top
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

Deadline: The Iraqi Constitution

by Raed Jarrar (reposted)

Another two weeks!
Another two hours!
Another two minutes!
The Iraqi constitution committee is begging for another last minute, as if the world is ending tomorrow. With all the internal pressure (i.e. the daily insurgent attacks) and the external pressure (the US administration’s imposed deadlines), the committee finds itself between a rock and a hard place. The US ambassador to Iraq attends all the constitution meetings and gives the Iraqi stakeholders some printed “suggestions” to break the deadlock, while the Iraqi resistance’s assassinations and attacks are getting stronger and more effective.

The Iraqi “governments”, established and supported by the occupation, has spent the last couple of years collapsing. Every new day is a worse day; every yesterday is brighter than any tomorrow.

When the elections-under-occupation happened eight long months ago, the US administration tried its best to market the elections as the savior, as THE solution. I didn’t take a part of the January elections because I believed it would increase Iraq’s problems and disasters. I believed that such unfair elections under occupation would open the doors of hell.

Unfortunately, they did.

The US administration didn’t change its policy in Iraq, and the US decision makers are still refusing to face the truth. The premature elections this year were more than enough to convince anyone of the fact that Iraq won’t be rebuilt if we continued working on the same path: bush’s path of lies and failure.

The Iraqi constitution shouldn’t be rushed through. Iraqis have the right to take as much time as they need to write their country’s constitution. Having a good constitution is important, but it’s not a priority in the Iraqi case.

There is a very long list of priorities that need deadlines in Iraq: basic services (e.g. electricity, water, food rations, health care, free education, etc.), basic human rights (the very same rights that are being violated on a daily basis by occupation supported Iraqi military and paramilitary forces), and basic capacity building for Iraqi civil society (i.e. building and rebuilding Iraq’s NGOs and Grassroots organizations).

But why would a country like today’s Iraq have a deadline for their constitution?! What would an imposed constitution achieve in the war-torn country? Shouldn’t the current government try to gain as much public support for writing the constitution before worrying about deadlines? What is the point of doing a rush job on a constitution that has no popular support and is rejected in the public referendum?

I support elections, but I didn’t support January’s elections. I support having a good Iraqi constitution, but I care more about the mechanisms and governmental structures that can and will implement any constitution.

Iraq already has a secular constitution that protects Iraq’s unity and human rights, and gives very important rights to minorities, but this didn’t prevent the Iraqi government before the fall of Baghdad from committing all the mistakes they did. The 1970 Iraqi constitution has many better aspects than the one under construction now, but what would any constitution do in a battle field with no laws like Iraq under occupation?

This constitution is nothing more than another mistake of the bush administration in Iraq. It can’t make things better, but it may make them worse. Iraqis should be left to write their constitution and rule their country by themselves.

The only deadline that should be set by the US-led coalition is the one for their complete withdrawal from Iraq.

http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com/
§Good Morning..
by faiza (reposted)
Well, we all can see now that new Iraqi leaders are busy with writing new Iraqi constitution.
The new Iraqi president is Kurdish, and he is trying to GAIN the best he can for the Kurd population , asking for self-ruled region, controlling the natural resources and oil income in their northern governorates, arranging their local military forces (Bashmarga) in a legal situation , like being the governmental military, and putting the Kurd language as the second official language in the state.
The Shee`h leaders are trying to GAIN the best they can for their population, like putting their local military forces in government, getting self- rule for southern governorates, controlling oil and other natural resources in their region, trying to put special laws to protect their religious leaders,
This is sadly, the vision or mentality of new Iraqi leaders after war on Iraq.
They are living in their sub-identity demands, they are not acting like : we are IRAQI
And trying to gain what is the best for Iraqis future…
Now, we all can see what is their priorities, and can imagine the future of Iraq under the controlling of these groups.
I am supposed to be shee`a women, and be happy to GAIN the best for my population, but I can’t think that way, its opportunist mentality, I don’t like it.
This is the time to know what is your real Identity in Iraq , are you Iraqi?
Or just narrow minded person, looking for your personal benefits?
And yes I can see women are lost in the middle, they are also trying to GAIN something from this big cake, in this funny celebration, like everyone is trying to cut the BIGGEST piece he or she can take.
Poor Iraq , these days supposed to be your shining days, with new constitution….
But, we all can see what kind of days they are….

§A Family In Baghdad (reposted)
by faiza (reposted)
These days, the new constitution of Iraq will be issued. The spirit of sectarianism and separatism will be dedicated by it, they agreed in principal that the name of the new Iraq shall be; The Federal Republic of Iraq, the Kurds are striving to gain an oil-rich part of their own, so it would be a big materialistic gain, some of the Shia'ats leaders are calling for a Shia'at state that includes the oil fields in the southern provinces, and of course, both will implement the Free Economy and the Privatization of state institutes, giving franchises to western oil companies, (could they possibly be other than American companies?), and so, the war on Iraq would have started to reap its first fruits, for those who planned, and implemented it. As for Democracy, Freedom, and Human rights, these turned out to be vocabularies used only as a cover up.
When the western media used to cry upon the Iraqis, showing the Saddam Hussein regime as the worst regime in the20 th century, as people used to disappear without their relatives' knowing where they were, where they were tortured in prisons and detaining centers that do not see the light, and where no attorneys of defense were allowed to enter, as the official corruption and bribes were widespread in Iraq, as there was a small, rich minority controlling the country's revenues, while the people were hungry, while there were the deals of " oil for food", the thefts from the state budget, and the Iraqi people deprived of services like water, electricity, health services, and others…
And now, what has changed for the Iraqis?
Aren't detaining centers full of innocent people, where people are tortured to admit to crimes they never committed, and they are shown on the local TV. Screens to prove the government's bravery, and its nationalism in defending the Iraqis?
Isn't official corruption and thefts still going on, by Iraqis, and non-Iraqis? Aren't Iraqis still deprived of services, and the respect for their humanity? The heat is terrible in summer, as the temperatures reach more than 50 degrees C, and the electricity is cut, and is available not more than 6 hours in every24 hours?
But the western media is silent, and moreover, they send stories of the new Iraq, saying its people are happy with the change, and support it, that there are some "enemies of the democracy" who oppose the government, or attack the occupation forces, the government, and those who collaborate with them.
The real difference is; that these new Iraqi faces are cooperative in implementing the theory of the new world order, the globalization, the privatization, and the free economy, which were the most important reasons for the war on Iraq. While Saddam Hussein was an uncooperative fool…..
As for the methods of dealing with the Iraqis, they didn't change, but rather increased its sharpness and cruelty; as the house doors are broken at night, houses are stormed without a legal permit, men's heads are trodden with shoes, their hands would be tied, and sacks put on their heads, while women and children scream and cry. Is there a human rights insult more than that? Then, in most cases, the man would be released, because he is INNOCENT!!
Didn't America, your partner, the mistress of democracy and human rights, teach you to treat people in a better way, yet?
****************************************** I read in a report by one of the Jordanian Parties, in its newspaper, issued in the market, that the estimated duration of the American oil reserve is 11 years, and the estimated duration of the Iraqi oil reserve is 127 years. I was depressed more, for I thought that the Iraqi oil reserve would last for 50 or 60 years, and I used to say that when the oil is finished, they shall be uprooted from Iraq, not to return, in some 50 years. But after seeing these numbers, it seems that their stay in Iraq shall be elongated to more than 100 years.
Who will get them out of Iraq, and bring back its independence and splendor?
**************************************
The report I mentioned spoke of America's plans to control the wide Middle East Region; meaning; approximately from Afghanistan, then Iran, Iraq, Syria, till the last of the Arabian countries in Africa, (Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya). Of course, there would be the oil sources, then, planting a firm foot to confront the growing and on coming danger of China, the nuclear weapons threat from Iran, Pakistan, and India, and others….
Now, I want to re-read the history, since the fall of the Soviet Union, or, since the beginning of the nineties of the last century.
The wars of splitting the Soviet Union countries started, like in Bosnia Herzegovina, then Yugoslavia, the world map was re-drawn there, with new divisions that could be controlled, and who has a loyalty to the west.
Then, the theorizations of western thinkers, like Huntington, started, that the coming danger would be Islam, like he mentioned in his article which he wrote at about1993 , as I recall. And I always used to say; and perhaps all of us used to say: Why? What have we to do with the west, colliding with them? But now I understood…
The plan is to control the Middle East, where the petrol sources are, and the strategic center to break the dominance of the other strong countries…
Well then, who would be the force to confront the new world order plan, and the globalization, and impede them?
Who, but Islam, here, in the Middle East??
So, we declare war on Islam, we deform it, we tear it apart, we show it as the retarded criminal who lives by the darkness and middle-age mentality, by not loving its neighbors, and by being aggressive against anyone who isn't a Muslim,…etc, etc, of lies and myths…..
At first, a media campaign begins…in the newspapers, magazines, TVs, and radio stations, all talking against Islam, and there would also be a rabid campaign to deform that religion…. Then, comes the September bombings to finish the story…
Are the Muslims really that much stupid, so as to give the necessary justifications for an attack against them?
**********************************
Then, came the war on Afghanistan; quick air raids, and aircraft hits, Taliban was ousted, Karazai came on, and the story there ended… but the war on Iraq was different… the "meal" wasn't cooked soon enough, so Iraq would surrender, and a new Karazai would be put there, as they wished, so, things got complicated, and elongated…. So, the infernal schemes started to appear, to control the Iraqi street… dividing the people into Sunnies, Shia'ats, and Kurds… and the funny thing is, that most Kurds are Sunnies, but the ethnic division took over their categorization instead of religion.
As for the religious leaderships; there are some leaderships in Iraq against the occupation, but those were either detained, pushed to the margin, assassinated, or had their picture deformed in the media, like Al-Sadder, because he said frankly that he stands against the foreign occupation of Iraq.
There are some other religious leaderships, who preferred to be opportunists, and to gain their interests, instead of saying the truth, so, they supported the presence of the occupation, as long as there are some interests and privileges coming on…
Where is Islam here? So, the matter is clear; not all of Islam is against the west… there are some opportunist leaderships who are friendly to the west, Iraqis and non-Iraqis; like the governments of Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and many Arab governments, whose leaders wear the Arabic-Islamic costume in their countries, and take it off in the west, while sitting with the leaderships of the new world order, drinking toasts, or gambling, putting the money of their countries in the American banks. Those aren't hateful Muslims, or terrorists; those are lovable moderates, who seek approval from the hearts of the supervisors of the new world order theory. As to whoever objects to that theory; he is a terrorist… we should conspire against him, to destroy him, ruin his reputation, and banish him from the land, for his suitable place is in dark cells, or in a grave….
Did the Muslims opposing the plans of globalization really commit the London bombings? Did they provide the Blair government with the justification to evict them, and withdraw their nationality? Or is it that merely talking and objecting to what happened became a charge?
And what about the mysterious bombings? Then, what is the story of the "web sites" trend, that issue threats and statements, proclaiming their responsibility of explosions, here and there, then, all the non-hypocrite, and the non-adulator Muslim clergy would pay its price? Like the story of the Muslim clergies who were sent away from Britain after the bombings, and after silly statements, ascribed to Al-Dawahiri on the internet.
What is the evidence on the ground of reality as to the involvement of these people in a terrorist act? Isn't this a clear falsehood, and a fabrication against the believers?
It is evident that the human rights are merely words they play with as they like, according to their temperaments. By GOD, I see that the western democracies have become disgraceful comedies.
Is this the truth? There is no democracy on the ground of reality, when the human rights rules collide with the interests of the influential powerful?....
******************************
So, not all of Islam is targeted… the part that is targeted of it, is the part that objects to what is happening in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, or others… and these are required to shut up, or give their blessings…
*********************************
In Iraq, the rules of the game are clear… there is a resistance against the existence of the occupation…this resistance targets the occupation forces, the Iraq collaborating government, who approves of the existence of these forces, the Iraqi police, who burst into houses and arrest people, with the guidance of the occupation forces, and every contractor, translator, or person who works with these forces, and supports its existence…
If the picture would have been that clear, people in the east and the west would have said: oh, for GOD'S sake, get out of Iraq, the Iraqis don't want you, let them chose their own government, build their army and police force without your interference.
But, to cover up this picture that bothers the masters of globalization, the free market, and the privatization, the story of the amazing trapped cars entered the scene, the cars that have no owners, which explode from far away, or with a driver who knows nothing of the matter, as we hear in the daily events in Iraq.
These explosions conceal the legitimate resistance, coloring the whole picture with the blood of the innocent civilians, who are blameless. So, the onlooker would be lost, not understanding what is happening, while these ugly operations justify the existence of the occupation forces, with the excuse of fighting terrorism….
Nothing justifies the existence of the occupation forces till now, except these operations.
Would they be committed by some Iraqis who love the occupation, and want it to remain?
Would they be committed by some Iraqis who hate the occupation, and want it to end?
Then, there is also the story of Al-Zarqawi, his site on the internet, his threats, and statements. And we have all been wondering for more than two years now; is he really present in Iraq? What is the evidence to that, in reality? Where is his formation, where are his men? Have any of the Iraqis seen any of them?
We do not want to rely on the mythical stories in the official media, for these are no longer worthy of trust.
The occupation forces always took the statements on the internet seriously, and accordingly raid the Iraqi towns that have resistance, under the pretext of looking for that monster, Al-Zarqawi.
By GOD, I see them as a bunch of desperate losers, and people are bored from hearing their silly, imaginary stories. Don't they sound like the famous "Don Kishot" story, about a half crazy man, fighting imaginary enemies, drawing his sward in the face of the windmills, thinking them the enemy.
**********************************
By looking at the experiences of the countries near us, we learn, and understand…
The civil war in Lebanon, in1973 , lasted for 15 years. And the outcome was? The Palestinian resistance got out of Lebanon, and that was the required thing form the beginning till the end.
The bombing of Al-Hareeri convoy in Lebanon,2005 , his assassination, and the outcome was? The Syrian forces got out of Lebanon, which was the required object…
The Baghdad University bombings in1980 , while the matters were tense with Iran… victims and dead Iraqi students, were the reason to wage the war on Iraq for 8 years. That was the required thing from the beginning; to exhaust both Iraq and Iran, and bleed them, who would reap the benefit?
The September bombings, then war on Afghanistan, and the war on Iraq. What was required by here??
The question is: in all these cases, couldn't there have been some self restraint, to avoid wars, killings, and destruction? Why rush, run after the silly sentiments, the hatreds, and enrage people to demand revenge??
The truth is; that the people who give the green light to revenge, are the fools who were tricked, and fooled into believing that this war, whatever war, started in their names… while the truth of the matter is, that for each war there is a non-declared goal, which is the real one….and many declared goals, for fools to enjoy talking about, in their work times, or at their leisure……
*********************************
The objectives of the war on Iraq became clear…. Deploying globalization, the free market in Iraq, investing the oil by foreign companies, keeping military bases in Iraq for tens of years, under various pretexts, making Iraq a structure empty of any real nationalistic leaderships …..Even those who sit upon the important chairs have limited authorities… for the real leadership is in the hands of the leaders of the new world order…. And Iraq should become a part of this new world order…. This is the idea.
And once more we ask: who will get them out of Iraq? And bring back to it its brilliance, freedom, and independence?
This is the question that will hang, for perhaps tens of years, awaiting an answer….
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Translated by May/Baghdad.

# posted by faiza @10 : 07PM
Add Your Comments
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$220.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network