been following all this for a long time and the facts are the facts, in a sea of confusion you have diligently sifted the facts and while all are out there fighting Maliki they struggle how he could be so....................... and still be in there

[bondLady] i'll come out and say this one thing

[bondLady] i understand campy

[bondLady] and it because others don't trully understand they think what they do

[campdav] And BTW how they could call allawi a hero blows my mind

[bondLady] all this fighting your seeing in bagdad and the kurds go through

[bondLady] the fighting there doing over whos army should be guarding iraq

[bondLady] well there's only one iraq

[bondLady] and the kurds are in iraq

[bondLady] the kurd areas the kurds want to be guardians of

[bondLady] because what saddam did to them and others on down the line through history

[bondLady] the kurds have seen their share of slavery

[bondLady] and others trying to basically take them out completly

[bondLady] this is not even what maliki is trying to do here

[bondLady] when the erbril agreements were set

[bondLady] the kurds had several demands they wanted met

[bondLady] the hcl and article 140

[bondLady] also making kurd language be put on the currency

[bondLady] also iraq to acknowledge all saddam did to them in basically trying to make them extinct

[bondLady] annihilate them

[bondLady] they wanted to be major players in iraq

[bondLady] and for the gov to recognize them

[bondLady] and the gov did this

[bondLady] and the gov passed the laws to have kurd language put on the money

[bondLady] when that'll be released we dont know

[bondLady] which brings us to the hcl and article 140

[bondLady] if these two things alone were so easy to do they would have been settled years ago

[bondLady] but they are not

[bondLady] these two things alone have been a thorn in the sides of all of iraq for years and years

[bondLady] hcl is being worked on, its no easy task when your dealing with a country whos lust for greed and power drives them

[bondLady] their so afraid someone else is going to get a cent more than the other

[bondLady] the last part of the hcl

[bondLady] the thorny part is the profit sharing

[bondLady] who gets what ..where...and how much

[bondLady] thats the point of contention they must do to appease all of them, thats what their working on, the rest is already in place

[bondLady] now this brings us to article 140

[bondLady] the conflicts going on between maliki and barzani

[bondLady] barzani demandeed article 140 be done

[bondLady] thats what a lot of their fighting is about now

[bondLady] over disputed areas of article 140 of the constitution

[bondLady] for this to happen

[bondLady] they all can't be winners

[bondLady] theres going to be losers too

[bondLady] some will have to give up some of these areas so they can go to there rightful owners

[bondLady] and the iraqi army should be the only army to guard all of iraq, this is in the constitution

[bondLady] also in the constitution is the kurds and because of what saddam did to them they are allowed there own protection

[bondLady] the pershmerga army

[bondLady] a kurd army

[bondLady] but the bottom line here

[bondLady] is the kurds are in iraq

[bondLady] and iraq is their country

[bondLady] kurdistan is a province WITHIN iraq

[bondLady] not outside of it

[bondLady] so theres conflicts on settling this part of article 140

[bondLady] they fight to solve their problems its the middle eastern way

[bondLady] and if you want to understand iraq and iraqi culture and iraq politics then you have to get out of your western thinking to do it

[bondLady] otherwise you will never understand and the opinons which you form won't be right

[bondLady] because your looking out of the eyes of a whole seperate culture

[bondLady] no matter how right you think you are when you read iraq news

[bondLady] if your reading it as you would american newspapers then your gonna be wrong on your interpretation of them

[bondLady] i have through my work skills as a profiler

[bondLady] learned and studied each of the major players in iraq politics

[bondLady] thats how i know whats right from wrong and what they mean and say

[bondLady] i've basically gotten into their heads and its a crappy place to be but i had to do it to be able to understand the mind set of this culture of people

[bondLady] and until you can basically do the same thing ...your gonna be stuck in your way of thinking and not see things the way iraqis do

[bondLady] so they will fight this crap out

[bondLady] its what they do

[bondLady] its how they settle their issues

[bondLady] it does cost bloodshed all the time

[bondLady] its what they do

[bondLady] they thrive on bartering

[bondLady] and crisis

[bondLady] its how they settle things

[bondLady] and they eventually will

[bondLady] but on iraqs sundial not your timex

[bondLady] thank you

Note: Below you will find the articles with links for this chat

Baghdad and Erbil: a mechanism for application of the 2009 agreement on the security of the mixed areas

The time on Saturday, 24 October / 2 November 2012 11:59. | Published on Saturday, November 24 2 / November 2012 11:59. | Written by: Aurnews. | |

Baghdad / Orr News

Kurdistan Alliance bloc said that the two delegations and military technicians of the Peshmerga forces and federal military forces will begin within the next two days the arrangements necessary for the truce agreement between the center and the region on the ground in mixed areas.

A member of the Alliance Hassan Jihad said that "the talks between within the past two days House Speaker Osama Nujaifi with both Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and Kurdish President Massoud Barzani and approved an agreement 2009 to manage mixed areas jointly led to the approval of Barzani to start a technical delegation from the province consider appropriate formulas for this agreement which paves not only calm, but to discuss all the points of disagreement between the parties and in accordance with the Constitution and signed agreements. "

Jihad predicted that "crystallizes technicians from both parties common points so that the entire Iraqi administration and Iraqi and guarantees in order to reach a permanent settlement of the issue of the disputed areas so are not taken to overcome the ceiling of the Constitution."

The head of the House of Representatives Osama Najafi has launched an initiative to defuse the crisis between Baghdad and Erbil met on the track in Baghdad Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also met in Erbil Kurdistan leader Massoud Barzani was reached during these meetings back to the agreement in 2009 and a judge of running mixed areas joint administration .

http://www.uragency.net/2012-03-11-16-31-52/2012-03-11-16-33-45/13497-2009.html

Poll: Maliki still enjoys high popularity popular than his opponents

11/21/2012 8:46News , Picture of the Dayno comments "Gate" Baghdad: Jafar Nazareth (Special) - A poll conducted by the "gate" in Baghdad that Maliki still enjoys high popularity popular than his opponents in the political arena.

The poll, who chose different samples from all cultural and political circles and popular Prime Minister Maliki Regales high popularity through an opinion poll conducted by the Iraqi gate in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

And claimed al-Maliki in the survey rate of 85%, which is the largest proportion in front of the other characters.

A number of citizens that al-Maliki was able to prove during Alantkhabatin phases ability to overcome crises despite adversity experienced by the country, considering the existing political war is targeting the owners and attempts to undermine the political process that began moving in the past by restoring the ruins.

The poll also said that a coalition of state law, according to the expectations of the Iraqi street, he would get more than accounted for in the last election and will exceed percent seat where poll monitoring different opinions most went towards Maliki's success in its mission to administer the state, despite indiscriminate war against him.

http://www.albawwaba.net/news/116468/

Shahristani from Diyala: beware of overtaking on the country's wealth and smuggling and the government plans to impose security in all parts of the country

Date: 24/11/2012 14:09:10 Saturday

Diyala (news) .. Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs Hussain al-Shahristani, the government warns of overtaking on the wealth of the country and smuggled, calling for a policy of stand in it.

Shahristani said during a press conference held in the province of Diyala on the sidelines of his visit to the clan of Bani Tamim, and attended the Agency (news) today Saturday: The Iraqi government is determined to impose security in all parts of the country, because no society can not continue without the law. added: Warn of overtaking on the wealth of the country and smuggled, and call for a policy of Halima stand in terrorism and those who want to exceed the country's wealth and smuggling, and resorting to the Constitution in the event of disputes. " and explained: that the government will be the first in any armed clash, and the duty constitutionally and legally maintain the security of the citizen and addressing any override on Iraqi territory and the Iraqis. / end / 16. d. Q /

http://www.ikhnews.com/news.php?action=view&id=64660

Friday November 23, 2012

Schuller: Operations Command refused to form the Tigris is unacceptable and unconstitutional

Follow-up - and babysit - MP from the state law, Adnan lipoidica Operations Command refused to form the Tigris is unacceptable and illegal or unconstitutional.

"The operations of the Tigris already present on the ground as it is a difference exists within the region and there is a military vision to unify those teams and unifying leadership in terms of implementation and maintenance of the land and are usually between breakers difference regions of loose exploited by terror."

Schuller said he "because it became decision that there will be joint operations command and a common area will not be loose areas in the resolution or in the implementation of and follow-up not to receive the information."

He stressed that "refused Operations Command Tigris contrary to the Constitution is not entitled to the Peshmerga, which does not in the Constitution refers to them, but no army and police and guards of the region and its responsibility is limited to within the province, which was determined by obtaining change in Iraq in 2003."

He Schuller that "expansionist ambitions and open more space for the region is unacceptable and has no legal basis."

He said the "declaration of Peshmerga forces preparedness is political speech and no one has to face the Iraqi state that a violation of Iraqi law and international and this negative implications and very dangerous not only in Iraq but in the region and this does not mean that improvises Massoud Barzani or other and enter Iraq and the region in crisis too big ".

And Schuller said that "operations Tigris not snowball and created a political crisis, but the crisis that Barzani looking for a crisis and wants to issue exacerbated things constantly," stressing that "there is a constitution must be respected by everyone

M. J

http://alrayy.com/67092.htm

Saturday November 24, 2012

Walid al-Hilli: the crisis between Baghdad and Erbil in the way to the solution

BAGHDAD - babysit - said the leadership of the coalition of state law and Walid al-Hilli said that "the crisis between the central government and the Iraqi Kurdistan on its way to a solution."

The ornaments in a press statement there is serious work to return to the Convention of 2009, which ensures that / unresolved areas / is the subject of discussion as the joint security management between the center and the Iraqi Kurdistan and it's agreed. "

He added: "Things are going in this direction and some of what was transmitted from the news here and there in the media can not sour the situation," noting that "there is no war drums knocks, as they say."

He stressed ornaments "that the political process in Iraq's enemies at home and abroad are trying to create problems."

He assured citizens "that the situation is controlled and there is no intention for war as rumored at all" ... p / i

http://alrayy.com/67115.htm

Saturday November 24, 2012

Ali Keywords: al-Jaafari's visit to Iraqi Kurdistan became close

BAGHDAD - babysit - A member of a coalition of state law, MP Ali Keywords, close to the President's visit the National Alliance Ibrahim al-Jaafari to Iraqi Kurdistan, noting that the formation of the Tigris has become an urgent necessity due to the situation in Syria, which adversely affect the country.

The Keywords in a press statement that House Speaker Osama Nujaifi plays a positive role in bringing the views between the central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, as well as there are recent visit to the President of the National Alliance Ibrahim al-Jaafari to Arbil to meet Kurdish leaders to reach a solution on the differences.

He added: Tigris processes need security required for the security of the region because it is concerned to maintain security in areas under threat from al-Qaida as well as the deterioration of the situation in Syria reflect negatively on those areas.

He noted that these forces can not be released because their presence is necessary, indicating N. dialogue and understanding to solve all outstanding issues between the political parties ... p / i

http://alrayy.com/67099.htm

Member of the Commission on oil: establish a national oil company is subject to the legislation of the oil and gas law

Date: 24/11/2012 10:31:39 Saturday

Baghdad (news) .. Confirmed a member of the Oil and Energy Committee MP / National Alliance / Fatima Hamidi, said the establishment of the national oil company is subject to the legislation of the oil and gas, because the law would put basic rules and legal frameworks for the success of the company.

said Hamidi (of the Agency news): The enactment of the oil and gas will a lot of things that pertain to the oil sector, including the establishment of the national oil company, confirming the possibility of Company national in the absence of an oil law. said: There are some of the deputies support the passage of a law establishing the National Oil Company before the legislation is the law of oil and gas, and this can not be because he Satdharb with several laws and thus will be the company for granted, she said. stressed: the need to speed up enactment of a law of oil and gas to resolve outstanding issues do oil, considering oil and gas law the basis of laws other oil because it sets rules and legal frameworks with respect to the oil sector. / End / 8. n. p /

http://www.ikhnews.com/news.php?action=view&id=64627

[endeavor1]

History always repeats itself, Iraq will rise again, inspite of Maliki & his horde, but it will fall again. We'll cash in on the positive side, America will be repaid. Thank God for the troops who did their job, may God bless them. Go RV!!!

[srdedeaux]

Looks Like Malikie is going to look like the good guy after all! and yes we will get our RV B)

[capt.cliff]

This was written by the real BONDLADY who interprets the articles --I don't understand at all her taking a position of pro Maliki---putting the blame on others --when the three major blocks have come together to work to bring all parties now into the majority---I do not understand how Maliki's popularity has increased when the daily life of the Iraqi's has become worse when Maliki has thwarted every effort to move the country into the 21st century--seems the majority of blocks have aligned against Maliki---He has just held back the advancement of Iraq---I don't understand how BONDLADY has aligned herself with Maliki instead of reporting straight facts of the articles that she researches with no personal thoughts--is this the real BONDLADY---I am now suspect not of the articles interpetations but that this person is giving an opinion as I read this last post!

I respect her abilities but now I think she is taking sides as of this posting and have to take it with a grain of salt--if some one can explain this a bit better to me I would appreciate it!

[fastarnie]

This was written by the real BONDLADY who interprets the articles --I don't understand at all her taking a position of pro Maliki---putting the blame on others --when the three major blocks have come together to work to bring all parties now into the majority---I do not understand how Maliki's popularity has increased when the daily life of the Iraqi's has become worse when Maliki has thwarted every effort to move the country into the 21st century--seems the majority of blocks have aligned against Maliki---He has just held back the advancement of Iraq---I don't understand how BONDLADY has aligned herself with Maliki instead of reporting straight facts of the articles that she researches with no personal thoughts--is this the real BONDLADY---I am now suspect not of the articles interpetations but that this person is giving an opinion as I read this last post!

I respect her abilities but now I think she is taking sides as of this posting and have to take it with a grain of salt--if some one can explain this a bit better to me I would appreciate it!

Last year she was in Allawis camp. So who knows.

[Highlander]

I happen to agree with BondLady. Power sharing does not work in any government in any country. That would be like our President having to power share with a co president. There is some background to the Kurds that one must look at to understand that whole situation. And as for Allawi he is just a walking disaster. He gets his funding from the Saudis. The Saudis are primarily Sunni based in power and they are also the number one country in the region for financing terrorism and Al Qaeda. A lot of the problems that Iraq is having is started from outside influences but not from the places that people suspect nor from the places the US media always shoves down our throats. Allawi won't even attend the meetings in parliament or cast a vote. Allawi has tried to stage a walk out on parliament and the council of ministers this year and completely shut down the government. The list used to have 91 seats in parliament and be a united front. Because of Allawi they now have about 32 seats left because the list has fractured and formed new parties and separated from Allawi. As far as Barzani and the Kurds go that is a long story all by itself but I can tell you this, they only want Kirkuk for the oil and the very rich agricultural land in that region and as we all know the Kurds don't think they should have to share their oil profits with anybody else. The Barzani family has been in control of the Kurdistan region for over 30 years and his son is set to take over after him. Now how is that democratic? Under article 140 the Kirkuk province has the right to choose whether they want to be a part of the Kurdistan region or fall under Baghdad and have their own provincial council. They chose to be their own province and they are suppose to hold elections in March. The Kurds don't want to let it go so they surrounded Kirkuk with the Peshmagra last year illegally. They did finally pull about 20 miles out and set up camp but they still shouldn't be there at all. Maliki is moving the Iraq forces in to ensure that they have a fair election without interference IMO. And as far as BondLady changing her opinions well I say good for her! When a person is researching and new information is brought to their attention an honest person will look at it and study it which may then alter their original thoughts and opinions and cause them to grow. I think that is what you see happening with BondLady and I for one am okay with growth in an individual occurring!

[UNEEK]

Good Post there Highlander !!:twothumbs:src="http://dinarvets.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/th_smiley_two_thumbs_up.gif">

[RVPleaseToday]

So last week's potential dictator is this week's "savior of Iraq?"

It sounds like BL is grasping desperately at straws these days.

[Dinarkicker]

Here is a follow up up on the chat Bondlady did. Some of you won't care but for those that want to know and follow the news, this is her follow up on why she has taken the stance she has. Good luck and for those who like to go on the attack, feel free to do so BUT direct at me because I am the one posting.

From Bondlady

let me try to clarify some things here, see if this flys all over the net as well, if u want to take part then take all....first of all...i dont think maliki is some good ole boy just tryin to do the right thing...i dont think most of them are good and trying to do the right thing....but i go from what i can read an what i can see and actions do speak louder than words....the thing is....theres reasons..allawi only got 1 term as pm...he was so much like saddam, the people named him saddam with out a mustache....allawi was put in pm by the usa..... the next term allawi was pulled out as the usa begin to unravel all of what allawi had said and done...they then put maliki in ...i was around back then to see what went down...old timers in this investment can verify these things i say....sadr who some seem to think is some goody 2 shoes...u couldnt be farther from the truth...he is a terrorist an the worst kind of religious cleric, he hates the usa and would do any thing to "off" us all... in the term of maliki... sadr's army was mighty.. the mahdi army...full of terrorist creeps and was backed by extremist from all over the middle east.... the usa AND maliki and the iraqi army fought a bloody long battle with sadr and his mahdi army...many americans and iraqis were killed.... after desymboling the mahdi army sadr went on the run and was exiled to iran where he stayed until maliki who needed the saddrist vote to become this term pm... now going bk a bit...sadr gained his popularity not from his good deeds...but from his fathers deeds...the people respected his father and those are the shirt tales sadr has rode his popularity on...and his number 1 goal was to become a biggie in politics and no 1 would give him that chance as he had too many freaky extremist religious beliefs... so no 1 would basically give him the power he wanted most...so when maliki went to iran to gain the saddrist vote...he made a deal with him to let him come out of exile and take the bounty off his head that was on it...and let him become part of the political process, he wants to be pm someday too....God help them all if that day ever comes....so he was allowed to return to bagdad...he brot his mahdi army back with him to what wasnt killed off plus new recruites...where they almost imediantly began clashing with others and killings began again...maliki warned sadr...sadr then changed the name of his mahdi army to something else thinking that would let things settle and then began to hold closer reigns on them ....allawi while he was in pm killed many a innocent iraqi who was unfortuante enough to be out after curfew...in his words kill them all send them to hell.... i do have that video...FYI.... so maliki had his 1st term he and the usa helped to stableize iraq.... then the power sharing term...which was doomed from the start...u cant take a country like this and have them share like was originally planned as none of them share, they never worked together before and wouldnt even if they did enact all of allawis erbril terms...iraq would be pulled in a 1000 different ways as each leader would do there own thing an not respect or work together on any thing TOGETHER...no other country would have accepted that...why did we think they would? a majority gov brings on majority voting...it stops the quotah system, where if they want something an u dont give it they wont give u the laws that will help the people...so its a hand off a majority vote, will let them do majority pass or not....better than what theve had the last 2 yrs.....so do i think any of them are good? im sure some are but there few and far between. i thinkhakeem and talibani for the most part are about as good as were gonna see commin outta iraq....99.9 is corupt in some way or another.....this has become there culture....killing is there culture....this is in our western eyes is very barbaric part of the world..greed and power drive them and there decisions....BL.....ps...after you read whats below and there are 100's of other pieces just like those.... then you decide who is best out of a totally bad situation to attempt to lead iraq in its fight for democracy......BL

********* Iyad Allawi ... Our Man in Baghdad - Saddam How do I become a man in London, a man of the Americans in Iraq? (Documentary short Today at 6:28 am

Iyad Allawi ... Our Man in Baghdad - Saddam How do I become a man in London, a man of the Americans in Iraq? (Documentary short)

Our Man in Baghdad - How do I become a man of Saddam in London, a man of the Americans in Iraq?

Documentary short talk on the history of Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and exposes for the first time his crimes on the lips of those close to him, and displays the video and audio documents and interviews with agents of the CIA and how that Allawi forged documents about Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction and how he linked the name of Iraq to al Qaeda and the events of atheist th of September also contains exclusive interviews with journalists knew Allawi and live through it and talked to him on topics with which the murder of prisoners in Baghdad after receiving the government directly. The film highlights the bombings by Iyad Allawi in Iraq during the nineties of the last century, and how to kill dozens of innocent civilians to achieve the objectives and personal gain. Simply film tries to find an answer to one question is: How do I become a man of Saddam in London, a man of the Americans in Iraq? Offer your documentary film "Our Man in Baghdad

Site Editor:

http://www.iraaqi.com/news.php?id=146&news=1#.UBO3mKOyOSo

******

Iyad Allawi ~ 'Saddam without a moustache' ... BBC News Profile ...

"His tenure was marked by allegations of widespread corruption, collaboration with the US, and a hardline stance on security - the last attribute led some Iraqis to nickname him "Saddam without a moustache"

Saturday, 27 March 2010 BBC News

Profile: Iyad Allawi

*Born 1945 to leading Shia family

*Trained in UK as a neurologist

*Former Baathist; exiled after falling out with Saddam Hussein

*Survived an assassination attempt in 1978 while living in London

*Co-founded Iraqi National Accord in 1991 after invasion of Kuwait

*Backed failed 1996 attempt by Iraq army officers to oust Saddam

*Became member of post-invasion Iraqi Governing Council in 2003

*Appointed prime minister of Iraq's transitional government in 2004

*Iraqi National List third in 2005 parliamentary election

Iyad Allawi went into exile in the 1970s after falling foul of Saddam Hussein.

Iyad Allawi was denounced by many Iraqis as an American puppet when he stepped down as prime minister five years ago.

But the British-trained neurosurgeon has again become a leading contender for the job after his Iraqiya bloc's narrow victory in March's parliamentary election.

Barring a successful challenge by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's State of Law alliance, Mr Allawi will be given the opportunity to form a coalition government, paving the way for weeks of political wrangling.

A secular Shia, he has promised that Iraqiya "will open its heart to all political forces and all those who want to build Iraq".

Axe attack

Mr Allawi is well-connected in Washington and London, has extensive business interests, and has close relations with Saudi Arabia.

Born in 1945 to a prominent Shia Muslim merchant family, Mr Allawi joined the now banned Arab nationalist Baath Party as a young man.

But he fell out with Saddam Hussein in the early 1970s after the party came to power and was forced to go into exile in the UK, where he completed his medical training.

He was badly wounded in an assassination attempt while living in Kingston-upon-Thames in 1978, believed to have been ordered by Saddam.

The assailant attacked Mr Allawi in his bedroom with an axe, nearly severing his right leg and inflicting a deep wound in his chest.

Mr Allawi spent a year in hospital recovering from his injuries, after which he began to organise a network of opposition to Iraq's future president.

In the 1980s he travelled extensively in the Middle East, holding meetings with other exiles, and cultivating links with rebel army officers still in Iraq.

After Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Mr Allawi co-founded the Iraqi National Accord (INA), which became known for attracting disillusioned former Baathists, and for its close links with Western intelligence agencies.

With the backing of MI6 and the CIA, the group supported the idea of fostering a coup from within the Iraqi army to overthrow Saddam. But its attempts ended disastrously, most notably in 1996.

The defection to Jordan the previous year of the Saddam's son-in-law, Hussein Kamil al-Majid, encouraged the INA and the CIA to believe that the president was losing his grip on power.

But the coup was foiled when Iraqi intelligence agents penetrated the INA's dissident operations inside Iraq. In June 1996, 30 military officers linked to the INA were executed and another 100 arrested.

'Saddam without a moustache'

In the aftermath of the invasion in 2003, Mr Allawi returned to Iraq and became a member of the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council .

During that time, he focused on running the IGC's security committee, which was responsible for reforming the army, police and intelligence services. He opposed the purging of members of Baath party from government positions.

In June 2004, Mr Allawi was provisionally appointed Iraqi prime minister by Washington and led a transitional government for just under a year.

His tenure was marked by allegations of widespread corruption, collaboration with the US, and a hardline stance on security - the last attribute led some Iraqis to nickname him "Saddam without a moustache".

Mr Allawi supported the controversial US offensives to regain control of the predominantly Sunni Arab city of Fallujah in 2004, and against the Mahdi Army of the radical Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in Najaf.

He also did little to dispel a rumour that he personally shot dead several suspected insurgents at a police station in Baghdad in 2004.

Mr Allawi's government could do little, however, to prevent Iraq sliding into sectarian conflict, and his secular Iraqi National List alliance fared poorly in the parliamentary election of 2005, coming a distant third to the Shia-led United Iraqi Alliance.

Despite winning election to the newly formed Council of Representatives in the second poll that year, he spent most of the subsequent years out of Iraq.

Then in 2009, Mr Allawi launched al-Iraqiya (Iraqi National Movement), a nationalist alliance which includes Iraqi Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi, a Sunni Arab, and Sunni politician Saleh al-Mutlaq.

While all of the major coalitions spoke of "national unity" ahead of the 7 March election, Iraqiya had a more consistent anti-sectarian perspective than most of their rivals and received many votes from disaffected Sunnis and Shias across Iraq.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3757923.stm

******* http://www.allvoices.com/news/5591550-allawi-courts-regional-leaders-in-power-bid *************

******** Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi-army militants

Moqtada al Sadr's Mahdi-army militants shouting against the US precense in Iraq in the city of As Samawah, they are also threatening Iraqi Police officers and Dutch soldiers with RPG's, handgranates, AK-47's, Dynamite, Mortars ********* Al Sadr’s Mahdi Army Vows to Launch Suicide Attacks Against US Troops

Posted by Jim Hoft on Saturday, June 25, 2011, 11:47 PM

Radical Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr returned to Najaf, Iraq in January after a three year stint in Iran.

Supporters of radical Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr vowed to launch suicide attacks against US troops in Iraq this week.

AFP reported:

Supporters of Shiite radical leader Moqtada al-Sadr have offered to carry out suicide attacks against US troops in Iraq, his office said Saturday, as a year-end deadline for a US pullout looms.

“Thank you, my dear friends, and God bless you,” Sadr wrote in reply to the offer from loyalists of his disbanded Mahdi Army militia, a statement from his office in the central shrine city of Najaf said.

The message came from “a group from the Mahdi Army who say they are ready to place themselves under his command to carry out suicide attacks to defend Islam and Iraq, targeting the occupying infidels without hitting civilians or public institutions,” Sadr’s office said.

In April, Sadr threatened to reactivate the Mahdi Army, which he formally disbanded in 2008, if US forces do not withdraw at the end of the year as scheduled under the terms of a bilateral security pact.

Nearly 50,000 American troops are still in Iraq, down from a peak of more than 170,000 after the invasion of 2003. http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/06/al-sadrs-mahdi-army-vow-to-launch-suicide-attacks-against-us-troops/ **********

Iraq: Will Sadr's Mahdi Army Return?

by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi

April 25, 2011 at 4:30 am

Eight years after American forces toppled Saddam Hussein's regime on April 9, 2011, Shi'ite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr's followers held a demonstration in Baghdad to commemorate the end of the Baathist government and to demand an end to the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq. Some protestors waved placards bearing slogans such as "Occupiers Out!" and "No America!" as they burned American and Israeli flags.

Although Iraqi security officials have not publicly voiced a concern that Sadrist militants will fill a vacuum with the withdrawal of U.S. forces, it could well be on their mind. Muqtada Al-Sadr is not in fact a religious figure with high-level qualifications in the field of theology. His appeal partly arises from the renowned status of his family that claims descent from Mohammed, hence his title "Sayyid." He was reportedly studying to be an Ayatollah in Iran in 2008, but he has not been using such an honorific.

At the demonstration, to the sound of wild cheers from the crowds, Salah al-Ubaidi, a spokesperson for the Sadrist movement, read out a speech from the influential Shi'ite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr, affirming that any extension of the U.S. "occupation" beyond the end of 2011 will lead to an "escalation of military resistance work and the withdrawal of the order freezing the Mahdi Army," named after the expected Messiah in Shi'a Islam. The presence of U.S. forces beyond the official December 31,2011 deadline is a real possibility in light of the belief echoed among Iraqi military officials that the country's security forces will continue to need American assistance in training.

The next day, a Sadrist leader claimed that a special military wing of the Mahdi Army, known as the "Promised Day Brigade," was still undertaking operations to resist the presence of the U.S. military by "carrying out daily and qualitative strikes at [American] headquarters and at the airplanes in different regions of Iraq." He added that the U.S. embassy in Baghdad was part of the occupation of Iraq, and that the Iraqi government should break off diplomatic ties with Washington.

There is no doubt that if Sadr and his militia were to seize power, they would model their government on Iran's theocracy. Sadr does not reject the Khomeinist principle of velayat-e-faqih, or guardianship of the jurists, a belief advocated by Khomeini and supported by Sadrists that "guardiuanship" extends to clerical involvement in politics, such as governing the country. Sadr also has much closer ties to Iran than, say, Iraq's current Prime Miniter, Nouri Al-Maliki. It was at Iran's insistence that Sadr and his allies joined Maliki's bloc to form the present coalition of losers that now constitutes Iraq's government.

Further, Sadr initiated ethnic cleansing of Sunnis from mixed neighborhoods in Baghdad during the sectarian civil war there in 2006. He also forced Iraqi women in the southern provinces of Iraq, where the Sadrists are more influential, to wear the chador, or full black covering except for the face, the same as the Iranian government enforces. The Grand Ayatollah Sistani -- also in Iraq's southern provinces, but 43 years older than Sadr and in not in good health -- does not believe in the mix of religion with politics, or "mosque with state;" and although he recommends that women wear the hijab, or full head covering, he does not call for this to be made into law in Iraq.

There is also ample evidence the Sadr and his followers were behind the murder of the moderate Shi'ite cleric, Sayyid Abdul Majd Al-Khoei in April, 2003, in Najaf.

Playing on anti-occupation sentiments has been an essential part of the Sadrist strategy since the invasion in 2003, and it has not been an unsuccessful tactic. As the International Crisis Group points out, for example, the gargantuan U.S. embassy complex in Baghdad "is seen by Iraqis as an indication of who actually exercises power in their country." Extending over 104 acres (42 hectares), the embassy is ten times larger than the second biggest embassy complex (the U.S. mission in Beijing), and is only slightly smaller than Vatican City. Although Iraqi politicians such as Jalal Talabani and Hoshyar Zebari (being part of what Daniel Pipes aptly terms a "kept government") have welcomed the embassy as a symbol of raw assertion of American power, it has been a mistake not to turn over the complex to Iraqis and relocate the U.S. embassy to a plot of duly purchased land.

Following the march in Baghdad, reports emerged of militia activity. The National featured a story, for instance, on Sadrist graffiti that appeared in the Iraqi capital and the southern provinces, heralding the return of the Mahdi Army. In an interview, a former commander of the Shi'ite militia group said that Sadrist militiamen were preparing to fight the Americans. These preparations reportedly included gathering firearms. Nevertheless, it is yet to be seen if these reports can be verified.

The Mahdi Army was officially disbanded in 2008 after Sadr announced a ceasefire the previous year. During the sectarian civil war that reached its peak in 2006, the Mahdi Army was responsible for the ethnic cleansing of many Sunnis from mixed neighborhoods in Baghdad, changing the Sunni-Shi'ite balance in the city to a roughly 70% Shi'a majority today, complete with now largely segregated districts. Indeed, fear of further violence at the hands of the Mahdi Army and other Shi'ite militias was one of the main factors that led to the cooperation of Sunni tribes with U.S. and Iraqi forces against Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad Al-Rafidayn (Al-Qa'ida in Iraq) from 2007 with the advent of the surge. Since early 2010, however, speculation has arisen on the revival of the Mahdi Army. In February 2010, the head of intelligence stated that the militia had been reformed. Likewise, in May the U.S. general in charge of the southern provinces affirmed that the Sadrists were engaging in acts of intimidation and extorting money. It is also probable that militant followers of Sadr attacked American bases with indirect fire and utilized IEDs against convoys in order to claim responsibility for the drawdown of U.S. forces in August. Of course, given the Mahdi Army's history in Iraq, its revival greatly risks re-igniting sectarian tensions as insurgent attacks at present are still largely the work of Sunni Arab Islamist militants against Shi'a civilians.

There are several reasons to think that the Mahdi Army will make a full-blown comeback. Having done fairly well in the 2010 elections, the Sadrists were able to act as kingmakers and gain the release of hundreds of their followers in return for giving Nouri Al-Maliki the support he needed to secure a second term as Prime Minister. In addition, Sadrists have gained positions in local police forces, and many fighters have returned to the country from Iran after the government launched a crackdown on the Mahdi Army and other Shi'ite "Special Groups," such as the Iraqi Hizbullah, in 2008. Sadr thus has both leaders and recruits upon which to draw should he wish to revive the Mahdi Army. The approaching withdrawal deadline provides a public justification and grievance with which to rally his followers.

Nonetheless, Sadr is torn by conflicting interests. Despite wishing to draw support from the street in maintaining a populist, anti-American image of protecting Iraq against foreign occupation, he desires political power as well, which translates into joining the regular political process. In an attempt to balance these interests, in 2005, he urged his followers to participate in the elections and joined Maliki's first administration, but he eventually boycotted the government. Consequently, his militia splintered, culminating in an armed conflict with Maliki's security forces in 2008.

Sadr must also face the problem of ongoing demonstrations protesting the lack of basic services, such as electricity and health care, as many of his politicians are now in charge of the ministries responsible for providing these services. A revival of the Mahdi Army threatening a wave of attacks in Iraq when the country is concentrating on politics and developing the economy could therefore well prove a disastrous miscalculation in a similar vein to Sadr's mistakes in 2005. Sadr's recent actions could therefore be part of mere rhetoric, another likely error on his part - or the start of another attempt to attain power. http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/2066/iraq-sadr-mahdi-army ********

Muqtada Sadr's Mahdi Army militiamen slowly resurface

After two years, ex-militiamen are being seen again in Baghdad neighborhoods. Officials fear the shadowy group could take advantage of Iraq's festering political crisis and U.S. troop withdrawals.

June 28, 2010|By Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Baghdad — Mohammad and his gang are back. There may not be a Glock semiautomatic strapped to his waist anymore, but the terrifying mystique of the Mahdi Army still shrouds the Shiite Muslim militiaman like the menacing black uniform he once wore.

Civil servant Haidar Naji remembers how Mohammad used to strut around his east Baghdad neighborhood like a mob boss, ordering him not to wear Bermuda shorts, too immodest and Western for his Islamic tastes. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/28/world/la-fg-mahdi-army-20100628 ******** Mahdi Army

Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

Updated: Jan. 18, 2011

From 2004 to 2008, the most powerful force on the streets of Iraq after the American military was the Mahdi Army, known in Arabic as the Jaish al-Mahdi. The group began as a small group of fighters who were fiercely loyal to Moktada al-Sadr, the firebrand Shiite imam, and grew rapidly in the months after the American invasion. The group's name reflected its religious roots -- for Shiites, the Mahdi is a messianic figure. They lost their grip on the southern city of Basra and large swaths of Baghdad after Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, a former Sadr ally, launched military operations against those strongholds with the help of American forces in the spring of 2008.

Mr. Sadr performed a remarkable turnaround in 2010. From his self-imposed exile in Iran, he turned his movement into a political party that made striking gains in the March 2010 parliamentary elections. He then used the leverage from those 40 seats first to block Mr. Maliki's return to power, only to suddenly make the deal that assured the prime minister of another term. In return, his followers were assured of important posts in the new government. Secure in his standing, Mr. Sadr returned from Iran in January 2011.

The first time most of the world heard of the Mahdi Army came in April 2004, when Mr. Sadr threw militia members into a fight against American troops in the city of Najaf and elsewhere across the Shiite south. It was a burst of self-assertion that took U.S. commanders by surprise and increased the group's stature.

At the time, the fighters doubled as neighborhood helpers, bringing cooking gas and other necessities to needy families. Mahdi Army members were also widely seen as the chief bulwark for Shiite areas as bombings, shootings and kidnappings by Sunni insurgents drove Baghdad and its environs deeper into chaos. The militia in Baghdad, always loosely organized, swelled with recruits after a bombing of a Shiite shrine in February 2006. The change disrupted the organization and injected it with angry young men, some with criminal pasts, who were thirsty for revenge.

As Shiites struck back and began to get the upper hand in the struggle with Sunnis, death squads made up of Mahdi Army members played a prominent role. The price for used cars plummeted as militiamen sold vehicles that had belonged to their victims. A Sadr City sheik issued a religious edict permitting the confiscation of the property of Sunni militants who see Shiites as heretics. But many took it as a blank check to seize property, as long as the victim was Sunni. By 2007, the militia had effectively taken over vast swaths of the capital; its membership was estimated by the Iraq Survey Group to be roughly 60,000.

The years of fighting reshaped the militia. Many of its original members left violence behind, taking jobs in local and national government, while others plunged deeper into organized crime. Even the demographics changed, in part as a result of an aggressive campaign begun by the American military in late 2006 in which many senior commanders were arrested, leaving behind a power vacuum and directionless junior members. Meanwhile, in the Shiite south, the Mahdi Army was only one of several militias competing for power.

Facing an American crackdown and a loss of control over rogue elements, in the summer of 2007 Mr. Sadr ordered a six-month ceasefire. Many observers believed the ceasefire played a major role in the drop off in violence in Baghdad in late 2007. Mr. Sadr renewed the ceasefire in February 2008 for another six months. But tensions remained, and on March 23 Mr. Maliki ordered a surprise assault on Mahdi Army positions in Basra.

Mr. Sadr had originally helped place Mr. Maliki in power, but had turned against him as being too close to the United States. Mr. Maliki's bold move initially stumbled, and a truce was negotiated in Basra by Iran after American forces came to the aid of the Iraqi army. But in the months that followed, the central government regained control over Basra, and in a far larger and better organized operation, the Iraqi and American forces worked their way through Sadr City, the vast slum that was the Mahdi Army's stronghold. After a short period of fierce resistance, the Mahdi fighters allowed American tanks in, and their hold on the city was broken http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/m/mahdi_army/index.html

FYI I am not sure the videos came thru if not sorry

DK

[Alexyn1006]

I like Bondlady and I'm grateful for her constant and faithful service to the dinar community, but....she flip flops so much on her perspectives regarding this subject. Maliki is going to do whatever he needs to do to aid Iran, RV or no RV, whatever puts more money in his and Iran's pockets. Maliki has two mouths..one he reserves for the US to keep them at arms length, and the other one which represents his ultimate agenda to aid Iran. My advice, just watch the laws (CGI and GOI) and the auctions.

[pchester]

I have a dumb question, who holds the most power in Iraq,the president or PM...Thanks

[Dinarkicker]

I have a dumb question, who holds the most power in Iraq,the president or PM...Thanks

I may be wrong but I think the PM

[pchester]

Dinarkicker,thats what I was thinking but I was told the President.Thats why I ask...Thanks

[RodandStaff]

I have a dumb question, who holds the most power in Iraq,the president or PM...Thanks

Talabani is the president, and Maliki is the PM... of the two I would say the PM has more power, but it seems Talabani has been instrumental at attempting to get meetings pulled off in a more peaceful manner imo. Both are important though.. but I believe the PM trumps the president.

[Roadrunner]

The PM has the real power. The president is basically a figure head. As far as the reports of his popularity increasing; Maliki has always had the support of most of the people. We see all of these bad press articles about him, but they are written by his opposition.

Roadrunner

[RodandStaff]

The PM has the real power. The president is basically a figure head. As far as the reports of his popularity increasing; Maliki has always had the support of most of the people. We see all of these bad press articles about him, but they are written by his opposition.

Roadrunner

Thanks for that Roadrunner... it's true about the "Misinformation Campaign" by the opposition. What I'm hearing is that he is one of the few that is actually trying to stick to the new constitution... something his opposition can't stand. Especially when we realize much of the problem has come from the Allawi camp... and remember, "A" isn't much better than Saddam imo... and yet some will believe the reports and think Allawi is the better bet!!!